Chocolate cookies

Chocolate Crackle Cookies
Recipe inspiration - Martha Stewart
Yield approx 36 cookies
6 oz melted dark chocolate (I used 80% dark)
1 1/4 c flour
1/2 c cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 1/3 c brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 c milk
1 cup confectioners' sugar, for rolling
Don’t preheat the oven yet, this dough will need to chill for 2 hours or so.
Melt dark chocolate gently. Mix dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt). Cream sugar and butter together, then beat in eggs and vanilla. Pour melted dark chocolate over the creamed butter and sugar, blend, then add dry ingredients & milk (alternating between the two to prevent puffs of flour getting all over the place).
The dough will be very sticky. Cover the bowl loosely in plastic wrap and chill for approx 2 hours, or until dough is hardened and can be handled.
Preheat oven to 350. Scoop out spoonfuls of hardened dough, roll between your palms to form a ball, then toss the ball into a bowl of powdered sugar to coat it. If the dough gets too sticky to handle, pop it back in the fridge or freezer to cool it back down. Line cookie up on the sheet (not too closely – they spread) and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.

Sweet corn fritters

(adapted from Bill Granger’s ‘Bill’s Sydney Food’)

serves 4

1 cup plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 cups fresh corn kernels, cut from the cob
1/2 cup sliced spring onions
1/4 cup coriander and parsley, chopped
4 tablespoons vegetable oil

to serve

8 halves roast tomatoes (see below)
1 bunch rocket, washed and dried
4 rashes bacon
olive oil

Chocolate brownies w white choc chips

Adapted from Donna Hay's brownies

200g dark chocolate, chopped
250g butter, chopped
1¾ cups (310g) brown sugar
4 eggs
⅓ cup (35g) cocoa powder, sifted
1¼ cups (185g) plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
¼ teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 160°C (325ºF). Place the chocolate and butter in a saucepan over low heat and stir until smooth. Allow to cool slightly.

Place the sugar, eggs, cocoa, flour and baking powder in a bowl. Add the chocolate mixture and mix until combined. Pour into a 20cm-square slice tin lined with non-stick baking paper. Bake for 50 minutes or until an inserted skewer withdraws clean. Allow to cool slightly in the tin before slicing. Serve warm or cold. Makes 16 slices.

Festive Mince tarts

An easy rustic looking recipe that makes a dozen not too sweet and cloying Christmassy mince tarts due to the puff pastry on the top instead of shortcrust pastry.

It's basically an inspired assemblage rather than a recipe. They are worth trying rather than buying as I find traditional mince pies a little too rich and sickly.

Preheat oven to 180 degees

A dozen premade short crust pastry cases or cut circles of good quality short crust into rounds and place into cupcake tins

1 400g jar of good quality mincemeat add a grated green apple and some lemon zest.

Put mincemeat equally in each tart base

Top with rounds of puff pastry and press down sides to stop filling from bubbling out.

Egg wash tops and sprinkle with raw sugar.

Poke a small hole in the top of each one with a knife

Bake for 30 min or until tops are slightly puffed and dark golden.

Dust with icing sugar and enjoy.

White chocolate cheesecake

A great cheesecake recipe from Ben O'Donohue


Ingredients
55g / 2 oz biscuit crumbs (bash up good chocolate digestives)
1 vanilla pod, split in half lengthways
250g / 9oz white chocolate, chopped
250g / 9oz crème fraîche
500g / 1lb 2oz cream cheese
4 large free-range eggs
butter to grease tin
100g/ 3 ½ oz raspberries


Method
1Preheat the oven to 150oC / 300oF.
2Grease a 20cm springform tin.
3Throw in the biscuit crumbs and roll the tin around to coat the sides. Leave the excess in the base in an even layer.
4Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod into a bowl and add the chopped white chocolate. Heat the bowl over a pan of simmering water until the chocolate melts. (Do not let the water touch the bowl). Once the chocolate has melted remove from the pan of water then fold in the crème fraîche and stir until smooth.
5In a separate bowl beat the cream cheese until soft and smooth. Add the eggs to the cream cheese, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in the chocolate mixture and mix thoroughly.
6Pour into the prepared tin then once all the mixture is in, bang the tin down on work surface to remove any air bubbles. Transfer the tin into a baking dish half-filled with warm water.
7Bake for around 50-60 minutes, when it should be golden brown. (don’t worry too much if it doesn’t colour, main thing is that the centre is properly cooked)
8Rest for several hours, until firm. Turn out and slice into wedges to serve.
9blitz the raspberries with a hand-blender to sauce consistency and serve with the cheesecake.