Pretzel and Peanut Chocolate Brownies

This Peanut and Pretzel Brownie was inspired by one of the new limited edition Dairy Milk chocolate blocks that have been released by Cadbury.
The brownie itself is deliciously fudgy, then the pretzels and peanuts add a little bit of crunch along with a hint of salt (which is such a great compliment to the chocolate).  Top that all off with chunks of creamy chocolate and we have a winner.
The recipe is super easy to make too!

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
⅓ cup cocoa
125g butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly whisked
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
½ cup pretzels (roughly broken into pieces)
½ cup peanuts
120g chocolate, roughly chopped (I used the Pretzel and Peanut Chocolate by Cadbury – I think their plain or Picnic varieties would work well too)

Method:
Heat oven to 180°C. Line a 20cm square pan with baking paper.
Mix the flour, salt, baking powder, sugars, and cocoa together in a large bowl.  Add in the wet ingredients and mix well to combine.  Stir through the pretzels, peanuts and chocolate chunks.
Press the mixture into the lined pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until firm. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares to serve.

Chocolate Pecan Pie

The recipe for this Chocolate Pecan Pie is one that we created and originally shared early last year over on High Tea With Dragons as a guest post while Kirsten was away on her honeymoon.
Pecan Pie is one of the first things I made and posted about back when I started up Baking Makes Things Better.  I’ve always wanted to try a chocolate version of Pecan Pie so this is a slight variation on my original recipe. 
This pie would go great with cream, custard or ice cream, but is also amazing on its own. You could buy a pre-made pastry, or challenge yourself to try make the chocolate pastry recipe below.

Serves about 10.

Sweet short pastry:
Ingredients:
2 cups standard flour
1 cup icing sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
250g cold butter, cubed
2 –3 tablespoons icy water

Method:
Place all the ingredients, except the water, into a food processor.  Pulse until combined.
With the motor running, add enough water to the dough to form a ball (I usually use 2 tablespoons).
Press into a greased 25cm round lose based flan pan.  Chill for 1 hour.

Filling:
Ingredients:
350g pecans, chopped coarsely
1 vanilla bean
2 cups cream
1 ¾ cups brown sugar
100g butter
100g dark chocolate broken into chunks (I used Whittakers 50% Chocolate)
2 tablespoons bourbon (optional – it enhances the chocolate flavour)
2 eggs, beaten

Method:
Preheat the oven to 170˚C.  Place an oven tray in the middle of the oven to heat.
Place the pecans onto the uncooked pastry base, then place it back in the fridge until needed.
Slice the vanilla bean in half and place it with all the ingredients, except the eggs, in a saucepan.  Heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves and the butter and chocolate have melted to make a smooth sauce.  Remove the vanilla bean, cool the sauce and add the eggs.
Pour the sauce over the pecans.  Bake the pie for approximately 40 minutes or until the centre of the pie has set (it will wobble slightly when lightly nudged if it needs more time in the oven).  Remove from the oven onto a wire rack to cool, then place in the fridge for at least four hours to set (it will crumble if cut earlier). 
Cut into wedges and serve.

Banana Walnut Cupcakes with Banana Icing and Candied Walnuts

I made these cupcakes a while ago for an SPCA cupcake day fundraiser some of the students had organised at school.  I think these ones never made it to the fundraising table – another staff member purchased them before anyone else got a chance!  And, good on her – these cupcakes are divine.  The flavours of the cake, icing and candied walnuts (and the caramel drizzle – don’t forget that!) go together perfectly creating one sophisticatedly moreish cupcake.  The candied walnuts are really easy to make and are my new favourite thing.  I actually first made them to go in a broccoli and cranberry salad (so good), but here they add a delicious crunch to the sweet taste of the banana infused icing.

Makes: 12

Ingredients:
Cupcakes:
1 ½ cups self raising flour
⅓ cup caster sugar
60g butter
⅔ cup mashed banana
½ cup roughly chopped walnuts
1 egg
½ cup milk

Candied Walnuts:
⅔ cup chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 ½ tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon sea salt

Banana Icing and Caramel drizzle:
130g butter
¼ cup mashed bananas
½ teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
3 ¼ cups icing sugar
½ cup caramel sauce (I used Hershey’s Caramel Sauce)

Method:
Cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 190°C.  Grease or line a 12 hole muffin pan with cupcake liners.
In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar and butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add in mashed banana, walnuts, egg and milk, and stir to combine.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pans and bake for 20 minutes.

