Brigadeiro

Brigadeiro is so simple and easy to make!  Brigadeiro is a Brazilian treat, which is apparently eaten at most major celebrations in Brazil.  To me, it’s kind of like a chewy fudge, and looks like a chocolate truffle.  Yum!
I only found out about Brigadeiro a month or two ago when I headed along to an event for NutriBullet.  While I was drinking my delicious smoothie I was talking to Alisa from The PR Shop and she was telling me how she would make this with her friends back when she was in school.  How did I not know about Brigadeiro?
I’ve since made this recipe a number of times, it’s really quick to whip up and goes down a treat.  Whenever we have condensed milk in the pantry I’m tempted to make it!  This would be great to make if you have friends popping over as it would go well with a warm cup or tea or coffee.  Or, if you’ve got kiddos, get them in the kitchen giving it a go – with only a few ingredients and simple recipe, this one is a winner.

Ingredients:
395g can condensed milk
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon hot chocolate cocoa (just use another tablespoon of normal cocoa if you don’t have hot chocolate on hand – I only used this for a little bit of sweetness)
1 tablespoon butter
Optional: desiccated coconut, chopped nuts (I used pistachio) or sprinkles for decoration

Method:
In a medium sized saucepan over a medium heat, combine the cocoa, butter and condensed milk together. Cook, stirring, until thickened for about 10 minutes (the mix will thicken to a fudge-like consistency and you should be able to run a mixing spoon through it show the bottom of the pan during cooking). Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature.  With slightly damp hands, form the mixture into small balls.  Roll the balls around in your chosen coating, if using.  Eat at once or chill until serving.

Chocolate Crunch Slice

I has taken me ages to get this recipe!  My Grandma used to make this Chocolate Crunch Slice when I was a little girl.  I think it is delicious and I find it hard to stop at just eating one piece.  In fact, I remember sneaking pieces out of the tin when she used to look after my brother and I during the school holidays.

I’ve been after the recipe for years.  I think she sent me a copy once (when I was about 10, my grandparents moved to Australia) but I lost it and then years later when I asked for it again she wasn’t too sure what I was asking about.  She sent a really old cook book over with a similar recipe in it, which I made, but it wasn’t quite the same.  Sadly, my Grandma isn’t very well anymore and has recently been moved into a care facility, so the days of sharing recipes have ended.

But, a few months back, our flatmate Harry came home from work with some different bits of baking one of his colleagues, Marta, had made.  This slice was amongst the treats and it is exactly how I remember it.  Marta was kind enough to pass on the recipe to Harry for me, so now I can make the slice whenever I want.  It puts a smile on my face as it brings back memories of my Grandma and school holidays spent at her house.  The plate in the pictures is one from her old tea sets.

Ingredients:
Slice:
3 Weetbix, crushed
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup cocoa
180g butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Icing:
50g butter, softened
3 - 4 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 cups icing sugar
½ cup desiccated coconut

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.  Grease and line a 20cm square tin.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Add the melted butter and vanilla essence and mix well.
Press the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for approximately 20 minutes.
Set aside to cool.
To make the icing, combine small amounts of the water with the butter, icing sugar and cocoa powder together in a medium sized bowl, mixing until you have reached a smooth consistency. Spread the icing over the top of the cooled slice and sprinkle the coconut over the top.
Once the icing has set, but into pieces and serve.  Store in an airtight container.

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.

Midnight Choc Chip and Coconut Cookies

The recipe for Midnight Cookies has to be one of my faves.  It uses basic ingredients you probably have sitting in the pantry, is a simple ‘mix everything in a bowl’ then bake recipe, and makes a delicious chocolatey biscuit (that doesn’t actually include chocolate, so if you are craving chocolate but there’s none around, mix up some of these).  This variation includes chocolate pieces as I had some in the cupboard and desiccated coconut.  They are pretty darn delish!

Makes about 20.

