Baking: Milo Fudge

This is the sweet staple in my family, it gets made every month and it's always gone by the end of the day that it was made on! You can put raisins or sultanas in the mix but dried apricots are the tastiest.

3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
150g butter
3 cups vanilla wine or Girl Guide biscuits crumbed (usually a 250g packet)
1 cup Milo
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup of raisins, sultanas or dried apricots -chopped



Chocolate Icing:
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
2 Tbs baking cocoa
1 Tb butter
1/4 vanilla essence
2 Tb boiling water (approx -add more for easier spread)



Method:

1. Place the condensed milk and butter in a small saucepan. Cook over a low heat, stirring, until butter melts, then set aside to cool.
2. Place the biscuit crumbs, Milo, coconut and dried fruit in a bowl. 
3. Add the butter mixture and stir until thoroughly combined.
4. Press the mixture into a greased 27cm x 18cm x 3cm tin and let it chill for 30min. Ice with the chocolate icing and refrigerate until firm. Cut into small squares.

Chocoloate Icing: mix all ingredients in small bowl and add the boiling water -mix.

Biscuits, Cookies and Slices: Brown Sugar Sanwiches with Raspberry Icing

Brown Sugar Sanwiches with Raspberry Icing

These are so yummy. They are melting moments (one of my favorite cookies) but instead of being made with icing sugar they are with brown sugar. Try making them but make sure you dissolve the sugar! Mmm fill with raspberry frosting (made using real raspberries!).

Biscuits, Cookies and Slices: Melting Moments

Melting Moments

Often store bought melting moments or yoyos are flourly. The recipe below are nice and buttery, delivering the melt in your mouth seasation. I have samwhiched these together over the years with lemoncello, passionfruit and vanilla frosting or jam and lemon curd.

Note: Instead of vanilla you could substitue lemon or orange rind.

Ingredients:
275g Butter Softened
1/2 Cup Icing Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste
2 Tablespoon Custard Powder
1 1/2 Cups Flour
1/2 Cup Cornflour

1. Preheat oven to 160C.

2. Cream butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Add vanilla essence and bean paste and beat until combined.

4. Add custard powder, flour and cornflour and beat until just combined.

5. Roll teaspoonfulls of mixture into balls and place on a baking paper lined tray.

6. Press balls down with a fork and bake for 18 - 20 minutes until nice and golden.

7. Allow to cool for five minutes before removing to wire rack.

8. Once cool samwich together with some frosting.

Biscuits, Cookies and Slices: Macarons

Macarons

Before Christmas I had a little bit of a macaroon bake-a-thon. I then placed the unfilled shells in airtight containers in which they kept perfectly until Christmas (shells last unfilled for over a month - once filled they only last up to a week).

I personally prefer the Lavender, Rosewater, Orange Blossom and Vanilla over the Chocolate and Raspberry.

My biggest problem when I first made these was that my mixture was to light and airly! I didn't combine my mixture enough, therefore I recommend that when you combine the icing sugar and almonds your combine it thoroughly! Don't be afraid it it loses alot of volume.

Lavender
2 Teaspoons Dried Culinary Lavender
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste
2 Teaspoon Blue Food Colouring
1 Teaspoon Red Food Colouring

Rosewater
2 Teaspoons Rosewater
2 Teaspoons Red Food Colouring

Orange Blossom
2 Teaspoons Orange Blossom
2 Teaspoons Yellow Food Colouring
1/2 Teaspoon Red Food Colouring

Vanilla
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Bean Paste
1 Teaspoon Yellow Food Colouring

Chocolate
2 Teaspoons Dutched Cocoa

Raspberry
1 Teaspoon Raspberry Essence
2 Teaspoons Red Food Colouring

Basic Recipe (Summarised From Dish)
Ingredients:
100g Egg Whites
Pinch of Cream of Tartar
2 Tablespoons Caster Sugar
140g Almond Meal
220g Icing Sugar

85g Butter, Softened 
175g Icing Sugar


1. Preheat oven to 150C.

2. Beat, using an electric mixer, egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form.

3. Add food colouring, caster sugar and flavouring and beat until stiff peaks form.

4. Sift almond meal and icing sugar into egg white mixture and fold in until well combined.

5. Spoon into piping bag and pipe small rounds about 3cm apart on to a lined baking tray.

6. Drop trays onto a hard surface about five times (this gets rid of any excess bubbles in the mixture and also creates nice round and flat macaroons).

7. Leave for 45 - 50 minutes until a good skin has formed on top of the macaroons, then bake for 12 minutes.

8. Leave to cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.


Icing

Beat butter and icing sugar together with second measure of flavouring and colouring.


To assemble I just you a knife and spread dollop a little icing in the centre of a macaroon half, then place the other half on top and gently smush it down. This insures it forms a nice little circle of icing in the middle.