Candied Walnuts:
To make the candied walnuts, place all the ingredients in a small saucepan over a medium heat.  Cook for 5 to 8 minutes, until the mixture is bubble and the walnuts have caramelised and turned a golden brown.
Line a dinner plate of baking tray with baking paper.  Place the walnuts on the baking paper and place in the refrigerator for at least 5 minutes.

To make the icing and to decorate:
Cream together the butter, banana, lemon juice and vanilla essence.  Slowly beat in icing sugar, adding more if needed to make a nice fluffy, spreadable icing.  If the mix is too thick, beat in a few drops of warm water at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
Pipe the icing onto the cupcakes and decorate with the candied walnut pieces.  Drizzle caramel sauce over the top of each cupcake.

BREAD by Dean Brettschnieder

 
There is nothing quite like the taste and aroma of warm, fresh-out-of-the-oven bread baked in your own kitchen. Bread is the latest book from New Zealand celebrity chef Dean Brettschnieder.  When I met Dean at the launch of his first book (Pie: 80+ Pies and Pastry Delights), he said he thought it would be awesome to release a series of books each focussing on a certain food.  The arrival of Bread sees Dean on the path to achieving this dream. In this irresistible collection of bread recipes, you'll find breads to match any occasion – from savoury to sweet, healthy to festive. Whether you fancy a bagel or a baguette, sourdough or sticky buns, these delectable and easy-to-follow recipes are sure to become firm favourites.

The book has over 60 recipes (you can check out the one for NYC Sticky Pecan Buns on the Penguin Books website) which have been gorgeously photographed by Aaron McLean.  Dean also shares his expert knowledge of how to make exceptional breads with detailed step-by-step instructions on artisan techniques, plus information on essential ingredients and equipment.

 
I think the book would make a great gift, especially for those guys out there who like baking, because let’s face it, baking bread seems a bit manlier than making pretty little cupcakes.  You will be amazed at the quality, lightness, volume, flavour, crust and crumb of your bread after following Dean's recipes, tips and know how.  The book is out in stores now (RRP $45), so keep an eye out for it and grab yourself a copy.

Caramel Nut Slice

This slice is an absolute favourite at my workplace at the moment and in a very short time I’ve been asked to make it several times by those who have sampled it. It is a very simple recipe that is sure to be a crowd pleaser!

Ingredients:
180g butter
1/2 cup White Sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups white flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Caramel
1 tin condensed milk
75 grams butter
2 tablespoons Golden Syrup

Topping
1/4 - 1/2 each cup each, *peanuts, cashews, slithered almonds, walnuts roughly chopped
*You can use whatever nuts you prefer/have on hand

Method:
Pre-heat your oven to 180°C and line a 25cm x 15cm slice tin with baking paper.
Cream butter and sugar, then add in vanilla.  Sift in the flour and baking powder and gently mix until combined.
Press mixture evenly into your baking paper lined tin.
Flash bake in the oven for 10 minutes, remove and set aside.
At this stage you will need to make your caramel.  To make the caramel melt together the condensed milk, golden syrup and butter in the microwave, I gave mine four zaps of 40 seconds each, stirring between each interval.  Your caramel is ready when it is golden and thickened. 
Pour the caramel over the base you have created in your slice tin.
Cover with nuts, pressing them very gently, just into the caramel.
Bake in your pre-heated oven for 10-15 minutes.
Remove from the oven when the nuts are golden/beginning to brown.
Leave in the tin to cool completely before slicing into squares.
You can decorate by drizzling melted chocolate over it or serve as is.