Ingredients:
125g butter, softened
175g caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
125g flour
35g cocoa powder
125g chocolate chips
35g desiccated coconut (or try shredded coconut if you want the coconut to be more noticeable)
½ teaspoon baking soda

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C and line several baking trays with baking paper.
Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat together until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.  Add in the flour, cocoa, chocolate chips, coconut and baking soda.  Beat until well mixed.
With dampened hands, roll teaspoon sized pieces of the dough into smooth balls.  Place on the baking sheets, spaced well apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 – 12 minutes, or until set.  Leave to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely before serving.

Chocolate and Chunky Banana Cupcakes with Banana Icing

These Chocolate and Chunky Banana Cupcakes are a real treat.  The cupcake is a moist dark chocolate cake, with chocolate chips and chunks of banana mixed through.  The icing has the most delicious banana flavour (from real bananas!) and perfectly compliments the dark chocolate of the cake.  This is a great recipe to use up any bananas you have lying around.

Makes 12 – 18.

Ingredients:Cupcakes:
2 cups flour
1 cup white sugar
¾ cup milk chocolate chips (I used Nestle Choc Drops)
½ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 egg
1 cup plain yoghurt
½ cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 medium sized ripe bananas, roughly mashed (you want chunks)
Icing:
130g butter
¼ cup mashed bananas
½ teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
3 ¼ cups icing sugar
Banana candies for decoration (optional)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 200°C.  Grease or line a muffin tray with cupcakes liners.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, and baking soda. 
In a medium sized bowl, whisk the egg, yoghurt, milk and vegetable oil together until smooth.  Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until combined.  Mix through the banana.
Fill the prepared muffin cups so they are ¾ full.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of a cupcake comes out cleanly.  Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

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 top with the banana candies.

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!

Dark Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

 
These Chocolate Cranberry Cookies are amazing.  They are so rich and indulgent, and we’ve made two batches of them just this week!  I wanted to try out using chocolate cranberries in some baking.  I made a chocolate brownie at first, and while it was nice, it lacked the rich flavour I was after.  I was upset at the thought of having to trial out further attempts at a brownie (cost and time issues) and it was then that I remembered these cookies – the recipe is an adaption of my Midnight Cookies which are one of my fave things to make.  The addition of the chocolate chips and the cranberries make them deliciously naughty and they are quick and easy to make.  Perfect.

 
Makes about 20.

Ingredients:
125g butter, softened
175g caster sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
125g flour
35g cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup dark chocolate chips
½ cup chocolate coated cranberry delights (or normal cranberries)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C and line several baking trays with baking paper.
Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat together until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.  Sift in the flour, cocoa and baking soda and beat until well mixed.  Mix through the chocolate chips and the cranberries.
With dampened hands, roll teaspoon sized pieces of the dough into smooth balls.  Place on the baking sheets, spaced well apart.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10 – 12 minutes, or until set.  Leave to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely before serving.

Want to win a Cinderella Cranberry Prize Pack?  Enter our giveaway now!

Chocolate Lamington Cupcakes

These lamington cupcakes are yummy and an inspired twist on a kiwi favourite! They are the perfect addition to any autumn picnic but would be equally impressive served at a high tea – Mother’s Day is coming up next month so maybe keep these in mind. I made these cupcakes using my go to chocolate cake/cupcake recipe but if you have a go to trusty chocolate cupcake recipe of your own feel free to use that.

And if these delicious treats aren’t enough for you keep an eye out for the replay of New Zealand’s Hottest Home Baker on Food TV, screening at 12.30pm, 4.30pm and 8.30pm on Saturday’s from April 5!

