Chocolate Dipped Vanilla Shortbread

A delicious buttery vanilla biscuit , generously dipped in milk and white chocolate. Perfect to give as a homemade gift!
 

Oh my stars, look at this! The first week of the second year of Four Weeks of Christmas baking! Mull that over for a minute and figure out the time line then join me in a big fat YAY! My tree is up and shining beside me as I type and I have a Christmas candle burning, I really love this time of year.

In December, we use salt and pepper from a Santa and Sack combo. That's how we roll.

 Is any other biscuit so quintessential Christmas as shortbread? How did that happen? Shortbread is Scottish, I know that much. But why is it associated with Christmas? I did a quick google and couldn't find an answer on the first two pages I clicked on so I'm stumped. If you know, please leave a comment and tell me!

Little offset spatula. How handy you are.

Mr Cakes loves shortbread. Or he did. When I asked him the morning of baking the shortbread, he didn't seem too excited. He had just come off night shift so that might explain it, though anything Christmas related should be welcomed with a ridiculous amount of enthusiasm. That's how I live my life.

Little stars and maybe the circles are moons! A Christmas sky.

Shortbread gets its name from the 'shortness' of the dough, meaning it's buttery and has a high proportion of fat. The recipe traditionally is very simple with just butter, plain flour, rice flour and sugar as well as a dash of salt. There are many variations and commonly, the rice flour is substituted with cornflour. Cornflour will make a softer biscuit and rice flour gives a crisper, more crumbly biscuit. Ever the traditionalist - with baking at least - I use rice flour.

That pink dish cost me $20, it was more than 60% off. That is a Christmas miracle. But I had to bring it up the back stairs so Mr Cakes didn't see it as I have been spending waaaay too much money. How did it get here, he'll ask and I'll say "SANTA!"

I did stray ever so slightly by adding a vanilla pod to the dough. I wanted not only the amazing flavour of vanilla but I find those tiny black dots so pretty on the surface. Like their own teeny tiny baubles. Then I went further off the traditionalist path by dipping them in chocolate. And I don't think I need to explain that chocolate makes everything better. We all know that. That's science.
 

Bon-bons were half price too. And the pack said they're luxury bon bons. Bargain.

This is such a simple recipe, a really great one to do with little ones in the kitchen. I don't have any little ones (yesssssssss) but I do have puppies and they like to help too. Snuffling up any dropped bits of dough so quick. So helpful.

Pretty. God, I'm glad I bought that dish. I got one in mint too, which will definitely be making an appearance soon.

 Once the dough has been made, I like to roll the dough out on a piece of baking paper. This ensures less mess but also makes it easier to get the cut out cookies off the bench. When making stars, this is especially important as a little stickiness on the points of the stars came make them misshapen.

This shortbread is really yummy, the vanilla makes it pop. And the chocolate. Chocolate makes everything better.

These would make great gifts, they would look so pretty wrapped in a bit of cellophane and tied with a little red bow. Also, they're pretty inexpensive which counts around this time of year, so many expenses.

Remember to leave some cookies out for Santa!

I just ate a burrito and then had two of these delicious shortbreads and I tell you, I could get a second job as a shopping centre Santa. God, I'm so full.

Visit Four Weeks of Christmas Baking past!:

Week 1 of Four Weeks of Christmas Baking: Christmas Star Cherry Tart with Cinnamon Honey Roasted Macadamia Ice Cream
Week 2 of Four Weeks of Christmas Baking: Raspberry Jam Drops
Week 3 of Four Weeks of Christmas Baking: Rum Ball Trifle
Week 4 of Four Weeks of Christmas Baking: Eggnog Cake

Chocolate Dipped Vanilla Shortbread
Adapted from The Guardian shortbread recipe

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 27 mins

Total time:  37 mins

Servings: 24 cut-out biscuits

230g butter, softened
120g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, scraped
260g plain flour
80g rice flour
150g milk chocolate
150g white chocolate
 

1. Preheat oven to 150°C and line two cookie sheets with baking paper
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter with a wooden spoon until soft then add the sugar and mix thoroughly.
3. Scrape in the seeds from a vanilla pod and mix.
4. Sift in both flours and mix to a smooth dough.
5. Roll out dough to 1cm thickness and cut using assorted shaped cutters.
6. Place on the prepared cookie sheets, at least 2cm apart and place in the fridge to chill for at 15 minutes.
7. Bake each tray on the middle shelf of the oven for 27 minutes, or until cookies are just cooked.
8. Allow to cool.
9. Melt the chocolates in separate bowls, in the microwave in 30 second intervals.
10. Dip each cookie in the melted chocolate and allow to dry.
11. Enjoy!

Butterscotch Muffins

 



Bluffing with my muffin.

What exactly is butterscotch? And what exactly is a muffin? Like, I know what a muffin is...it's cake that's acceptable to eat for breakfast! I don't need a reason to eat cake for breakfast, I'll eat a slice of Devils Food Cake at 7am in the morning, I'm like the honey badger, I don't care. But for the rest of the population, muffins are the answer.


Whenever this little angel is over and I'm in the kitchen, she is sure to be at my feet in case anything needs eating.

A muffin differs itself from cake by having more flour, slightly less sugar and the way you mix them is different. The batter for a muffin mix isn't smooth, its lumpy and less wet. And also, muffins don't have icing or frosting but sometimes when they're extra awesome muffins, they have a glaze. These ones don't have a glaze so now I feel like I should have made a glaze but now there's somewhere to aim for.