Pret Chocolate Brownie

 
This brownie makes me happy.  Here’s the deal – about this time last year, Simon and I went on an amazing five week adventure around Europe.  While there, I fell in love with the Chocolate Brownie at Pret A Manger, a chain of food stores in London that we used to stop at for food and to use the free Wi-Fi.  Their brownie is my favourite.  We tried lots of new foods while on our trip (French Macarons, Frog’s legs, Gyros, Fresh Italian pasta and traditional pizza, copious amounts of Gelato, Milka Chocolate…) but Pret Brownie was the one thing that I knew I was going to miss once back in New Zealand.  I used to sit there and try work out how they had made it.

Now we are back home and having to save for a wedding and then we will be doing a lot more saving for a house, so I was getting pretty upset the other day while looking through our travel photos, knowing that we wouldn’t be going on any exciting overseas adventures anytime soon.  Then I came across my instagram pic of my last Pret Brownie.  Oh the Memories.  (And yes I instagram food pics.  So what.)  I decided to Google and see if I could find if anyone had tried recreating their brownie.  What I didn’t expect to find was that Pret themselves had posted the recipe up on their facebook page! Their packaging says the recipe has been developed and tweaked over the years so I thought it would be a closely kept secret, like sauce at KFC.  This was a very EXCITING discovery.

 
I’ve given the recipe a go and it is perfect – simple ingredients and very quick to make.  The brownie is an indulgent, fudgy, chocolate treat.  It has a flaky top, but the rest of the brownie is thick and gooey.  I tweaked the recipe a smidge to suit the chocolate that I like to bake with and thought would make the brownie close to what I remember it being like, but you can find the original recipe here.  This will be my go to brownie recipe from now on.  I may not be going on any international travel soon, but as I said, this brownie makes me happy.

 
Ingredients:
225g unsalted butter
200g dark chocolate (I used Whittakers 50% Dark Choc)
3 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
275g caster sugar
135g plain flour
¼ teaspoon salt
100g dark chocolate chips (I used Nestle Choc Drops)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 160°C.  Grease and line a 23cm square baking tin. 
Melt the butter and the 200g of dark chocolate in a double boiler.  Once all the butter and chocolate has melted, remove from the heat and allow to cool.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, vanilla and sugar together.  If the chocolate mix is cool enough (if you can dip your finger into it without gasping at all it should be okay) add it to the eggs and sugar and mix well.
Add the flour and salt into the mixture and until combined.  Mix through the chocolate chips.
Pour the mixture into the prepared.  Bake for 20 minutes - the mixture should be set and firm on top but not completely cooked.  They will continue to cook when out of the oven because of the stored heat in the mixture (err on the side of too little cooking rather than the opposite; if they are completely soggy you might just have to serve them with cream or ice cream in a bowl with a spoon).
Allow the brownie to cool a little before cutting into shapes with a sharp knife and don’t remove them from the tray until completely cold. 

 
The last Pret brownie I had in London and the Instagram pic which led me to making this recipe.  The Pret Pomegranate juice is pretty good too!

Profiteroles

Making choux pastry has been on my baking 'to do' list for a while now and I kept bumping it down the list as I'd heard that it was difficult and was quite frankly a little intimidated by it - don't be, it is much easier than it seems and well worth the effort. Growing up my Mum always took profiteroles as a plate for dessert but being a busy woman with four kids she usually used store bought cases, when I was put on dessert for Easter lunch I decided to carry on the tradition of having profiteroles by making everything from scratch. Scouring the net for good recipes you'll find that the basic choux pastry recipe if much of a muchness, you can use it to make profiteroles, cream puffs, eclairs or savoury gougeres. 

Ingredients:
Choux Pastry
1/3 cup water
40g butter, at room temperature, cubed
1/3 cup plain flour, sifted
2 eggs, at room temperature
Vegetable oil, to grease

Creme Pastisierre 
1 3/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup  caster sugar
1/3 cup plain flour, sifted
*This requires cooling so you may want to make it in advance

Chocolate ganache
150 grams milk or dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks
75ml cream
1 tablespoon butter

