Halloween Goodies!!

My friend hosted a wee halloween party on the weekend, and I decided to make a couple things to take with! The cake was actually just a bought sponge (had very limited time!!), iced to look like frankenstein! The lil biscuits are mallowpuffs and mini mint slices that I decorated with fondant eyes, for a sorta monster look, and the cheese biscuits are the following recipe from taste.co.nz, which I used a pumpkin cookie cutter with!

Ingredients

• ¾ cup (110g) plain flour
• ¼ cup (35g) self-raising flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 90g butter, chopped
• ¾ cup (90g) finely grated cheddar cheese
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons water

Method

Preheat the oven to moderately hot (200°C).

Sift the flours and salt into a medium bowl, rub in the butter then stir in the cheese.

Add the egg yolks and water, mix to form a dough. Knead on a lightly floured board until smooth.

Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface until 3mm thick, cut out 5cm rounds. Place the rounds on baking paper-lined oven trays and prick with a fork.

Bake in a moderately hot oven for about 10 minutes or until browned lightly; cool on a wire rack.

Nutella Crossiants Nom nom nom!!

I can't remember where I got this recipe....its sooo good though, and I have made it several times when people have come round. Super delicious, easy and popular!!!

Ingrediants:

1 pack of puff pastry thawed
1 medium jar of nutella
1 small block grated chocolate
icing sugar

Cut the pastry squares into 4 trianges. Spread nutella on each piece, leaving a small border. Sprinkle with grated chocolate. Roll up in crossiant shape. Place on tray and bake till golden. When cooled, sprinkle with icing sugar and dig in!!

Berry Oatmeal Bars

I found this recipe again on bunsinmyoven.com. My dad loves oaty/fruity things, so I made these for him. The great thing about this recipe is you can use up any jam you may have. The recipe called for raspberry, bt I only had strawberry. A certain someone in my house doesnt like using the bottom bit of jam in jars, so this recipe is perfect!!

Raspberry Oatmeal Bars

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup seedless rapsberry jam (or any other flavor you might like)

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8×8 baking dish with foil and lightly grease.
Using a pastry cutter, two knives, or your hands, cut together everything but the jam. Don’t be afraid to get in there and get your hands dirty. Combine until you have a nice crumbly mixture without too many large chunks of butter.
Press 2 cups of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spoon on the jam (if it is cold, it helps to microwave it to soften it up a bit) and spread to within 1/4 inch of the edge. Lightly press the remaining crust mixture over the top of the jam.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookie Bars - holy sheeet!!!

So I love cheesecake, and I love choc chip cookies.....so when I came across this recipe on bunsinmyoven.com, I had to try it!! I was invited to an awesome bar-b-que at my friend Heather's house, so I whipped up these bars to take along! Went down a treat! Only thing is I think I would use a wider pan next time, so they are not so high!!

Ingredients

For the cookie layers:
• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
For the cheesecake layer:
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

To make the cookies:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
3. In a small bowl, combine the salt, baking soda, and flour.
4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed butter. Mix until just combined.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips.
To make the cheesecake layer:
6. Mix all ingredients together until well combined.
To assemble:
7. Line a 9x13 baking sheet with parchment paper. Press half of the cookie dough in the bottom of the baking sheet.
8. Pour on the cheesecake layer and spread evenly.
9. Place the remaining dough over the top of the cheesecake. It's easiest to take small handfuls of dough and press them out in your hand before placing them on the cheesecake layer. The cookie dough doesn't have to cover the cheesecake layer completely, but should come close.
10. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Cool completely before serving and store in the refrigerator.

New favourite cookie!! Instant Pudding Cookies!!!!

OMG!!! these cookies are awesome!!! and you can make them with whatever flavour pudding you want!! I made these ones with butterscotch, which was fab!! I have since made some with banofffi flavoured pudding, which gave them a banana/toffee taste!! yum!!!!

                                          Recipe from good ol chelsea.co.nz

Ingredients

150g butter
3/4 cup Chelsea White Sugar
1 egg
1 packet (70g) instant pudding – any flavour will do but our favourite is butterscotch
1 1/2 cups flour
3 Tbsp cornflour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup sultanas or chocolate chips

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line an oven tray with baking paper.

Beat butter, Sugar and egg together until smooth; do not overbeat. Add the dry ingredients and sultanas or chocolate chips. Roll into balls and flatten with a wet fork on the prepared tray. Make sure they do not touch each other and allow a little room for expansion. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.

Coconut Baci (kisses) xx

I have made these gems a couple of times, and they are a great cookie if you're a big fan of coconut! which I am!! A lot of people don't like faux cherries, so I made a few decorated with almonds, but there weren't as pretty :)

Recipe from taste.co.nz:

Ingredients

150g butter, softened
½ cup caster sugar
¼ tsp almond essence
1 cup plain flour
½ cup cornflour
½ cup desiccated coconut, plus ¼ cup for sprinkling over cooked biscuits
¼ cup glacé cherries or blanched almonds

Method

Preheat oven to 170°C. Using an electric beater with the paddle attachment or a hand-held beater, cream the butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy, then blend in the almond essence.

