Christmas Baking: Peanut Cluster Cookies

Oh…these cookies should come with a warning label…something about stretchy pants and a good supply of milk.  They are a lovely chocolate-y addition to a Christmas treats platter, that is if you have any left.  These are pretty quick to prepare, and they come out beautifully.

Ingredients:

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
350 grams dark chocolate chips, divided in half
100 grams Lindt 85% dark chocolate bar

2 extra-large eggs
1 Tablespoon instant coffee granules (I used instant espresso)
1 1/2 Tablespoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup white sugar

1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups roasted, salted, peanuts (could use any nuts you like, or a mix)
2/3 cup peanut butter chips (or white chocolate, or maybe milk)


Method:

Preheat the oven to 160C.   Line baking pans with baking paper.

Melt the butter, 175 grams of the dark chocolate chips, and the Lindt bar together until melted.  I did mine in the microwave for ease, but you should do it in a double boiler.  Let that cool for 10 minutes are so while you are getting the rest of the batter ready.

Mix together in a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer) the eggs, the coffee granules, and the vanilla.  Mix until well combined.  Add the sugar, and beat until the mixture is thick and a bit lighter in colour.

Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and mix well.  Add the nuts, the remaining dark chocolate chips, and the other chips you decided to use.  Peanut butter chips are my favourite, and luckily we can get the from an American food supplier here in Melbourne, but may not be to everyone's tastes.

Drop walnut sized spoonfuls of the mix onto the baking-paper lined cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, turning half way.

Let the cookies cool on the tray for a couple of minutes, and then cool completely on a rack.

Enjoy!

Christmas Baking: Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Christmas for me is a time for cookies…all manner of cookies…but my favourite cookies of all are chocolate chip cookies.  They are everything a cookie should be, and everyone has their favourite style.  Some prefer crisp, some chewy…some with nuts, some not.  I like mine crisp and without nuts, and this recipe is everything I've ever wanted in a chocolate chip cookie.  

115 grams salted butter (one stick for the Americans)

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup white sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons plain flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

175 grams dark/semi sweet chocolate chips

Sea salt, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 170C. 

Put the butter in an ovenproof metal bowl, and pop in the oven.  Keep an eye on it, but it usually take about 15 minutes for the butter to go nutty brown.  It may take a bit longer or a bit less time in your oven.  Don't let it burn, but do make sure you get the nice nutty brown on the milk solids.  They are key to these cookies being amazing.

Once you have browned butter, and working with an oven mitt (don't forget, the metal bowl is hot…I have the scars to prove how ridiculously forgetful I can be on this step) add the brown sugar and  the white sugar.  Still well, until the sugars are well incorporated with the melted butter.  

Add the egg and vanilla, and mix until it's smooth.

Add the flour, baking soda and salt, and mix until all the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Add the chocolate chips, and stir until they’re evenly mixed into the batter.

Refrigerate for about half an hour until the mix is firm and scoop able.  

I use a non-stick cookie pan, but use parchment if yours is not non-stick.  Scoop out one inch ball sized bits of dough (I have one of those gorgeous cookie scoops that looks like a miniature ice cream scoop - it is the perfect size for this job) and spread evenly on the tray.  Don't put them too close together, these cookies do spread a bit.

Sprinkle with a small amount of sea salt - I like the Maldon Sea Salt for this.  You won't need much, just a touch.

Bake for 9 minutes. Cool the cookies for a couple of minutes on the tray, and then transfer to a rack.  

Avoid eating the entire tray each time they come out of the oven, as apparently this is not "the done thing".  Make sure you have plenty of milk in the house when you make these, as nothing accompanies them better than a big tall glass of the white stuff.

Enjoy!

Note: If you want to modulate the saltiness, either use unsalted butter or don't add the salt to the batter.  Still make sure you sprinkle the salt on top…it's part of what makes these cookies special.  

Christmas Baking: Aged Cheddar & Quince Mini-Tarts

It's no secret how much I love sweet and salty as a flavour combination…and I delight in finding new ways to combine the flavours.  These mini-tarts are a nice riff on a cheese board…the crunch of the buttery pastry (not unlike a cracker) with the aged cheddar and quince paste.  These are not overly "egg-y" and are a moorish mouthful, perfect for a finger food plate as part of a bountiful Christmas celebration.  They are easy and quick too.

Ingredients:

Either two sheets of thawed frozen puff pastry 

or 

The pastry from my quiche recipe:  Real Men Eat My Quiche

The effort to make the pastry is worth it, but I am completely understanding of the need for a time saver.