Ingredients:
Cupcakes
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ cups flour
1 egg
½ cup milk
150g butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Pinch of salt
½ cup boiling water
Ganache
250g dark chocolate
200ml cream
Filling
18 teaspoons raspberry jam
Topping
1-2 cups long thread coconut

Method:
Pre heat your oven to 180°C
Place all ingredients in a bowl EXCEPT the water.
Add water to all the other ingredients and mix. Once you have a nicely combined batter place batter into 18 cupcake papers.
They should take about 10 minutes but you will know they are ready when they spring back to the touch and a skewer can be inserted and removed cleanly, remove and set aside to cool once baked.
***While you are baking your cupcakes you can make up your dark chocolate ganache. To make the ganache you need to place your cream and chocolate in a heatproof bowl and place it over a pot of simmering water (making sure that the simmering water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl). Leave for 1-2 minutes before stirring slowly with a whisk, continue to stir until you have a combined, glossy chocolate mixture.
Refrigerate until it is spreadable (2-3 hours).
Once completely cool use a cupcake corer or your teaspoon measure to scoop out the middle of each cupcake, set the cupcake top aside.
Fill each of your holes with a teaspoon of raspberry jam and replace the top, this will enable you to spread your ganache without getting jam in it.
To decorate use a palette knife to spread a thick layer of chocolate ganache over each cupcake.
Sprinkle the coconut on top of each cupcake, gently pressing it on if needed so the whole top is covered.
I topped mine with little red hearts, but I have seen these with fresh raspberries when in season (which I imagine would be fab).
*** You can make your ganache ahead of time, it will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Choc Berry Trifle

I am not a trifle fan, actually the only person I know who is is Shane, so it might seem weird that I decided to make a trifle for a Christmas BBQ but he’s been asking me to make one for a while so I finally decided to take up the challenge and come up with a trifle that I could enjoy too! It is really easy to make and is visually impressive, it just takes a bit of prep time (and bake time if you want to make your own cake – you could buy one, even a chocolate log would work if you are short on time). This trifle is is alcohol free so is kid friendly too.

Ingredients:
x1 20cm round chocolate cake (I used our easy peasy chocolate cake)
200g mascarpone cheese
½ cup cream
5 tablespoons icing sugar
x2 70g chocolate mousse packets
2 cups cold milk
3 cups frozen raspberries, thawed
1 Flake bar, crushed

Method:
Trim your cake if you have any overcooked areas on the top or around the sides of your cake. Cut in half through the middle of the cake and then divide each half into eight wedges and set aside.
To make your berry sauce sauce take two cups of the thawed berries and mash them, adding two tablespoons of icing sugar to sweeten. Reserve the other cup for decorating while layering.
Make up your chocolate mousse following the packet instructions(mixing packet contents with cold milk) and set aside.
To prepare your mascarpone place it into a mixing bowl, with half the fresh cream and mix with a spoon to combine the two, you want it to be a nice spreadable consistency, adding icing sugar and cream until you have the desired taste and consistency.
To assemble your trifle place half your chocolate mousse in the bottom of your glass serving bowl, on top of your mousse place one half of your chocolate cake so it forms one even flat layer. If there gaps between pieces of cake fill them with some of the reserved whole raspberries. Spoon raspberry sauce over the cake and place more 8-10 whole raspberries around the side of the bowl. Layer the mascarpone over the raspberries and then repeat the layering process again starting with the mousse.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour so that your mousse can set before removing it from the fridge and allowing it to sit for 15 minutes before serving, scatter the crushed Flake bar over the top.

Unlike other trifles this one holds it’s shape quite well while serving. I know Christmas and trifle seem to go hand in hand but I think this would be great for any summer BBQ or even a New Year’s Eve party.

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.

Chocolate, Hazelnut and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Things have been pretty crazy lately, I am approaching the end of my first year back at work full time (after two years at home with Max), that in itself has kept me pretty busy but health wise our wee family has not been able to catch a break – Max in daycare and me at school means are surrounded by germs constantly. As I type I am chatting to my spot covered wee boy – I am off work the next few days thanks to the nasty case of chicken pox Max came down with at the end of last week.

It’s easy to lose your baking mojo when it seems like there are a million other things on the ‘to do list’ (well maybe not a million – but say 300 reports, no that is not an exaggeration that is how many kids I teach over the course of each week!). Mel and I were lucky enough to be invited to the Bluebell’s Cakery book launch a couple of weeks ago and the beautiful recipe book I purchased at the end of the evening has me feeling really inspired! I loved the look of the ‘Chunky Chocolate and Macadamia Bisucuits’ Karla has in the ‘Biscuits’ section of the book that is what inspired these cookies. I must say that time in the kitchen baking something yummy was just what I needed. These cookies are delicious, they even managed to put a smile on the face of my spotty dot!