Sift together flour and cornflour and add to the creamed mixture, together with the ½ cup desiccated coconut. Mix together to make a dough. If not completely bound together, use your hands to bind it into a dough.

Line a baking tray with baking paper. Use a piping bag and shaped nozzle to pipe biscuits onto tray or roll by hand into small balls, leaving space between each for spreading. Place half a glacé cherry or a whole blanched almond in the middle of each biscuit. Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. After baking, sprinkle with remaining coconut

Delicious Dulche de Leche Cookies!!

I had been dying to make dulche de leche brownies for ages....but had never seen dulche leche here in NZ. Then one day, I was in a South African Food shop, buying biltong for my boyfriend, and I came across a jar imported from Argentina! Super stoked!! I bought a jar, and boy I was not sorry!! The brownies unfortunately turned out delicious but not pretty haha!! So I'll have to re-do it for this blog. I had about 1/3 of a jar left after the brownies, so I made these lil puppies!! Delicious!!

                                  I used this great recipe from the awesome blog bakingbites.com

Alfajores (Dulce de Leche Cookies)
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
approx 1 cup dulce de leche

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Gradually blend in dry ingredients until dough comes together.
Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls and place on prepared baking sheet. Press dough down with the back of a spoon or fork to flatten slightly.
Bake for 9-11 minutes, until cookies are set and edges just begin to brown.
Cool on a wire rack before filling.
When cookies are cool, spread 2-3 tsp dulce de leche (or to taste if you’d like more) between pairs of cookies before sandwiching them together.
Makes about 18 sandwich cookies.

Carrot Cake to die for!!

Nothing beats carrot cake especially if it comes with cream cheese icing!! I made this for my mum as it is her favourite cake!! Well maybe after hummingbird cake...which I have yet to attempt!  I worked at a bakery as a student and they decorated their carrot cakes with chopped apricots and choc chips, but I just used apricots for this one :)

I used the Chelsea sugar website recipe, and my mum said it was great!!

Ingredients

3/4 cup self-raising flour
3/4 cup wholemeal flour
1 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup Chelsea Caster Sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup sunflower or canola oil
1 tsp Vanilla essence
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups grated carrot
1/2 cup sultanas or raisins
2 Tbsp desiccated coconut

Cream Cheese Icing
125g cream cheese, softened
50g butter, softened
2 1/2 cups Chelsea Icing Sugar

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Sift flours, spices and soda into a large mixing bowl. Add all remaining ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined, don't beat.
Line a 20 x 23cm cake tin (6 cm deep) with baking paper and grease well. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the surface. Bake for 1 hour. The cake is cooked when a skewer is inserted into the centre of the cake and the skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool then remove from the cake tin and peel away the paper.
Spread the top of the cake with cream Cheese Icing.

Cream Cheese Icing
Beat all the ingredients together until smooth Icing consistency. Spread over top of cake.

Yummy yummy Afghans

Afghans are such a kiwi classic. There seems to be a great deal of mystery surrounding how these biscuits got their name. From what I have read it has nothing to do with Afghanistan, but possibly to do with the colour of the bickies. Anyway! These are always super good, and I always use the edmonds recipe!!
Dunno how that dud walnut got in there in the middle!

Ingrediants:

200g butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup flour

3 Tbsp cocoa

1 1/2 cups cornflakes

Chocolate Icing:  2 cups icing sugar, 1/4 teaspoon butter, 2 Tbspn water, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Walnuts to decorate

Method:

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Sift flour and cocoa. Stir into creamed mixture. Fold in cornflakes. Spoon mounds of mixture onto greased oven trays, gently pressing the mixture together. Bake at 180 degrees for 15mins or until set. When cold, ice with choc icing and decorate with a walnut piece. 

MINDFOOD's Peanut Blondies

Someone I made these for asked if I had put crack into them, they were that delicious and addictive!! Mindfood magazine often has great recipes and this one was no exception!

Ingrediants:
1 cup raw peanuts
125 butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup self-raising flour
1 cup white chocolate bits

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 180degrees celcius. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Place peanuts onto one tray. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden. Cool.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add eggs. Beat until well combined. Sift flour over butter mixture and stir with a large metal spoon. Add roasted peanuts and white choc bits. Stir until well combined.

Place tablepoonfuls of mixture onto prepared trays, allowing room for spreading. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until browned and firm to the touch. Stand on trays for 5 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Awesome Pizza Muffins!

I have made these muffins a few times now and man oh man are they good!! I never have spring onions on hand, so always fry an onion, and it works well in this recipe! There's no butter or oil in the recipe either...but the 2 cups of cheese make up for it!! Delish! The recipe is an Alison Holst recipe, who is a NZ baking legend!!

