Playful yummy bakes for modern home bakers
I know you shouldn’t play favourites but breakfast is my fav meal of the day and these cinnamon oat and banana pancakes are a great way to start the day. I’m the sort of person that is always hungry so I will often eagerly get …
Monster cookie cups – more googly than gruesome, these monster cookies are certainly the friendly cousins to their sinister Halloween relatives. How could you not fall in love with their darling little faces? The deeply dark chocolate cookie base is perfect with the intense flavours …
Dark chocolate liquorice truffles. This chic yet demonly dark and indulgent treat is perfect as part of a Halloween table. One for the adults perhaps but why should we miss out on all the fun? Liquorice powder, alongside vanilla and coffee, work to bring out the intense chocolate flavour. A word of reassurance for liquorice loathers; don’t worry it isn’t overwhelming, it just makes the chocolate so much richer. If you’re a big fan of the anise flavoured treacly treat, add to the intensity and increase the amount, why not?
I love making truffles. It is a process and a little fiddly at times, but once you get the hang of it, they are so rewarding to make and one of the most impressive to share. A chocoholic’s dream.
These are seriously addictive; one will never be enough. Chocolate on chocolate, oh so ghoulishly good.
500g chocolate (I divide this between 300g of dark chocolate and 200g of milk chocolate)
200ml double cream
10g liquorice powder
¼ tsp salt
3 tbsp freshly brewed strong coffee
½ tsp vanilla extract
300g chocolate (200g dark chocolate and 100g milk chocolate)
3 liquorice twists, chopped into very small pieces
Coarse sea salt (to sprinkle over each truffle)
This will make about 30 truffles. Once made, they will keep for about a week in the fridge.
Make a cup of strongly brewed coffee and leave to one side to cool slightly.
Finely chop the chocolate. Add to a glass or metal bowl (something that is heat proof).
Add the double cream to the bowl. Place the bowl on top of a pan with gently simmering water on a low heat. This will melt the chocolate gently and is a good way to avoid the mixture getting too hot and splitting or burning. (A very sad end to a promising food adventure).
Stir the chocolate and cream occasionally. If it looks like the bowl is getting too hot, lift it out of the saucepan and stir the mixture. Then return to the heat until the chocolate has completely melted into the cream. It will look luxuriously smooth and glossy. It should take about 10 minutes.
Take 3 tbsp of the coffee and add to a small bowl. Add the liquorice powder, vanilla extract and salt to the coffee and stir to combine.
Add the coffee/liquorice mixture to the chocolate ganache (chocolate and cream mixture) and stir to combine.
Dampen a sheet of parchment paper, scrunch and remove excess water. Place the paper right on top of the ganache. This will help the mixture forming a firm layer when refrigerated.
Place in the fridge and cool for about 2 hours.
Take the truffles out of the fridge and using a melon baller or teaspoon, take small amounts of the chilled ganache and gently roll into a ball and place on a lined baking sheet. (This is a bit of a messy affair so keep a bowl of soapy water and towel nearby).
Put the truffles into the fridge to set a little. Approx. 10-15 minutes.
While this is happening, melt the chocolate for the coating. The easiest way to temper chocolate without a thermometer is to use the microwave. Break the chocolate into small chunks. Put about 2/3 of the chocolate into a heat-proof bowl and melt the chocolate in short bursts. Every 30 secs check the mixture and stir occasionally.
When the chocolate has just melted, add in the remaining 1/3 of the chocolate and stir to combine until the chocolate pieces melt into the rest of the mixture. By doing this it will reduce the temperature of the chocolate and make it better to work with.
Prepare a sheet pan/or wire rack with some non-stick parchment paper on the top. Take the truffles out of the fridge.
One by one, balance a truffle on a fork and with your other hand spoon some of the melted chocolate over the truffle, ensuring that you cover the whole thing. Tap off the excess chocolate and place on the parchment paper. Repeat.
The chocolate dries very quickly, so do a few then add some of the finely chopped liquorice pieces. Then after another minute or so add on the sea salt. (If you do this too early, the salt will just disintegrate into the chocolate. This won’t change the taste, but it will alter the finished look of the truffle and also will lose the crunchy texture).
Looking for more Halloween inspiration? Try my Halloween cupcakes – matcha mash
On the look out for other liquorice recipes? Try Nigella’s liquorice pudding or maybe try BBC Good Food’s recommendations
Scones are a favourite of mine and these maple chai scones are perfect for autumn days when you just want to curl up on the sofa with a nice tea, listening to the rain against the windows, feeling more than a little smug that you’re …
These PB&J thumbprint cookies are seriously good, well with such a classic pairing why would you doubt it. Peanut butter and jam (I just can’t say jelly, sorry) – are a great example of a simple partnership that is far greater together than apart. Salty …
I may be late to the no churn party but now I’m here I’m not going anywhere; flicking the lights on and off, walk of shame, into it.