100 grams quince paste

1/2 cup crumbly aged cheddar (for Australians, Mersey Valley cheddar works beautifully)

2 large eggs

2/3 cup cream

Salt & pepper to taste

Chopped fresh chives (if desired)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 170C.  Use a 7cm pastry cutter to cut out the pastry rounds, and fit into a round bottomed patty tin (this recipe makes 24 mini tarts, so if you only have one pan you will need to do two batches).  

Cut the quince paste into small chunks, and put two chunks in the bottom of each pastry shell.  Crumble the cheddar, and sprinkle over the quince past.  

Whisk together the eggs and the cream, and add salt and pepper to your taste.  Very carefully pour this over the cheese and quince paste in the tart shells, but don't overfill.  The egg is just a binding agent, not the star…so get just enough in to hold things together.

Sprinkle with finely chopped fresh chives if you like, and then bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes.  Keep an eye on them - they will puff up and go golden brown, but will sink once they are out of the oven.  

Cool on a wire rack, and serve with a nice glass of wine (or several as the holiday spirit moves you)!  

Christmas Baking: Rocky Road Slice

I suppose "baking" is a misnomer for this, the first of my Christmas baking posts.  You get the general idea…I'm in the kitchen, there is an apron, there are pans…and delicious things are coming off the conveyor belt.  This morning marked the start of my Christmas cooking efforts and what better place to start than with a delicious slice.  This slice is salty and sweet, crunchy and soft…it is very moorish.  This is a heavily adapted recipe inspired by Nigella Lawson.

Ingredients:

500 grams fine quality chocolate (I use Lindt 100 gram bars, 3 x Sea Salt Dark Chocolate and 2 x Milk)

165 grams unsalted butter

3 Tablespoons golden syrup

350 grams roasted, salted peanuts

200 - 250 grams chocolate coated honeycomb

150 grams mini marshmallows

Method:

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a large, heavy bottomed pan over a gentle heat.  Add the golden syrup, and stir through until smooth.

Put the honeycomb in a Ziploc bag and give it a good bashing, but make sure there are still some good sized pieces and it isn't turned to dust.

Mix the peanuts, honeycomb and marshmallows through the chocolate until everything is well incorporated and evenly distributed.

Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with aluminum foil, and spread the mix out evenly.  

Pop it into the fridge for a few hours until the slice is set (it usually set in a couple of hours) and then cut  it up and serve.  

The bits that break off and crumble while you are cutting the slice make a lovely topping for ice cream.  Or so I've heard.  

Note:  Not for the faint hearted, but if you love peanut butter as much as I do, put a couple of tablespoons of creamy peanut butter in with the melted chocolate mix.  It adds a nice peanut butter-ness to these already peanut-y treats.

Homemade Dinner Rolls

Firstly, let me say, it's been an eternity since I have posted.  2013 has been a very busy year.  We had a huge trip around the world and then spent six months living in the Arizona desert.  We're home now, and the thing I missed more than anything was my own kitchen.  I've been trying to experiment with lots of new recipes, but haven't had my creative "write it all down" mojo working of late.

Christmas is coming up and Thanksgiving is just behind us.  One staple for me now at our holiday dinners is my homemade dinner rolls.  These are a sweet type of dinner roll, perfect to use as slider rolls with mini burgers or as just a side with butter on them for a nice meal.  I have been working on my fear of yeast doughs…and if you share my fear, then these rolls can help you get over it.  They are virtually fool proof, and always come up beautifully.

Ingredients:

2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup water
2 Tablespoons butter + additional for melting and brushing on the rolls

Method:

In a microwave container (I use a pyrex jug) combine the water, milk and butter.  Heat until just warm, but not hot.  It's important to not overheat it or it will kill the yeast.

Put the warm milk into the bowl of a KitchenAid (or equivalent) mixer.  Add the yeast and sugar, stir briefly and then let sit for 10 minutes.  When you get back to it, the yeast should have begun foaming up a bit and look quite active.

Add the salt, then add the flour in half cup additions until it is all mixed together.

Once it has come together, knead in the machine for about 5 - 7 minutes.   Pull the dough out of the mixer and do a bit of hand kneading.  This will make you feel superior to your KitchenAid and imminently more involved in the process.  The bread should have a silky sort of feel to it when you're done.

Put the dough into a bowl and cover with a tea towel, and let it rest for about 30 - 45 minutes.

Divide the dough into 10 - 12 pieces, based entirely on your preference.  Shape the dough into balls, and put into a greased 8 inch pie pan.  Cover and let them rest again for about 45 minutes.

Brush the rolls with melted butter and bake in a 370F/185C for about 15 - 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Brush the hot rolls with a bit more butter, and serve warm.