Ingrediants:
2 cups grated cheese
2 cups plain flour
3 tsp baing powder
1 Tbsp sugar
1 spring onion, chopped (I use one onion chopped and fried and its AMAZE)
50g Salami, chopped
1/2 tsp oregano (I use the masterfoods tuscan mixture)

1 Tbsp tomato puree
3 Tbsp water
1 cup milk
1 large egg

optional topping: 1/2 tomato, finely chopped, about 1/2 cup cheese, 2-3 slices salami, chopped.

Method:

In a bowl put grated cheese, flour, baking powder and sugar. Add onion, salamo, oregano and stir lightly to combine. 

Using a fork, mix the tomato puree and water until smooth in a bowl. Add the millk and egg, and beat with a fork until well combined. Pour the liquids into the flour mixture and fold together until the flour is moistened, do not overmix!

Spoon mixture into 12 medium-sized, well-sprayed or buttered muffin pans. Add optional topping if using.

Bake at 220 degrees celcius for 12 minutes, or until lightly browned on top and firm when pressed in middle.

Terrific Tan Sqaure

I made Chelsea Sugar's version of tan square, and it was pretty darn good!! Check out the caramel!! Pretty Calorific!! but oh so good!! I added some butterscotch chips just for extra goodness!!

Ingredients

180g butter
90g Chelsea White Sugar
½ tsp vanilla
300g flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Caramel:
1 x 400g tin condensed milk
100g butter
2 tbsp Chelsea Golden Syrup

Method

Cream butter and sugar, then stir in vanilla.
Stir in the flour and baking powder until combined.
Press 2/3 of the mixture evenly into a baking paper lined 23cm square tin. Pour over the caramel.
Mix the remaining base mixture with the chocolate chips and crumble over the caramel.
Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 20-25 minutes.

Caramel:
Combine all ingredients in a small pot and heat, stirring until melted together and thickened.

Perfect Peppermint Creams...

I worked with someone last week, who loves peppermint and chocolate...so I thought I'd make these gems to make work just that tiny bit better! I used star cutters because that is the only mini shape I have!! So you can make them any shape, I think round is traditional.......again from chelsea.co.nz.

Ingredients

Biscuit
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup Chelsea Icing Sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
125g butter
1/4 cup milk

Peppermint cream
50g butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup Chelsea Icing Sugar
1/4-1/2 teaspoon peppermint essence, to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C for fan forced.

Mix flour, sugar, and cocoa powder until combined.
Add butter and mix until it resembles fine crumbs. Add milk slowly until the dough comes together in small clumps. Roll dough into a ball and then roll out on a floured surface.
Cut as many rounds as you can. Making sure there is an even amount. Cut a center from half the rounds.
Place the rounds on a tray and bake for 12 minutes then cool on a wired tray.

Peppermint cream
Using an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add peppermint essence then beat until well combined.

Sandwich the Biscuits with the cream.

Delicious Duskies

Duskies are nice wee cookies that remind me of afghan biscuits, but they don't use cornflakes. They are super easy to make and taste great! Who can resist the combination of chocolate and coconut?!?!

I use the classic Edmonds recipe:

Duskies

• 125gm butter
• 1cup icing sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cup standard flour
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup coconut

Preheat oven to 200 deg celcius.
Cream butter and sugar until light and creamy, with the icing sugar it doesn’t take long.  Add egg and beat well into butter mixture.  Sift dry ingredients into butter mixture, add coconut and mix well until all combined in.  The resultant dough will be soft and squishy, you won’t be able to roll it into balls, so place spoonfuls onto a cold cookie tray, either grease lightly or use baking paper.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until done.  Biscuit will still be soft in center with slight firmness around the edges, remember you are looking for “wet sand” texture when pressed.
When cold, ice with chocolate icing and coconut.

Icing;
Sift icing sugar and cocoa into bowl, mix a little bit of hot water in incrementally until a smooth but not too runny icing results.  Either dip biscuits into icing and then cocoa, or spread icing over and then coconut.

Strawberry Almond Slice

I was a bit hesitant about maing this slice, as it didn't sound that appealing to me, and my boyf wouldn't even try it! But it actually turned out really nice! A nice amount of spice in the cake and its a good way to use up a bit of jam. Even the colleagues at work chose it over a caramel choc slice I also brought to work! The recipe is from Chelsea Sugar's website, which is a great kiwi site for baking!!

Ingredients

150g butter, softened
3/4 cup Chelsea Soft Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Chelsea White Sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup strawberry jam

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Spray a 20 x 30 cm slice tin with non-stick baking spray and line with non-stick baking paper.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter, Soft Brown sugar and White sugar. Add the eggs and mix well. Mix in the flour, cinnamon and baking powder then the almonds. The dough will be crumbly but comes together when squeezed. Press half of this mixture into the base of the prepared tin. Using the back of a spoon, spread the jam over this base, leaving a small 1 cm border around the edge. Sprinkle the remaining mixture over the top, right to the edge and press down to form the top layer.
Bake for 25 – 30 minutes until the top is golden brown. Cool in the tin, then slice into portions.