Ingredients:
125g butter, softened
3 tablespoons Nutella
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
1 egg
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup caster sugar
1½ cups flour
4 tablespoons cocoa
½ teaspoon baking soda
100g hazelnuts, roughly chopped
100g chocolate chips

Method:
Pre-heat your oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with wax paper.
Cream the butter and Nutella in the bowl of your mixer until well combined and becoming light.
Beat in sugars until your mix is light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as required.
Add egg and vanilla and beat to combine.
Sift in flour, cocoa and baking soda, mix on a low speed until just combined.
Fold through chocolate chips and hazelnut bits (if you want some on top of your cookies just keep a small amount of each aside).
Create ping pong sized balls of dough by rolling it between your hands and place on the lined baking tray, keep balls 8-10cm apart as they will spread. If you are adding nuts and choc chips to your tops place them and use the palm of your hand to flatten each cookie slightly.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until they are firm.
Once you remove them from the oven leave them on the tray for 2-5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack to cool completely.

These are definitely going to be be my go to cookie for the next wee while! They may even make it into some gift boxes for colleagues since we are approaching that time of year.

Mini Chocolate and Coconut Cupcakes

In the holidays I got stuck into wedding planning (and got so much done that I now have to stop or I am going to look like a crazy lady having everything done so, so far in advance!).  One of the days I had a meeting with the awesome Amanda from The Vintage Table about hiring some of her gorgeous china and an appointment to meet with Lauren and Delwyn from The Lauren + Delwyn Project to pick out some photos from an Engagement photo shoot that we won (I’ve shared one at the bottom of the post).  Because of these meetings, I decided to make something special to take along and share.

These Mini Chocolate Coconut Cakes are really decadent; I’m glad I was taking them to share because I kept eating the rich chocolate ganache and couldn’t really eat anymore!  I was inspired to make them after trying out Coconut Chip Chocolate (amongst others) by Polka Chocolate.  I made the cupcakes using the same recipe I make my Mini Chocolate Santa Hat cupcakes out of, but added in desiccated coconut.  They are topped with a dark chocolate ganache and dipped in shredded coconut.  Yum!  Anyways, on with sharing the recipe…

Makes about 36

Mini Chocolate Muffins:
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoon instant coffee powder (optional)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup desiccated coconut
¾ cup milk (low fat is ok)
½ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 180°C.  Line 36 mini muffin cups with paper liners.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa power, instant coffee powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and vinegar.  Pour into dry ingredients, along with the desiccated coconut, and stir until just combined and no streaks of flour remain.
Distribute batter evenly into prepared muffin cups, filling each about ¾ full.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
Turn cupcakes out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Ganache and Decoration:
300ml cream
300g dark chocolate (I used one that was 70% cocoa solids)
1 cup shredded coconut

Pour the cream into a medium pot and heat it until it is almost, but not quite boiling. You’ll know it’s ready when bubbles start to form around the edge of the pot. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Stand for 2 minutes, then stir until the chocolate is fully melted into the cream. Whisk until smooth and glossy. When you start to stir it, you think it won’t come together, but it will.  Pour into a bowl and leave in the fridge for an hour to thicken.
Place the coconut into a small bowl or ramekin.
Coat the top of each mini cupcake with a teaspoon of the ganache.  Press the cupcake into the coconut to cover the ganache.

That’s it, you’re done!  And, as promised, here is one of the photos that the lovely Lauren and Delwyn took of us… awww.

Pretzel, Peanut and Chocolate Packed Cookies

These could also be called ‘Blokes Biscuits’, they came about after I wasn’t sure what to bake and started quizzing Shane about what he felt like. The saltiness of the pretzels with the sweetness of the cookie and chocolate is awesome. The broken pretzel bits and peanuts give pops of crunch to the cookie. For the cookie base I used our awesome Chocolate Chip recipe, so if your not feeling as adventurous you should give those a go if you haven’t already!

