Chocolate rose cupcakes

Mmmm chocolate.  There is something about the smell of chocolate that is just so delicious.  Today, whilst it was pouring rain outside, I spent my time in a warn kitchen making chocolate cupcakes. What a life! 

Chocolate and roses just seem to go together so I decorated  my cupcakes with glossy chocolate ganache (hint - always make extra to have with toast later - it is delicious!) and hand made fondant roses.  Usually I colour my own fondant however this time I used a ready coloured one from Renshaw called fuchsia pink.  Don't you think the strong colour looks great against the dark chocolate? 

If you haven't made ganache before you really should give it a try.  This is the recipe that I use and this amount should be enough to decorate 12 cupcakes.

100gm dark cooking chocolate

100ml of double cream

Break the chocolate into small pieces and put it in a heat proof bowl.

Heat the cream in a saucepan until small bubbles appear on the edges but don't let it boil.

Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it stand for a couple of minutes.  

Stir the mixture until it is lovely and glossy.

Spread the ganache over your cupcakes using the back of spoon.

Any left over ganache can be stored in the fridge for your toast the next day.  Enjoy!

Burnt butter biscuits

Burnt butter biscuits.  Sounds as though something went terribly wrong in the kitchen, doesn't it?  Not so.  These are lovely, buttery biscuits just perfect with a cup of coffee and a good book on rainy afternoons.  

The recipe was given to me by my sister and I have been intending to make these biscuits for a while.   Looks like today is the day.  My niece (of the red quilt) made a batch for their local agricultural show.  I'm very pleased and proud to say that she won a prize.  Not sure which one, however these biscuits are so delicious, I'm sure it must have been first prize.

Here is the recipe - in old money but pretty easy to convert the amounts to metric if you prefer.

Burnt butter biscuits - makes at least 2 dozen

1/4 pound butter

1/4 pound sugar

1 egg (I used a medium egg)

5 ounces of self raising flour

Melt the butter in a saucepan until it turns nut brown in colour.  Don't let it get too dark or it will taste bitter.  That would not be good.

Cool slightly (you want it to be cool enough that you can touch the sides of the pan) and then beat in the sugar.   

Add the egg,  mix well and then add the flour.
Stir until combined.

Roll into balls about the size of a walnut and flatten them slightly on the baking tray.  Leave some room between them as they spread when baking.

Pop half a glace cherry (my favourite!) or piece of blanched almond on top of each biscuit.

Bake in a moderate oven (180C or 160C for fan ovens) for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown.   

Allow to cool on a wire rack and store in a tin.

Don't have a tin?  Not a problem.  These biscuits will be gone long before you need worry about a tin! 

Enjoy!

ANZAC biscuits

Today is ANZAC Day and, feeling a little nostalgic for home, I made a batch of ANZAC biscuits. These are lovely, chewy, sweet, buttery biscuits with a bit of crunch that are just perfect with a cup of tea.  They are so delicious it is very hard to stop at just one.

But don't just take my word for it, why not have a go at making some yourself?  They are super easy and very quick to make.  Here is the recipe that I use, taken from an old CSR golden syrup tin. Enjoy!

ANZAC Biscuits - makes about 36 biscuits

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup plain flour
1 cup soft brown sugar (lightly packed)
3/4 cup desiccated coconut
125 gm butter
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
3 tablespoons boiling water

Combine the oats, flour, sugar and coconut in a large bowl.  Melt the butter and golden syrup in a small saucepan.  Add the bicarbonate to the boiling water and then add this to the butter syrup mixture.  Pour the foamy butter mixture into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Place walnut-sized balls of the mixture onto a baking tray, about 5 cm apart to allow for spreading.  Bake at 150C for about 15 minutes or until golden, but do keep an eye on them as they burn easily.  Allow to cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.  They will keep in an air-tight container for about 3 weeks - if they last that long.