Christmas pudding brownie bites

So... it is already February and I am doing a Christmas post? It is waaaaaay too late. But I have an excuse.... we have been very busy. We have bought sold a unit and bought a house. We have packed up 5  years worth of stuff and moved it. And that isn't even taking into account the usual things in life that keep us busy... such as our jobs.


Christmas pudding brownie bites
Ingredients:
1/2 quantity of brownies
1/4 quantity of chocolate ganache
Melted dark chocolate
Melted white chocolate
Red and green candy decorations


Method:
Make brownies according to the recipe and allow to cool before crumbling into a bowl and mixing in the ganache. Use your hands - it is much easier that using a spoon! You want to achieve a texture similar to the centre of a truffle. Put mixture in fridge to cool for an hour.
Roll into small balls (e.g. about a tablespoon size - they may look small, but they are rich). Pop them in the freezer for an hour or so...this makes them easier to handle for the following steps.
Melt dark chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Dip balls into chocolate. This is the hardest part. After doing a few you will get into a rhythm though. I found it easiest to use a couple of spoons. Be sure to shake of the excess melted chocolate otherwise you will really just end up with messy brownie bites with chocolate drips.
Leave to set, either at room temperature or in the fridge. Melt white chocolate and use approx 1/2-3/4 tbs to drizzle over each of the brownie bites. Work quickly to add the "holly" garnish, by simply sticking them on while the white chocoloate is still soft. 

Chocolate chip oatmeal cookies stuffed with chocolate ganache

Whenever I ask Mr X his opinion on what I should bake, the answer usually is "cookies". I had been wanting to bake a cookie that had oats in it (that wasn't ANZAC cookies) for a while, probably to trick myself into thinking I was baking a "healthier" version of something he loves. When I came across this recipe I couldn't wait to try it.


To increase the chocolate factor (and therefore probably cancelling out any healthy bonus points from the oats), I added a ball of chocolate ganache to the centre. Yummmmmm.

The recipe makes approx 36 cookies. The cookies turn out thick and soft on the inside with a slightly crispy shell. Bake them all at once - or freeze some and bake at a later date.
Cookie recipe from Brown eyed Baker

Ingredients:

3 cups plain flour
1½ cups rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
1 3/4 cups top deck chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup dark chocolate, chopped

Chocolate ganache, frozen, to stuff cookies with (approx 1/2 cup)

Method:

Preheat oven to 176 degrees C. Line two baking trays with baking paper.

Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

Beat both sugars ad the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla.

Add a third of the flour and beat it into the sugar/butter/egg mixture, mixing only until just combined. Repeat with remaining flour - do not overmix.

Using a large wooden spoon, gently mix in the oats, then the chocolate chips.

I use an ice cream scoop for easy cookie making. Roll ice cream scoop sized balls of cookie dough. If you are inserting some ganache (you should), do it like this: 

Place on baking paper lined baking tray approx 5 cm apart (they flatten and spread while baking). You should be able to fit about 9 comfortably on a tray. Bake cookies until they are lightly golden on the outside but still soft (they firm up when cooled), about 12 - 14 minutes. I bake my cookies in batches, one tray at a time. I pop one tray in the oven and roll the next batch while they are baking, but it is up to you how you do it. If you bake two trays at a time, switch oven trays from top to bottom at the 7 minute mark to ensure even baking. Remove from oven and leave to cool before removing from baking trays. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.

Strawberries & cream (and white chocolate....)

Strawberry and white chocolate baby cakes with white chocolate ganache

Last weeks recipe was based on the delicious combination of strawberries and chocolate. As berries are so good at the moment, I couldn't resist using them again. So... this week the theme is similar, but with white chocolate instead of milk chocolate.

White chocolate isn't really, chocolate, is it. My Dad loves good chocolate - can't stand white chocolate. So I made his by replacing the white chocolate with blueberries and no white chocolate ganache.

Makes about 30 mini cupcakes

Ingredients:
White chocolate ganache
1/3 cup thickened cream
90g white chocolate, chopped into small pieces

Cupcakes (recipe adapted from Exclusively Food)
2 tsps 10ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 cup low fat milk
1/2 cup rice bran oil
1 large egg
2 cups self-raising flour
2/3 cup caster sugar
130 g white chocolate, chopped into small pieces
200g strawberries


Method:
Chocolate ganache
To make the ganache, put cream in a microwave safe jug and put it in the microwave on medium for one minute. Stir, then return to microwave for another 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and add chocolate, stirring regularly until chocolate is melted and incorporated. Put aside to cool.


Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Grease and/or line mini cupcake pans with patty/muffin case.

Place the vanilla, lemon juice, milk, oil and egg in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

In a large bowl, place flour, sugar and white chocolate in a large bowl. Mix until just combined. Add strawberries and stir.

Fill cupcake pans with batter and place in oven for 10-12 minutes, rotating half way through to ensure even baking. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the centre of a cupcake, if it comes out clean, the cupcakes are done. Remove from oven to cool, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool further.

Once cooled completely, ice them with white chocolate ganache.

Triple chocolate brownies

I found this recipe on the Exclusively Food website - it is a great site with many delicious recipes that I want to try. If only I had more time to bake! Featuring dark, milk and white chocolate, it is lovely and dense and oh so chocolatey.


Straight out of the oven it is moist and a little bit gooey in the centre. The chocolate chunks are melted and soft. Yum. Other ways that it can be eaten are at room temperature, or from the fridge, when the brownie is still fudgey and the chocolate is firm. To make it even more rich, you could serve it warm with chocolate sauce drizzled over it.


Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C, and grease and line a 20 x 20 cm square cake tin (I used a silicon one).
Serves approx 12 people


Ingredients:
For the brownie batter
125g butter, room temperature
150g milk chocolate, chopped up or broken into pieces
50g dark chocolate, chopped up or broken into pieces
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
3/4 + 1 tbs plain flour
1/4 cup self-raising flour


For the chocolate chunks (to add to the brownie batter)
125g dairy milk chocolate, chopped into chunks
125 white chocolate (I used Milky bar), chopped into chunks
Note - you could use top deck or other chocolate (Caramello, perhaps?)


Place the milk chocolate and dark chocolate (from batter ingredients) into a microwave safe bowl, and microwave in bursts on medium until just melted (check and stir frequently - you don't want the chocolate to burn, what a waste of chocolate that would be!). Place in mixing bowl. Melt butter, then add it to the melted chocolate and stir. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Once the chocolate/butter mixture has cooled, add in the sugar and eggs, stirring to combine. Add the two flours and mix.
Add the chocolate chunks to the batter, stir to combine.
Poor into prepared baking pan, and place in the oven for 25-35 minutes, depending on your oven. You really need to be careful not to over bake - bake until still soft in centre, but cooked through. Once cooled, it will firm up. I know that sounds a little vague, but just watch it carefully in final minutes of baking and you will know what I mean!

Dust with icing sugar if desired.


Shoeboxgirl