Fake Snickerdoodles

Although the title implies that these are snickerdoodles, that’s not actually the case, I guess you could say that is false advertising in that case. Proper snickerdoodles are cookies coated in a cinnamon and sugar, and not actually anything to do with snickers (candies) chocolate bars… So now that I have cleared that little bit up, here is my recipe for the fake Snickerdoodles.

“Snickerdoodles”

2 cups softened butter

2 cups peanut butter

2 cups white caster sugar

2 cups brown caster sugar

4 eggs

4tsps vanilla extract

6 cups plain flour

2tps baking powder

1tsp salt

2 snickers each cut into 12 chunks

½ cup sugar for sprinkling

1. Preheat your oven to 190˚C/375˚F, line two baking sheets with baking paper.
2. Beat in the butter, peanut butter and sugars in a large bowl until well combined and creamy, beat the eggs and the vanilla extract.
3. Mix together the dry ingredients, then add a bit at a time to the butter mixture, until it is well incorporated and you have a smooth dough.
4. Using about a ¼ cup for each cookie, make them into balls forming them around a snicker chunk. Then sprinkle each cookie with sugar
5. Bake until browned a little around the edges, about 12 minutes.
6. Cool slightly and the move to a wire rack.

Chocolate and Hazelnut Brownies

I have included this recipe because apart from mine still being very raw in the middle – very probably my fault – the bits that were baked properly, were absolutely gorgeous. My oven doesn’t heat evenly and rarely runs at the correct temperature, often running 30˚C hotter or colder, sometimes even more than that. At times it works fine….. Annoying and frustrating thing, that it is. My baking tray was also 8”x8” instead of 9”x12” so the cake batter was much thicker than it was supposed to be. So with my oven and my baking tray I had already set myself up to fail – it was just the centre though and completely my own doing, I just cut around the raw central bit, there was still plenty of baked brownie left over. I try not to get too cross with myself over my baking mishaps, as Glen keeps saying, everything I do is new, until now I had never really tackled baking ever, my Mum never taught me and my Ex would have had a fit if I had tried to bake something and ended up having to throw it in the bin, so I never had the opportunity until now. So I do try to just kind of shrug my shoulders, “Oh well” it and carry on. This time however it really irked me because I know what I did wrong and the recipe really is too good to be making mistakes like that, wasteful.

Chocolate and Hazelnut Brownies

100g/3 ½ oz hazelnuts

175g/6oz unsalted butter diced

300g/10 ½ oz good quality dark chocolate, broken up

300g/10 ½ oz caster sugar

4 large beaten eggs

200g Plain flour

25g/1oz cocoa powder, + extra for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C/400˚F, scatter the hazelnuts over a baking sheet and toast them being careful not to burn them, for 5 minutes. Once they are toasted vigorously rub them in a tea towel to remove the skins.
2. Roughly chop the hazelnuts so you have random sizes and set them aside, line the base of your tin, 23x30cm/9”x12” or similar type tin with parchment paper.
3. Put the butter and chocolate, in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, and melt the butter and chocolate stirring continuously until smooth. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool. Once cooled add the sugar and mix well until combined.
4. Now add the eggs a little time, mixing well between each addition. Making sure to lift the sieve well above the bowl to aerate, sift the flour and cocoa powder into the butter and chocolate mixture.
5. Fold in the flour until well combined and smooth, stir in the nuts and then pour into the baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes, it should be firm on top but soft in the middle, leave in the tray but place on a wire rack to cool.
6. Lift the brownie out of the tray using the parchment paper for leverage, then carefully cut into 24 pieces.

 

Chocolate Orange Cookies

I quite liked these cookies, I love the chocolate and orange combination – biscuits/cookies are my “sweet” weakness so all three together are a little slice of heaven for me. Trying to find recipes that will work for me is always quite difficult any dough like biscuits/cookies that require cut outs has always been a struggle for me as has pastry, this is because my hands are too warm. But slowly I am improving more successes than failures these days.

Chocolate Orange Cookies

1 cup softened butter

¾ cup divided sugar

1 egg

1tsp vanilla extract

2 ½ cups plain flour (all purpose)

½ tsp salt

¼ cup finely grated orange peel

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Cream the butter and ½ cup sugar, in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract, slowly add the flour and salt, mix to combine then put in the fridge for 15 minutes.
2. Lightly flour your work surface and roll out the dough to about a ¼” thickness. Cut with cookie cutters, place them on ungreased baking sheets, about 2” apart, mix together the remaining sugar and orange peel and sprinkle over the cookies.
3. Bake for about 15 minutes, just until the edges begin to brown, at 350˚F/180˚C cool on a wire rack, melt the chocolate and pipe on the cookies to decorate.

Chocolate Oaty Treats

These, chocolate oaty treats are really moreish – I’m not really into sweet treats, they don’t do much for me to be honest, I try everything I make though obviously, normally only a little bite, I can hardly make other people eat something that I haven’t tried myself. I do however love biscuit, chocolate and oats, I can’t help myself. Cookies and cheesecakes are a favourite of mine. These though are top on my list of must haves.

Chocolate Oaty Treats

1cup plus 2tbsp (divided) softened butter

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

4tsp (divided) vanilla extract

3 cups quick cooking oats

2 ½ cups all purpose (plain) flour

1 ½ tsp salt (divided)

1tsp baking soda

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Cream the cup of butter with the sugar until light and fluffy, in a large mixing bowl. Next add the eggs and 2tsp vanilla extract, beating to combine. In another bowl mix together the oats, flour, salt and baking soda, then carefully stir it into the butter mixture. Prepare a 15”x10” baking tin, press 2/3 of the oat mixture into the tin.
2. In a small saucepan, mix together the milk, chocolate chips and remaining butter and salt. Continuously stirring cook over a low heat until all the chocolate has melted. Remove from the heat add the walnuts (if you are using) and the remaining vanilla extract, spread over the oaty base, sprinkling the remaining oat mixture over the top of the chocolate filling.
3. Place in your oven and bake for 25 mins at 350˚F/180˚C, or until golden, allow to cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

 

 

Chocolate fudge cake pops

I’ve seen a few of my friends make these and for the life of me I couldn’t figure out how to make them, at least not without a recipe. I was completely in awe of this cake ball magic. I mean how do you get balls of cake? Nope try as I might I couldn’t work it out. Then when I saw the recipe in one of my books it all became so logical and clear, I have also since discovered that you can actually buy cake pans to do the job too! The light came on so to speak and I felt pretty stupid! They are fun to make, fiddly but not all that difficult and look really cool too, I really enjoyed making these. I melted some caramac bars and used them for coating but you could use any kind of cake coating you wanted, I have also used, white and milk chocolate. These are for sure a good one to make with the kiddy winkles, if you don’t mind the mess. The possibilities are endless though, I have seen some made to look like pirates, animals faces, characters from the Mario brothers, angry birds and minions…. And they are just a few ideas.

Chocolate Fudge Cake Balls

1 x Devil’s Food Cake mix

150g/5 ½ oz Chocolate fudge frosting

300g/11oz cake covering of choice

1. Bake the devil’s food cake according to package directions. Allow to cool completely and then whizz in a food processor until it looks like breadcrumbs.
2. Put 300g of the cake crumbs into a bowl and mix in the frosting, to a smooth, even consistency, then roll the mixture into walnut sized balls.
3. Put the balls into the freezer for 30 minutes while you prep the rest. Melt the cake coverings according to package directions and then dip the balls into the coverings, work as fast as possible, using forks to turn the balls, until they are completely covered.
    
   Use any kind of cake mixture and frosting, and any coverings that will re-solidify once cooled. Have fun…..