Delicious Chocolate Brownies

If you have done something bad, and are looking for forgiveness, then, you have come to the right place, I dont think anyone could resist, I am posting this as I have been a very bad blogger, and I thought this would redeem myself as I havent been posting recipes for a while... therefore I am posting these forgiveness Chocolate Brownies, they are delicious, moist, soft and goo-ey.

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

1/4 Cup of Cocoa Powder
2 cups of Sugar
2 cups of flour
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of bicarb

Wet Ingredients

1 Cup of water
125g of Margarine
1/2 cup of oil
2 large freerange eggs

Preheat oven to 160 Degrees Celcuis.

Melt the margerine, add to a bowl and add water, oil and eggs and mix with a hand blender.
Add all the dry ingredients to a bown and mix, then add all the wet ingredients into the dry and mix again, until you have a very smooth mixture.

*** you can add half a cup on pecan nuts (finely chopped) if you like.

Add this mixture to a 20cm x 20cm baking dish, which is lined with greese proof paper,
and bake for 35 minutes.

After baking, turn out the brownie onto a cooling rack, and allow to cool completely.

Now make the Chocolate Icing

1 Cup Icing suger
20 mls of water
half a cup of chocolate chips

Melt chocolate chips in a bowl, over a bowl of hot water.
add water to icing and mix, then add into melted chocolate until you have a smooth icing mixture.

Pour over cooled brownies and let it set, then cut into squares and eat.

Strawberries with Balsamic Reduction

You just have to try this, its simple and amazingly fabulous.

All you need is:

1 Punnet of Strawberries
80 ml Balsamic Vinegar
160 ml Water
80 ml Honey

Chop 5 strawberries into small pieces
Add strawberries, balsamic and half the water into a small pot, and let it reduce by half.
Add the honey, and further reduce again.
Add this yummy strawberry and balsamic reduction to a blender and blend until smooth.
You will have a vibrant dark pink sauce, allow to cool.

Chop the remaining strawberries into quarters and place in a bowl and add the reduction over strawberries and add a scoop of ice-cream on top.

Enjoy!!!

Mmmmmm Macaroons

The girls and I went for breakfast at Macaroon Cafe last week, and I tried my very first Macaroon.

(yes, for breakfast)

It was really delish, and I had a good look at this piece of art...

I have wanted to attempt making these babies since I saw them on Master Chef...

Upon my research, of the recipe and the actual Macaroon, I have decided to not make these myself and frequent Macaroon Cafe more often, and just buy them...

But for your reference, I have looked for a recipe just in case you would like to attempt them, and maybe one day I will too!!

 

The Macaroons from Macaroon Cafe

 Vanilla

Chocolate

Champagne

Recipe:    http://simply-delicious.co.za/2011/05/06/white-chocolate-raspberry-macarons-for-mothers-day/

White Chocolate & Raspberry Macaroons

Makes approximately 40 Macaron ‘sandwiches’

I know the measurements are very awkward but believe me, you want to get them right. So I suggest you use a digital scale when making these Macaroons.

 

230g (8.11 ounces) icing sugar
115g (4.06 ounces) ground almonds
144g (5.08 ounces) egg whites (approximately 4 large egg whites)
70g (2.47 ounces) caster sugar
3-4 drops gel food colouring

Filling
200g (7.05 ounces) white chocolate
50-70ml (2.37 fluid ounces) cream
100g (3.53 ounces) raspberries, chopped

1. Pre-heat the oven to 140°c and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
2. Process your ground almonds until fine. (South-African ground almonds tend to be too grainy)
3. Sift the processed ground almonds with the icing sugar. Repeat. (yes, it is necessary to double-sift)
4. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
5. Slowly add the caster sugar and beat for another 4-5 minutes until the mixture forms stiff peaks and it looks glossy.
6. Add all of the almond mixture in and fold in. At first the mixture will look lumpy and strange but just keep folding.
7. Place the mixture in a piping bag and carefully pipe small circles (I make mine about 2cm (0.79 inches)) onto the baking sheet. Don’t pipe them too close to one another as they will spread a little.)
8. Bake for 12-15 minutes until they are just firm to the touch. Allow them to cool completely on the baking tray before carefully lifting them off.
9. To make the filling, melt together the white chocolate and cream until smooth. Place in the fridge to set slightly and when thickened, mix in the raspberries. The mixture should be spreadable / pipeable.
10. Place the mixture into another piping bag and pipe small circle onto the macaroons before gently sandwiching them together.

