Caramel Cookies

These are so quick and easy to whip up. You can be eating them within 30 minutes of grabbing the ingredients out of your cupboard – maybe even slightly less time if you don’t mind burning your mouth! The other weekend when Mel and Simon stayed they picked up a bag of the new Nestle Caramel Bits, we cracked it open to taste test but didn’t end up baking anything with them so I thought I better put them to good use. I adapted the recipe on the back of the pack slightly and while photographing them had a fab idea – You could easily drop a few bits of rock salt on top of these while they are hot out of the oven and make salted caramel cookies, way too easy, will give that a go next time!

Ingredients:
125 grams butter
¾ cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 ¾ cup self raising flour
¼ teaspoon salt
200 grams Nestle caramel bits

Method:
Preheat your oven to 180°C and line two trays with baking paper.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, with paddle attachment, cream butter, sugar and egg on a medium-high speed until it is light and creamy. If using a hand mixer use a large bowl and a high speed.
Sift in flour and salt and combine on a low setting (mix in by hand if using a hand beater in step one).
Mix in Caramel bits, ensuring that distribution is even.
Scoop tablespoons of the mixture out, roll into balls place on your lined baking tray leaving 3-4cms between each ball. Before placing in the oven use the centre of your palm to slightly flatten each ball.
Bake for 10-12 minutes in a preheated oven, or until golden.
Remove from oven when cooked and place on a baking tray to cool.

It couldn’t be easier! I think it’s a great recipe to let little bakers help out with – nothing too messy or difficult involved here. Perfect for a rainy day activity in the school holidays.

White Chocolate Chip Brownies

This recipe is from the back of the ‘Nestle’ dark cooking chocolate packet (I stocked up on their products to get a free apron) and it is very good!

Ingredients:
200g dark cooking chocolate, melted
200gs butter, melted
1 ½ cups soft brown sugar
3 eggs
1 ½ cups plain flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder, sifted
1 cup white choc bits

Method:
Preheat oven to 180°C and line a 23 x 23cm tin with baking paper.
Combine the melted dark chocolate and butter in a large bowl.
Allow it to cool slightly and beat in eggs.  Fold in flour and baking powder, sugar and the choc bits.
Pour into your prepared tin and bake for 35 minutes.
Cool in the tin and cut into squares to serve.
*Tip: If you prefer your brownies a little fudgy you can reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes.

There you have it, simple and delicious.  Enjoy!

Nestle New Zealand’s Hottest Home Baker: Season 2

The show returns on TV3 and Food TV (channel 9 on SKY) this coming week. According to the Food TV website episode one for 2011 will air at 4pm, Saturday 12 February. What I am looking forward to more than the competition between the bakers (personally I wasn’t that excited by what the home bakers produced last year, with the exception of one or two recipes) are the master classes that accompany each episode, these are hosted by show judges Dean Brettschneider and Jade Lipton (new to the show this year).  Jade appears to be an amazing cake decorator and owns Cake Star in Brisbane, so I am excited to see what tips and tricks I can pick up from her in particular.  The first master class will air at 4pm, Sunday 13 February on Food TV.  Check out the Food TV website for more info on the contestants and upcoming competitions to be featured on the show.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Makes 10 – 12

2 cups flour
⅓ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
⅓ cup sugar
½ teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
⅔ cup milk
2 eggs
125g butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 cups large chocolate chips or chunks (I used a mix of broken Nestlé buttons and chocolate drops)

In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugars, baking powder and the salt.
In a separate bowl mix together the milk, eggs, butter and vanilla.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the milk mixture.  Stir to combine, then fold in the chocolate chips.
Spoon the batter into prepared muffin pans and bake at 200˚C for 15 – 20 minutes.

*If you want, when you add the chocolate, add in ½ cup of pecans.

 
I iced the muffins using Betty Crocker milk chocolate frosting.  The papers are from Karyn!  And, yes, I know I said I was going to watch what I eat, but oh well.

Rocky Road Muffins

I made these last Thursday (treats for the long weekend) along with White chocolate macadamia nut muffins (which I will also write a post about) and some more pecan shortbread (yep, I was a busy little baker).

I found these to taste more like massive lollies than muffins – they aren't very light and fluffy.  Still yum though.

Makes about 12.

¼ cup milk
1 egg
1 cup natural yoghurt
50g butter, melted (I put this in softened, not melted because I wasn’t paying attention, so perhaps this is why muffins were more lolly-like than cake-like)
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup sugar
½ cup small marshmallows
½ cup roughly chopped chocolate (I used Nestlé bits)
½ cup peanuts
½ cup jubes (I used a pack of The Natural Confectionary company’s snake lollies, and cut up the pink and purple ones for the muffins)

Mix milk, yoghurt, egg and butter together.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix until just combined.
Spoon into well-greased muffin pans or cases and bake at 180˚C for 12-15 minutes.


For icing: Heat 1 tablespoon of cocoa, butter and milk together with icing sugar to form a paste.

The cases I used came from the ‘1,2,3 + GST’ shop in Auckland City, next to Borders.  While I don’t think they are that pretty from the outside, they are kinda cool because the inside is shiny so the muffins don’t stick to the casing.

Caramel Fudge

Preparation time: 5 minutes                                         Cooking Time: 15 minutes

125g butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup brown sugar
100g white chocolate melts
75g dark chocolate melts.

Grease and line a 20cm square pan with baking paper. 
Melt the butter in a pan.  Remove from heat, add the brown sugar and stir until combined with the butter.  Add the condensed milk and stir until combined with the sugar and butter.
Add the golden syrup, mix and return to a low heat. Stir the mixture constantly for 10 minutes (be careful not to let the mixture get to hot or boil to rapidly as the sugar will start to crystallise - which tastes quite nice but ruins the smooth consistency.  If the mixture does start to crystallise remove from the heat immediately and stir rapidly).

Remove from the heat and add the chocolate melts. Mix until smooth.  Pour into the prepared tin and refrigerate until set.  Once the fudge has hardened, but into cubes.  Melt the dark chocolate and drizzle over the top of the cubes.  Resist the urge to eat it all before letting others have a piece.