Biscuits, Cookies and Slices: Vanilla Bean, Cardamon and Pistatio Shortbread

Vanilla Bean, Cardamon and Pistachio Shortbread

These are similar to the Ottolenghi style shortbread, however his were not quite to my taste. I, unlike the Greeks etc., enjoy a sweet shortbread. His I must say, lacked the essential sweetness which I love. I also have added vanilla bean paste because I love the way in which it takes you one taste pathway and the cardamon then leads you down another. "A taste adventure" 

Ingredients:
200 g Unsalted Butter
70g Icing Sugar
10 Cardamon Pods (must be fresh, if have been sitting in the cupboard for a while use 12 - 14 depending on their age)
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Bean Paste
50g Cornflour
210g Flour
1 Small Egg, Lightly Beaten
70gish (a large handful) Pistachio Nuts, Chopped in blender so some of them form a finely chopped green powder and others a chunky

1. Cream butter and icing sugar together, until pale and fluffy.

2. Crush cardamon pods in mortar and pestle. Remove pods, and grind cardamon until a fine-ish powder has formed.

3. Add cardamon powder and vanilla bean paste to butter and icing sugar mix, and beat to combine.

4. Add flours and beat or mix until just combined.

5. Turn out onto floured surface and roll into a log. Gladwrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

6. Remove log from fridge and, using a pastry brush, brush egg wash all over logs outside, before rolling log in pistachio nuts.

7. Return to fridge for another 30 minutes while the oven heats to 150C (or place log in freezer for a later date).

8. Remove from fridge and slice into 0.8mm-ish slices and place on tray (if removing from freezer remember to allow log to soften up on bench before attempting to cut it. I would recommend a few hours).

9. Bake for approx 20 minutes until lightly golden.

Biscuits, Cookies and Slices: Weston's Favourite The Classic Ginger Crunch

Weston's Favourite The Classic Ginger Crunch

My brother Weston loves this Ginger Crunch as it is so thin and crispy + it contains no healthy rolled oats...just pure sin (butter)

Ingredients:

Base

150g Butter, softened

1/2 Cup Sugar

1 1/2 Cup Flour

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger

Icing

75g Butter

1 Cup Icing Sugar

2 1/2 Tablespoons Golden Syrup

2 Teaspoons Ground Ginger

Preheat oven to 180C.

Cream first measure of butter and sugar together.

Mix in remaining crust ingredients until combined and crumbly.

Press into baking paper lined tray (20cm by 30cm) and bake for 20 mins or until lightly browned.
Note: It should just fit the base of the tin if pressed out thinly enough.

When crust has been taken out of the oven, melt the second measure of butter in a heavy based saucepan. Add golden syrup, then ginger and icing sugar, whisking with each addition until it forms a smooth runny icing.

Pour on top of the hot base and spread out evenly with a knife or by tilting the tray. Cut now, when hot into squares and leave to cool.

Biscuits, Cookies and Slice: Oaty Chocolate Chunk Crisp Cookies

Oaty Chocolate Chunk Crisp Cookies

My mother has brought us up to like crispy cookies that you can eat easily with a cup of tea (perhaps have a little dip). Therefore cakey cookies esp. those with eggs in them are shunned.

These are my favourite delightfully crispy chocolate cookies with rolled oats so you can feel virtuous that it contains something healthy.

I didn't think in detail directions were required so below is what I use when making them.

CREAM

250 g Butter, Softened

¾ Cup Brown Sugar (tightly packed)

MIX

3 (very large) Tablespoons Sweetened Condensed Milk ~ perhaps almost but not quite a half can

JUST COMBINE

1 ¾ Cup Flour

1/2 Cup Rolled Oats

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

250g Eating Chocolate (Dark or Milk)

BAKE for 15 - 20 mins til lightly golden 

- turn off oven leaving oven door open a little and leave to crispen

Biscuits, Cookies and Slices: Ginger Anzac Biscuits

Ginger Anzac Biscuits

I am not a huge Anzac Biscuit fan but I love the kick of Ginger these give. I also put at least 1 1/2 teaspoons in.  

Ingredients:

100g Butter

2 Tablespoons Golden Syrup

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

½ Teaspoon Baking Soda

2 Tablespoons Boiling Water

½ Cup Plain Flour

1-2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger

1 Cup Shreaded Coconut

1 Cup Rolled Oats

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C.

Melt butter together golden syrup in a large heavy based pot (this could alternatively be done in a glass bowl in the microwave).

Once melted remove from heat and add remaining ingredients with the exception of the boiling water and baking soda. Mix until almost combined.

Mix together boiling water and baking soda in a separate small bowl and add to other mixture. Mix until just combined. (mixture should not be to firm but kind of sticky, if this is not the case add a tablespoon or so extra melted butter)

Place teaspoonfuls spaced out well on a baking paper lined tray and bake for 10 – 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Let cool on tray for a few minutes before transferring them to cooling rack to fully cool.