White chocolate and cranberry blondies.

These are perfect for the holiday season. I had them in the UK last month and loved them. Have tried to make them a couple of times, my one tip - melt only half of the chocolate. I failed to read this first time around, but quite frankly they still turned out really well!

I know, for my American friends the recipe is in grams. DO NOT BE AFRAID. If you have a good kitchen scale you'll have no worries.

200g Butter

300g Quality White Chocolate

3 Medium eggs

150g caster sugar

1tsp vanilla extract

200g plain flour

100g dried cranberries

Pinch of salt

Oven 180c / gas mark 4

In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the butter with 150g of the chocolate, whisking well until smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla together until pale. Beat in the melted chocolate mixture.

Fold in the flour and salt. Pour into baking tin. Strew the cranberries and the other 150g white chocolate evenly over the batter. Poke down with the end of a teaspoon!

Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until the top is firm but the inside is still a bit soft.

Leave to cool in the tin, cut into squares and dust with icing sugar.

Chocolate Meringue Roulade

• 4 egg whites
• 8 oz sugar
• 1 tspn Corn starch
• 4 tspn cocoa
• 4 oz of 70% cocoa chocolate
• 1 pint of cream

Whip egg whites until soft peaks appear (and so you can turn the bowl upside down with out anything falling out)

Whip in the sugar and then sift in the cocoa and corn starch folding in with a metal spoon.

Place on a well greased cookie sheet and bake at 360F for 20 mins.

Allow to cool. Whip the cream and melt the chocolate and then fold the two together and line the meringue, then roll the roulade into shape. Drizzle chocolate on top.

Options

You could easily make this with out the chocolate and put in fresh fruit, i have also heard of puting crushed nuts in with the meringue instead of cocoa powder.

Buttercream frosting

Vanilla butter cream frosting

1/2 lb of powdered/icing sugar

1/2 stick of butter (2oz)

2 tbspn or 1/8 cup of milk

1 tspn of vanilla extract

Beat the butter with an electric mixer until pail then slowly add in the sifted sugar. Once combined, add in the milk and the essence.

Chocolate Butter cream

1 1/2 sticks/ 6 oz butter unsalted butter room temp
pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups/ 8oz powdered/icing sugar, sifted
1/4 tspn vanilla
3 oz 70% chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature

• Beat the butter and salt on medium speed with an electric mixer, until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.


• Reduce the speed to low, gradually add the sugar and beat until incorporated.


• Add the vanilla and beat until smooth and creamy.


• Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the chocolate and beat on medium speed until incorporated, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down sides.


• Do not over mix or it will incorporate too much air.

Strawberry Butter cream

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup strawberries, chopped.
  
• 1 cup Butter
• Pinch of Salt
  
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar.
  
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Beat the Butter, salt and sugar in a mixer. Beat until pale and white, then add vanilla and strawberries until well combine. It should be pretty thick, if it isn't add a little more sugar.

(if you don't like the pieces of strawberry in your frosting, puree before hand then add.)

peppermint bark

I had never heard of this stuff till i came to America but i love it and it's easy to make.

12 oz of dark chocolate
12 oz of white chocolate
8 candy canes
a little oil
peppermint essence

• Line a 13x9 pan with parchment paper or greaseproof paper.
• Place the candy canes in a bag and crush them.
• Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler.
• Once melted mix in a 1/2 tspn of oil, this gives it a glossier look and makes it set better then pour in the base of the pan. Then place in the fridge.
• Now Melt the white chocolate.
• Mix 3/4 of the candy canes into the melted white chocolate along with 1/2 tspn of oil and a tspn of peppermint essence.
• Pour on top of the dark chocolate then sprinkle the remainder of the crushed candy canes on top.
• refrigerate for an hour or until set, then break into uneven pieces.

Mincemeat pies

Mincemeat

8 oz apples, cored and chopped

4 oz suet (shortening) shredded

16 oz fruit - i use raisins, cherries, chopped dates, golden sultanas

6 oz brown sugar

juice and zest of 2 oranges and 2 lemons

2 tspn ground spice

1/2 tsp of ground Cinnamon

1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg

3 tbspns of Brandy (i use whisky)

the recipe i have uses 4 oz of candied peel chopped but the one here is so hard i don't use it. I will add an ounce or two more raisins or sultanas.

it also has 1 oz of almonds chopped. not sure what your hubby thinks, but i am a not nut's in mincemeat person. if he likes them you can add them.

Mix them all in a oven proof bowl except the Brandy. Then cover with foil and place in a 225F oven for 3 hours.

When it comes out it will look really fatty just loosely stir it in and then allow it to cool. Stir it again then add in the Brandy.

Pastry

You can buy pie pastry and use that, i just make mine

16 oz flour

8 oz butter

1-2 oz sugar

water

Rub the butter into the flour, be patient it will combine eventually, then mix in the sugar. Add water 1 tspn at a time. mixing it in with a knife. eventually you will need to combine into a ball of dough with your hands.

Cut out a circle and place in the bottom and up the sides of the tin, spoon in the mincemeat and then top with a smaller disk of pastry.

Brush the top of the pies with an egg and milk wash and a sprinkle of sugar and place in oven at 375 F for 25 - 30 mins.

Homemade Waffles

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tspn vanilla

1 3/4 cups flour
2 tbspn sugar
1 tbspn baking powder

• Mix the wet ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.
• Then whisk in the dry ingredients.
  
• Let the mixture settle while you switch on and let the waffle maker warm up.
  
• Should make around a dozen waffles

OPTIONS

• mix in some cocoa powder to make chocolate waffles
• make waffles with whole grain, whole wheat or gluten free flour.
  

Tiffin

Well my version anyway. It is also known as refrigerator cake. This is a recipe i started making back in the days i worked in a tea room. The main ingredients of tiffin are condensed milk and digestive biscuits (graham crackers) Off course as you might have guessed it mines has other ingredients also!

Ingredients
200g of digestie biscuits or graham crackers crushed. (you may need a little extra)
3 tbspns of cocoa powder or hot chocolate powder.
4 tbspns of shredded coconut.
1 tspn vanilla extract.
1 tspn of rum extract. (optional)
2 tbspns of butter.
1 140z can of condensed milk.
1/4 cup of mini marshmallows
1/4 cup of chopped glace cherries.
1 cup of chocolate chips.

• Grease a small pan 9x9 or 7x11
• Place the digestives, cocoa, coconut in a bowl and mix.
• Slowly heat up the milk and butter, until it starts to simmer, then mix in the extract(s).
• Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients until it forms a large bowl.
• add in mini marshmallows and chopped cherries
• if need be add in extra biscuit if too sticky.
• Place in the tin and allow to cool in the fridge for 30 mins
• Melt chocolate chips and spread over the top, allow to set then eat and enjoy.