Method:
Preheat oven to 200°C. Spray or brush a baking tray with oil to lightly grease or line with a silicon mat if you have one.
To make the choux pastry place water and butter in a saucepan over medium heat, make sure your butter is cut into small cubes, you don't want the water boiling before your butter is fully melted. Stir over the heat for 3-4 minutes or until butter melts and mixture just comes to the boil.
Remove from the heat and add all the flour to the butter mixture at once and use a wooden spoon to beat until well combined. Place over low heat and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until the mixture forms a ball and begins to come away from the side of the saucepan.
Set aside for about 5 minutes to cool slightly.
Whisk 1 egg in a small bowl and set aside. Whisk the remaining egg in a small bowl, then add it to the flour mixture, beating well with a wooden spoon. Gradually add a little of the reserved egg and beat until the mixture just falls from the spoon but still holds its shape.
Spoon teaspoons full of the mixture onto tray, about 3cm apart (you will get 20-30). Alternatively, use a pastry bag fitted with a 1- 1.5cm diameter plain piping nozzle to pipe the profiteroles onto the baking tray.
Brush the tops with a little of the remaining egg, flattening any peaks.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the profiteroles are puffed and golden.
Remove from oven and turn the oven off. Using a skewer or a small knife, pierce the base of each profiterole to release the steam. Return the profiteroles to the oven and leave them for 15 minutes to dry out.
Remove the profiteroles from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
For the creme patissiere, warm milk and the vanilla paste in a saucepan, remove from the heat and set aside.
Whisk yolks and sugar in a bowl until thick. Whisk in flour, then milk mixture.
Return to pan and cook, whisking, over low heat for 5 minutes or until mixture thickens.
Transfer mixture to a bowl and cover surface with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge to chill.
Spoon creme patissiere in a piping bag fitted with a 5mm metal nozzle.
Push nozzle into the base of each profiterole and fill with creme patissiere.
Finally for the chocolate ganache, place the chocolate, cream and butter into a heat proof bowl.
Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, ensure that the water does not touch the bottom of your bowl.
Stir occasionally until well combined.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool and thicken for about 10 minutes before dunking the top of each profiterole in the chocolate.

I would really encourage you to give making your own choux pastry from scratch and turning said choux pastry into these delectable profiteroles! They are sure to impress at your next function.

Pineapple and Coconut Muffins

It’s now Autumn here in New Zealand and it is starting to get a bit cooler in temperature.  But, these Pineapple and Coconut Muffins are the perfect way to add a bit of sunshine back into your life and beat of the Winter blues.  The recipe is made using tinned pineapple, so you can make these all year round and I think they would make a great lunchbox treat.  The pineapple, coconut and yoghurt all work together to give these muffins a light, fresh taste.  The crunchy coconut topping is pretty delish too!

Ingredients:
1 ⅔ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
50g desiccated coconut
1 egg, beaten
¾ cup brown sugar
100ml canola or sunflower oil
250g plain, unsweetened yoghurt
1 tablespoon milk
250g crushed pineapple, drained

Topping:
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup shredded coconut

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.  Line a 12 hole muffin tin with muffin papers, or grease well.
In a medium bowl mix the flour, baking powder and coconut together. 
In a large bowl mix together the egg, sugar, oil, yoghurt and milk.  Add in the pineapple and stir through.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
Divide the mixture between the prepared muffin cases.  Sprinkle brown sugar, followed by the shredded coconut over the top of each muffin.  Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until golden and a skewer inserted into the middle of a muffin can be removed cleanly.

White Chocolate Brownie

Doesn’t that White Chocolate Brownie in the picture look divine?  It’s just one of the recipes in the new Sweet: Treats to Share cookbook published by Penguin.  The cookbook shares recipes from many of New Zealand’s best celebrity bakers, and this yummy recipe comes courtesy of Allyson Gofton.  We love Chocolate Brownie, and this white chocolate version with pistachios looks like an awesome twist on a baking classic.  I have to say, I’m loving the props from The Vintage Table which have been used in the styling of the food too.

To celebrate the release of Sweet: Treats to Share, Penguin are also running a giveaway where you can win a baking pack, copy of the book and some gorgeous postcards, so make sure you get yourself in the draw for that! 