Jan Ellis Pudding

Now, I am really letting out my secrets, but its so good that I have to share it... real comfort food for winter, or any time...

Ingredients

Dough

1 tsp Baking Powder
375ml of Self Raising Flour (3/4 cup)
125ml of Sugar (1/2 Cup)
Pinch of salt
125ml of Milk
2 eggs
25 ml of soft Butter
30 ml of Apricot Jam

Mix all the above together
Pour mixture into a greased dish
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes until golden brown
While the it is baking make the sauce

Sauce

Add all the below ingredients into a pan and slightly heat...

250 ml of Hot Water
250 ml of Cream
150 ml of Butter
250ml of Sugar
5ml of Vanilla Essence

Pour the sauce over the pudding when it comes out of the oven,
and leave it until the sauce has been absorbed.

Eat and enjoy it... because its amazing!!

White Chocolate Mousse

Be prepared for lots of whipping...This is good for when you have had a really bad day, you get to whip something and eat chocolate... hehehe...

Ingredients:

350 ml Cream
150 gm White Chocolate
4 Egg Whites
2 Tbs of Sugar



Heat the cream over medium heat just until it boils.
Take cream off the heat.
Add chocolate in a medium bowl.
Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whip until melted and smooth and cool down completely in the refrigerator

When it has cooled, whip it into fluffy, soft peaks. Return to the refrigerator.

Then whip the egg whites until soft peaks form, then add  2 Tablespoons of sugar and continue whipping until glossy and stiff.

Lastly, you need to combine the two by folding the egg whites into the white chocolate mixture, and then spoon the mixture into glasses, I have used the Martini Glasses again as it looks so nice, I grated some white chocolate over the top aswell

Loopy Lemon Meringues

Loopy Lemon Meringue

These are like inside out lemon meringues... fun to make and yummy to eat.

Ingredients

Meringue Nests

3 Egg whites

130 gms of Castor Sugar

1 tsp of lemon Juice

Preheat oven to 100 degrees celcius

Beat eggs and lemon until peaks form

add sugar in slowly and mix again until shiny

add mixture into a piping bag and shape into small nests anout 5 cms wide

Bake for 90 minutes

The Lemon Filling

125 ml Lemon Curd

125 ml Condensed Milk

Drop of lemon juice

Mini Tennis Biscuits

Add the lemon curd and condensed milk together and add lemon juice to taste.

Add lemon filling into the piping bag and pipe into meringue nests.

Add mini biscuits on top for some decoration

Strawberry Cheese Cake Martini

These are very easy, and so simple to make, and so so pretty.

INGREDIENTS

You will need 6 Martini Glasses - Or any glasses that you have.

Crust:

Half a packet of crushed Tennis Biscuits

2 table spoons of soft margarine

Cheese Cake Filling:

1 Tub of Smooth Cottage Cheese (fat free)

1 Tin of Condensed Milk

Juice from 1 lemon

Garnish

6 Whole Strawberries

6 Mint Leaves

Mix Crushed Tennis Biscuits and the 2 table spoons of soft margarine together, and place a neat layer at the bottom of each Martini glass.

Mix the fat free Smooth Cottage Cheese, Condensed Milk and lemon juice together, add mixture into the Martini glasses on top of biscuit mixture, and neaten the rims.

Place glasses in refrigerator.

Once set, place a strawberry and a mint leaf on the top, and serve.

Enjoy!!!!