I do have an ice cream maker but rarely use it. Not that its complicated its just the forward planning that goes into it – making and chilling the ice cream mixture in advance as well as the bowl. The psychological can often be the biggest barrier sometimes. No churn ice cream in comparison feels far easier and friendlier somehow. As long as you have the right ingredients you can whip it up any time you fancy, which is the point of comfort food after all.
I’ve tried out a few recipes recently and after some trial and error I think I’m learning some of the do’s and don’ts to ensure you get a velvety smooth texture, a good set and super flavours to match. Here’s one of my favourites so far.
This is such a treat. Rich peanut butter ice cream layered with intensely dark chocolate shavings and a smidge of Irish cream liqueur, to help everything along nicely. This will make enough to fill a one litre tub and should last 2-3 months in the freezer.
300ml double cream
½ tin condensed milk (just under 200g of the 397g tin)
90g finely chopped dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids or higher if you prefer)
30g chopped salted peanuts (for topping)
2 tbsp chunky peanut butter
4 tbsp smooth peanut butter
Pinch salt
2 tbsp of your favourite Irish cream liqueur
½ tsp cinnamon
Chop the chocolate and peanuts separately and leave to one side.
Pour all of the ingredients into a mixer and whip until it is soft but thick and does not move when you lift up the whisk attachment. This will take between 3-5minutes.
Place a layer of chocolate shavings in the bottom of the airtight container.
Layer in the ice cream mixture, alternating with 2 layers of chocolate as you go. Once all of the ice cream mixture has been added, add a final layer of chocolate and the peanuts.
Put the lid on the container and freeze for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight before digging in.
Adding alcohol is a great way to make sure you get a soft set texture, as it freezes at a much lower temperature than the rest of the ingredients. It can be left out; it just won’t be as soft so you might need to wait a bit before scooping.
Jams, curds, spreads and sauces are excellent ingredients to use in no churn ice cream. They help give maximum flavour without adding too much extra liquid. Initially I tried pureeing fruit and adding that but found that it just water logged the cream and when frozen, although very tasty, had quite a few ice crystals, which you don’t want.
Concentrated milk and caramel are fab ingredients to use as a base for ice cream in addition to your flavourings.
Chocolate is not a social creature. By that I mean, I tried a few times to make chocolate ice cream and after quite a few curdled attempts, I learnt that it just doesn’t like to be whipped into the cream like other ingredients. To get round this, like in the peanut butter ice cream, I decided to incorporate chopped chocolate instead which works very well. Cocoa powder, hazelnut spread, and other chocolate sauces work well too. Where there is greed there is always a solution.
Love peanut butter? Try my PB&J thumbprint cookies or my Vegan chocolate peanut butter scones. Looking for other indulgent chocolate recipes try my Double Chocolate Baked Doughnuts
Looking for some ice cream inspiration? Olive Magazine has some simple ice cream toppings recommendations that I think you’ll love.
Strawberries must be one of the most popular fruits around? So versatile, gorgeous and the perfect representation of a blissful summer’s day. This strawberry and banana porridge is a beautiful way of getting more of these gleaming beauties into your life, first thing in the …
Pimp your party treats – no fuss ideas to elevate your party table. That’s exactly what I needed recently. It was my Birthday a few weeks ago and each year my Mum and I like to create something a bit special for the cake. This …
I love a cookie. They’re playful, portable, simple to make, even easier to eat, excellent freeze-ers and just so adaptable. These Chocolate Brazil nut cookies are a brilliant twist on a classic.
I’ll share some of my favs with you over the coming months, but for now here’s one that took me by surprise.
My Dad absolutely loves chocolate covered brazils and they always make an appearance in his Christmas stocking. For Father’s Day this year I decided to make them into a cookie. Initially I wasn’t sure how they would come out, not sure if they might be a bit dry with such all those nuts and a bit concerned that the quality of the chocolate coating wouldn’t be as good as a regular chocolate chunks (so I added a little addition of milk and dark choc to the mix). I was wrong, they were so addictive.
Cookies eaten…quickly followed by my words.
This will make approx. 18 cookies.
Weigh out all ingredients before you begin, it makes everything so much easier, although does add to the washing up.
You can’t really over mix the butter and sugar but once you add the flour, only whisk enough to just combine. The longer you mix at this stage, the tougher the cookies will be when baked.
Love chocolate with nuts at Christmas? Here are some lovely gift ideas from Hotel Chocolat
Looking for a unique chocolate Christmas bake? Why not try my Quality Street chocolate cupcakes
Looking for simple blackberry ice cream recipes? I’ve got two here that I think you’ll love. One is a no churn ice cream and the other is an even easier instant make ice cream. Woodland walks became a regular fixture this spring and I found …