Makes about 24–30 pieces

Ingredients:
250g good-quality white chocolate, roughly chopped
250g butter, diced
1 cup caster sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla essence
2 cups plain flour, sifted
1 cup pistachio nuts or pecans, chopped

White Chocolate Icing
100g good-quality white chocolate, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup icing sugar, sifted
about 2 tablespoons milk
extra pistachio nuts, finely chopped, to decorate

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 160ºC. Grease and line the base and sides of a 25cm square cake tin.
2. Place the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler and heat over boiling water until just melted.  Alternatively, microwave on high power (100 per cent) for about 2 minutes. Be careful not to over-cook the chocolate as it will burn easily. Stir until smooth and leave to cool.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla together until the mixture is thick and fluffy.
4. Sift the flour over the beaten egg mixture and fold in alternately with the cooled chocolate mixture. This is easiest done with a slotted spoon. Fold in the pistachio nuts or pecans. Turn out the mixture into the prepared cake tin.
5. Bake for 30–35 minutes until the top is lightly golden but the centre is still a little soft.
6. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature. Chill for 3–4 hours. Remove from the tin.
7. To make the icing, melt the white chocolate and butter together. Stir in the icing sugar and sufficient milk to make a smooth, thick icing. Ice, decorate with pistachio nuts and cut into pieces.

Reproduced with permission from Sweet: Treats to Share. Published by Penguin Group NZ. RRP $45.00. Copyright recipe © Allyson Gofton, 2014. Copyright photography © Manja Wachsmith, 2014. Available nationwide.

Sweet: Treats to Share

Sweet: Treats to Share is a brand new book (in stores from today) that is packed with more than 80 irresistible recipes from some of New Zealand’s best-loved bakers.  You’ll find recipes from such baking legends as Alexa Johnston, Allyson Gofton, Annabelle White, Dean Brettschneider, and Kim Evans.

You’ll find recipes for cakes, biscuits, slices, loaves, muffins, pies and more.  What we like about the book is that nothing looks too fancy or hard to make.  The recipes are for true baked good favourites; the type of treats to fill the tins with.  There’s recipes for Kiwi classics such as Afghan Biscuits and Ginger Crunch, to more contemporary treats like Fresh Cherry Ripple Cake and Maple Rhubarb Crumble Pie.  We’ll be sharing a recipe for a delicious White Chocolate Brownie from the book at a later date, so do check back here on the blog for that.

The food has been beautifully photographed by Manja Wachsmuth and styled by food writer Penny Oliver.  A lot of the baking is photographed on gorgeous vintage china, which when I checked the credits at the back of the book was pleasantly surprised to find that the photography props came from our friends at The Vintage Table – how cool is that?!  (I knew that plate the Ambrosia on page 165 is photographed on was familiar, it’s the one I used photographed my Peanut Butter Chocolate Truffles on and is one of my favourites from The Vintage Table).

Scattered throughout the book are cute little baking related quotes, such as “A baked gift shows you took the time to care” and “Baking is both an art and a pleasure” with which we couldn’t agree more.  The book begins with a rundown of a few baking basics and you’ll find contributor bio’s and a measurement conversion table in the back.  All this, along with the recipes, comes prettily packaged in a padded hardcover book with a marker ribbon.  It’s a delightful book which is sure to appeal, and would make an ideal Mother’s Day or Easter gift for home bakers.

We have a copy of Sweet: Treats to Share to giveaway to one lucky reader.  To enter the draw to win, please leave us a comment (with your name) telling us what your favourite baked treat is to share with friends and family.  Entries close on Friday 4th April at 8pm and the winner will be chosen by a random draw.  However, if you can’t wait until then to get a copy, head along to your nearest good book store.  Sweet: Treats to Share will be hitting the shelves today.

Sweet: Treats to Share. Published by Penguin Group NZ. RRP $45.00. Available nationwide.