Ingredients:
250g butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup caster sugar
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 ¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-1½ cup dark chocolate drops
1 cup mini pretzel twists (I didn’t crush mine as they broke nicely in the mixer)
½ cup unsalted peanuts

Method:
Preheat oven to 180˚C.  Grease a couple of oven trays.
Beat butter, vanilla extract, sugars and egg in the bowl of your electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Fold in the sifted flour and baking soda on a low speed. 
Fold in the chocolate, pretzels and peanuts on a low speed.
Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls, place about 5cm apart on the trays.  Bake for 10-12 minutes depending how crispy you want your cookies. 
Leave to cool slightly on the tray before transferring to a wire rack, if you want to decorate the top of your cookie with a pretzel press it into the top of your cookie while it is soft and warm.

Raspberry Choc Chunk Cookies

I made these Raspberry Choc Chunk Cookies as an alternative to your standard Chocolate Chip Cookies, something a little more adult, more rich and less sugary sweet.  These are a dark chocolate twist on the Raspberry White Chocolate Cookies I made last month, using a slightly different recipe.
They are made using frozen raspberries (I’ve been using them in lots of baking lately – so easy to have on hand.  I’m going through a phase of using raspberries and I’m also enjoying dark chocolate a lot.), so you can enjoy them any time of the year.  The raspberries make the mix really cold though, so brace yourself for frozen fingertips when rolling the mixture out!  But, that can be forgiven because I am loving the face that they are a ‘one bowl’ mix – I seriously don’t feel like I have the time for anything that requires more effort at the moment.

Make approximately 30 cookies.

Ingredients:
125g butter, softened
¾ cup brown sugar (I used Billington’s Light Muscovado Unrefined Cane Sugar)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plain flour
¼ cup self raising flour
⅓ cup cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
200g chocolate, chopped into chunks (I used white and dark chocolate)
125g frozen raspberries

Method:
Preheat oven to 180°C.  Line a couple of baking trays with baking trays with baking paper.
Beat the butter, sugar, egg and vanilla extract in a large bowl until combined.  Add in the flours, coco powder and baking soda, and mix until combined.  Fold through the chocolate and frozen raspberries.
Roll tablespoon sized pieces of mixture into balls then flatten slightly on the trays, placing them about 5cm apart.  Bake for approximately 12 minutes.  Remove the cookies from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes on the trays, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Homemade ‘Cookie Time’ Cookies

The other week while out shopping I picked up a ‘Cookie Time Cookie’ for old times sake, growing up a Kiwi kid Cookie Time cookies were a big treat as part of a bought school lunch on a Friday. Shane mentioned that he thought I’d made a cookie that would rival them, after thinking about it I decided he meant my Pillow Cookies so I re-made them with a couple of small adjustments!

Ingredients:
225 grams butter, room temperature
1¼ cups packed brown sugar (I used Billington’s light Muscavado)
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
2¼ cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
250 grams roughly chopped Whittaker’s 33% Cocoa Creamy Milk Chocolate

Method:
To make your cookie dough, beat your butter until it is light and creamy (2-3 minutes)
Add brown sugar and beat until smooth.
Add eggs and vanilla and beat again ensuring everything is well combined, you may need to scrape the sides of your bowl.
Sift in flour, baking powder, soda and salt fold with your spatula before mixing on a medium to low speed.
Once your dough is starting to come together add your chocolate chips and mix well to make sure they are distributed evenly.
Cover your bowl and place it in the fridge for about 60 minutes to chill.
Pre-heat your oven to 180°C.
Scoop 1/4 cup of dough at a time, shape into a ball and place it on a baking tray lined with wax baking paper, use the palm of your hand to flatten the ball so it is about 1cm thick. I placed 8 cookies per tray to ensure there is plenty of space as these are large cookies.
Bake in your pre-heated oven for 13-15 minutes (until they are a lovely golden-golden/brown) before removing and placing on a wire rack to cool.