Photography credits:
Pumpkin & Prune Cake: Copyright photography © Alan Gillard, 2014. 
Lemon Madeira Load: Copyright photography © Manja Wachsmith, 2014

Berry Crumble Slice

This Berry Crumble Slice is delicious – the recipe comes from my Nana and my Mum has started making it too!  To make it, use whatever berries are in season with a matching jam for the filling.  I first tired this slice at Christmas time when my Nana had made it using strawberries.  It was amazing!  I couldn’t get my hands on any strawberries so I used blueberries instead.  The slice turned out just as great (it disappeared pretty quick when I took it into work) and I can’t wait to try out using different varieties of berries.  This is a simple slice and makes a delicious sweet treat to fill the tins.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
240g butter, softened
150g sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
1 punnet of berries (at least 125g – the slice in the photos is made using blueberries)
1 cup jam (in a the same flavour as the berries)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.  Grease and line a slice tin (the one I used was 16cm x 26cm) and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat through the vanilla essence.  Mix in the flour and baking powder.  Press ⅔ of the mixture into the base of the prepared tin.  Bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until the base starts to go golden in colour.
While the base is baking, chop the berries in half.  In a medium sized bowl, mix the berries and jam together. 
Once the base has begun to go golden, remove it from the oven and spread the berry mixture over the top.  Place bits of the remaining dough mixture over the top of the berry layer (my Mum and I flatten pieces of the mixture in our hands and break off bits to cover the jam with.  I think my Nana crumbles it between her fingers over the top of the jam layer).  Bake for a further 25 – 30 minutes, or until the crumble on the top has gone a golden brown colour.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool before cutting into slices.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

I’ve made this Pineapple Upside Down Cake using this recipe a few times now and it’s a really simple one to whip up.  The cake has a nice sweet flavour and I love the old-school baking look the cake has with the pineapple rings on the top; no fancy pants buttercream icing going on here!
Interestingly, in the history of our blog, this is the first Pineapple specific recipe.  I have another one coming up in a few weeks too, so keep an eye out for that.

Ingredients:
¼ cup brown sugar
5 – 7 pineapple slices / rings
handful of raisins (optional)
1 cup caster sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
⅔ cup plain natural yoghurt
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 ¾ cups self raising flour
½ teaspoon baking powder

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.  Grease a 20cm round cake tin.
Scatter the brown sugar over the bottom of the cake tin.  Arrange the pineapple slices and the raisins (if using) over the top of the sugar in a pretty pattern.
In a large bowl, beat the caster sugar and butter together.  Mix in the vanilla essence, yoghurt and eggs.  Gently mix through the flour and baking powder.
Pour the mix over the top of the pineapple in the prepared tin.  Bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out cleanly.
Cool in the tin for 20 minutes, before turning out on to a board or serving plate to cool completely.
Cut into slices and serve, either by itself or with cream or yoghurt.

Individual Summer Vegetable Tarts

I made these last week to take along to a get together hosted by Lydia Bakes.  We all have quite the sweet tooth so I thought something savoury would go down well to combat all the sugar we would be eating (check out the sweet Berry Tarts I made for the catch up too).
I made these Summer Vegetable Tarts from scratch, baking my own pastry cases, but you could easily buy some pre-made from the supermarket which would make these really quick and easy to whip up.  Also, feel free to change up the vegetable mix to include your favourites or what you have on hand.

Ingredients:
Pastry cases:
1 ⅓  cups flour
pinch of salt
100g unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons ice cold water

Vegetable filling:
1 bunch asparagus
1 kumara, chopped into chunks
½ pumpkin, chopped into chunks
12 cherry tomatoes
4 – 6 Portobello mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons dried mixed herbs
salt
pepper
200g haloumi cheese
25g feta, crumbled
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
12 small sprigs of rosemary

Method:
Pastry cases:
In a food processor, combine the flour and salt by pulsing the mixture in 2 second bursts.  Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Mix the egg with a tablespoon of water.  Add the egg to the flour mixture, pulsing again until just combined, adding the extra water if needed to bring the pastry together to forma soft dough.
On a lightly floured surface, shape the mixture into a ball.  Wrap in cling film and place in the refrigerator for about an hour, or until firm.
Grease a 12 hole muffin tin.  Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Roll the pastry mixture out to about 2mm thick.  Cut out rounds from the pastry, about 6cm in diameter (I used a drinking glass for this).  Place the pastry rounds into the prepared muffin holes and press into place.  Prick the bottom of each pastry case with a fork.
Cut out squares of baking paper (or use muffin papers) and line each pastry case before filling each with uncooked rice or baking weights.  Place the prepared tin of pastry cases into the freezer for 5 – 10 minutes (or the fridge for 30 minutes) to become cool again and firm up.
Bake for 10 minutes.  Take the cases out of the oven and remove the paper and baking weights before returning to the oven for a further 2-5 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Filling:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.  Place the vegetables (kumara, pumpkin, asparagus, tomatoes, mushrooms) in a couple of roasting trays, coat the vegetables in the oil, dried herbs, and salt and pepper. Roast the vegetables until tender. 
While the vegetables are roasting, cut the haloumi into slices, about 0.5cm thick and fry in a frying pan until lightly golden on both sides.
Once the vegetables been roasted and taken out of the oven to cool slightly, cut the vegetables (excluding the tomatoes) into small, little chunks (0.5cm pieces).  Crumb the feta cheese and mix it together with the roasted vegetables.
Place a piece of haloumi in the bottom of each pastry case.  Top with the roasted vegetable mix.
Beat together the egg and water.  Brush the egg wash over the vegetables in the tart cases.  Bake for a further 10 minutes.  Once out of the oven, top each tart with a sprig of rosemary and a cherry tomato.

Individual Berry Tarts

Yesterday I was invited to attend a get together hosted by Lydia Bakes.  I decided to make two types of little tarts, one sweet and the other savoury (recipe to come later in the week).  These Individual Berry Tarts are delish, and really simple to make.  And, if you buy pre-made pastry tarts from the supermarket, they would be a really quick treat to assemble – perfect for Christmas day.

Ingredients:
Pastry cases:
2 ¾ cups flour
1 cup icing sugar
pinch of salt
250g unsalted butter, cold, chopped
1 egg
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Filling:
500g mixed frozen berries
½ cup icing sugar
400g marscapone cheese
½ cup brown sugar
200g white chocolate melts

Method:
Pastry cases:
In a food processor, combine the flour, icing sugar and salt by pulsing the mixture in 2 second bursts.  Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the egg, lemon juice, zest and vanilla essence and pulse the mixture together, about 10 times.  The mixture should look dry and crumbly.
On a lightly floured surface, shape the mixture into a ball.  Wrap in cling film and place in the refrigerator for about 2 hours, or until firm.
Grease a 12 hole muffin tin.  Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Roll the pastry mixture out to about 5mm thick.  Cut out rounds from the pastry, about 6cm in diameter (I used a drinking glass for this).  Place the pastry rounds into the prepared muffin holes and press into place.  Prick the bottom of each pastry case with a fork. 
Cut out squares of baking paper (or use muffin papers) and line each pastry case before filling each with uncooked rice or baking weights.  Place the prepared tin of pastry cases into the freezer for 5 – 10 minutes (or the fridge for 30 minutes) to become cool again and firm up. 
Bake for 10 minutes.  Take the cases out of the oven and remove the paper and baking weights before returning to the oven for a further 2-5 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Filling:
Place the frozen berries in a bowl and cover with the icing sugar.  Set the berries aside to defrost, mixing regularly to ensure an even coverage of the icing sugar.  If the berries taste too tart, add more icing sugar until you are happy with the level of sweetness.
Melt the white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl using 30 second bursts on high in the microwave, mixing between each burst until the chocolate is smooth.  Using a desert spoon, wave spoonful's of the chocolate over a piece of baking paper to make thin lines.  Turn the paper ninety degrees and repeat, to make a lattice effect.  Set the paper aside while the chocolate sets.
In another bowl, mix together the marscapone and the brown sugar.  Place a dollop of this mixture into each pastry case. 
Drain the berries.  Place a handful of berries on each tart. 
Break off pieces of the chocolate lattice and place into the side of each tart.
Keep the tarts refrigerated before serving.

White Chocolate and Macadamia Cookies

I can’t believe it’s taken me nearly four years to get around to making some white chocolate and macadamia cookies! I used our tried and tested (+ incredibly delicious) chocolate chip cookie dough for the base and added in the extras. This recipe is easy and delicious and would make a great Christmas present if you are thinking of giving some baking away this season.
Ingredients:
250g butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup caster sugar
¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 ¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
250g white chocolate bits
130g macadamia nuts, roughly chopped

Method:
Preheat oven to 180˚C.  Line a couple of oven trays.
Beat butter, vanilla extract, sugars and egg in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. 
Stir in the sifted flour and baking soda in two batches. 
Stir in the chocolate and macadamia nuts.
Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls, place about 5cm apart on the trays. 
Bake for about 8 to 12 minutes depending how crispy you want your cookies.  Leave to cool slightly on the tray before transferring to a wire rack.
Cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to a week.

Peanut Butter Billionaire Brownie

I had been planning this Peanut Butter Billionaire Brownie bad boy for a while.  At first I wanted to make something like Millionaire Shortbread (caramel slice), then I thought ‘why not make it a brownie?’  And then I thought ‘why not change the caramel to peanut butter?’  That’s where I got stuck.  I couldn’t figure out how I was going to make the peanut butter layer, until one day on my drive home from work (where most of my best baking inspiration strikes) it hit me – use the same mixture that I make my Peanut Butter Marshmallow Tart out of.  Genius!  It was on. 

Now, I’ve made this slice three times.  The first time I mucked up and kept forgetting ingredients, the second time I didn’t wait long enough for the middle layer to set before pouring on the chocolate ganache (causing it to mix with the peanut butter).  The third time was perfect.  This slice is also nicknamed ‘fat girl slice’ by Courtenay and I because it is made form such delicious ingredients and I was too impatient to get eating it, causing the stuff up on the second attempt.  Trust me though, this slice is amazing.  Both mine and Simon’s co-workers loved taste testing this one for me!  Follow the instructions (do as I say, not as I do) and you will be rewarded with one rich, moreish treat.  Fudgy brownie, a silky peanut butter marshmallow layer, topped with a smooth band of dark chocolate. Mmmm.

I’ve broken the ingredients and method into the three layers to make it easier to work out what ingredient is being used where.

BROWNIE BASE
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
⅓ cup cocoa
125g butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly whisked
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
½ cup milk chocolate bits

Method:
Heat oven to 180°C. Line a 20cm square pan with baking paper. Mix the flour, salt, baking powder, sugars, and cocoa together in a large bowl.  Add in the wet ingredients and mix well to combine.  Stir through the chocolate bits. 
Press the mixture into the lined pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until firm. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before pouring the peanut butter topping over (make this while the brownie is baking).

PEANUT BUTTER MARSHMALLOW FILLING
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons milk
36 white vanilla marshmallows (normal sized – about half a pack of pascall ones)
¾ cup smooth peanut butter
300ml thickened cream (the stuff that comes in the tub)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:
Place the milk, marshmallows and peanut butter into a saucepan over a medium / low heat and stir until the marshmallows are melted and the mixture is smooth (take off the heat and mix briskly if it starts to caramelize / or forming toffee-like threads – this means it is burning, so you need to mix the heat out and turn the element down).  Cook, stirring, for a further 5 - 10 minutes until the mixture becomes a thicker, toffee-like texture.  Set aside for 5 minutes to cool.
Beat the thickened cream and vanilla extract using an electric beater until soft peaks form.  Add a quarter of the cream mixture to the peanut butter mixture, stirring to combine.  Fold through the remaining cream until combined.  Spread the peanut butter mixture over the top of the prepared biscuit base.  Place the brownie / peanut butter slice in the refrigerator for 4 hours, or until the peanut butter layer has set before moving on to making the chocolate ganache layer.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE TOPPING
Ingredients:
300ml cream
300g dark chocolate, broken into small chunks
¼ cup salted roasted peanuts, chopped

Method:
Pour the cream into a saucepan and place over a medium heat.  When the cream is close to boiling (tiny bubbles will be visible around the edges of the pot) remove from the heat and add in the chocolate.  Stir constantly until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.  Leave aside to cool down.
When the chocolate mixture is luke-warm, pour it over the top of the peanut butter marshmallow layer.  Sprinkle the top of the chocolate ganache with the chopped peanuts.
Refrigerate until the chocolate layer is set (I left mine over night) before cutting into squares and serving.