This is all the equipment you need! Minimal washing up!

Now, butterscotch. What's it's story? It's basically caramel but instead of being made with caster sugar, it's made with brown sugar exclusively. From what I can find, it's pretty much caramel. Caramels will often have cream added but butterscotch does not. Butterscotch also should have a higher proportion of butter Other than that, they're brothers from the same mother.


And this is all the ingredients you'll need! 8 things.

This is another super easy recipe. As always, flour is important and even though muffins are more of a bread texture than a cupcake, I still used cake flour as I think the softer texture is more desirable. The ratio of wet to dry will lend itself to the bready quality of a muffin.


This is the well in the centre, adding the wet ingredients to the dry.



Mix the wet ingredients in the centre like shown above, then pull the dry ingredients in.



And then you're almost done!

I add white chocolate chips to the muffins cos why the hell not. The butterscotch batter would match well with blueberries or raspberries too and then you might feel more legitimate if you eat them for breakfast.


Fill the cases all the way to top so the muffin can break free and do its own thang...

The last thing I will say before we get down to the recipe is that like Elaine from Seinfeld, I like when the muffin breaks free from the pan and does it's own thing. So if you're awesome and like that too, ensure that you fill the muffin cases right to the top. Cases can be made out of a square of baking paper which I fold into triangles to make them sit better in the muffin pan cavity. Push them in and fill them up to the top.

So there you go, give them a go! Did I mention they're one bowl muffins? I didn't, I can see I didn't cos I can read what I wrote. These are one bowl muffins! Hardly any washing up! What are you waiting for?!
 

Morning sunshine and a muffin!

 

Dense goodness of a muffin. So good.

 


Top of the muffin TO YOU!

Muffins are awesome.

Butterscotch Muffins

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 20 mins

Total time:  30 mins

 

Servings: 8 muffins

 

2 1/2 (375g) cups self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
1 cup tightly packed brown sugar
1 1/4 cups (310ml) buttermilk
100g butter, melted
1 egg, free range
150g white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 180°C
2. Line a 6 hole muffin pan with baking paper.
3. Sift flour, baking powder and bicarbonate soda into a large bowl.
4. Stir in sugar until fully combined.
5. Make a well in the centre of the sugar and flour mixture.
6. Pour the buttermilk and melted butter into the well and break the egg in.
7. Lightly beat the wet ingredients in the centre of the dry ingredients before pulling the dry ingredients in and mixing well.
8. Add the white chocolate chips and combine. Do not overmix.
9. Fill each cavity of the muffin tin with batter to the top.
10. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool slightly and enjoy!

Chewy Chunky Cookies! aka Anger Cookies



Something fantastic came from my anger!

There are many types of biscuits in the world, but my favourite would have to be big, chewy cookies full of chunks! I like the soft ones that melt in your mouth with that hint of chewiness when you bite in - dare I say the American style ones?  

Cornflour, what chu doing in this photo? You ain't needed!



These particular cookies came about from a bit of an unusual scenario. You'd think cookies would be made in the kitchen on a Sunday with the afternoon sun streaming in the bay window, while forest creatures sing a Disney princess song. Well, these cookies were created at about 10pm on a week night when I was fighting with Mr. Cakes about the volume of the television in our old tiny apartment. I decided to create my own noise. What better than get the electric beaters out and make cookies in a steel bowl?

 

The start of the magic.



And that's how they got the name in our household of Anger Cookies. Really, what a way to try and win a fight. But at least we both saw the humour in it the next day and we had cookies! And I now have this amazing cookie recipe!



It's a nice soft batter that's a blank canvas for your imagination!



There are a few things which make these cookies so good. First of all, there's a fair amount of oil in it which creates a really moist, gooey cookie. I add butter as well because I think that gives a good depth of flavour.



Double choc pecan. Pretty classic combination...so good.

The second tip that I can give you is about flour. It's always about flour. Seriously, good quality flour makes the world of difference in all my baking. In cakes and cupcakes, I insist on using a low protein flour which makes them soft and fluffy but with cookies, you want them to have a bit of bite and strength to make them chewy. So use a strong or '00' flour if you can get it, or normal, good quality flour.

This is the flavour combo of late 2014, I tells ya.



And finally, the third thing about these cookies are the CHUNKS! Heaps of them! It's in the name, you guys. And so is anger but I told you about that already. So usually I put dark, milk and white chocolate and chop up some caramel chocolate to put in there too but this time I decided to split the mix up and make two types. In one bowl I put pecans, dark chocolate melts and white chocolate chips.

oooooh what smells better than fresh cookies!


And the other, caramel chocolate and pretzels. You guys, you heard it here first: pretzel is the new salted caramel. You're gonna start to see it everywhere! And I'm never one to shy away from a food trend! So I decided to try it out too! I liked it, it's a bit different.

I like to leave whole pieces of the caramel chocolate in the mixture so it goes molten and gooey.

These cookies are gooey in the centre so if you like a firmer cookie, bake for 12 mins, instead of 10. This recipe double and halves really well too! 
 

So good fresh out of the oven.



Give these cookies a go, they're super easy and really yummy!

Win.

Cookie heaven!



Serving suggestion! Serving demand, more like.



Chewy Chunky Cookies

Prep time: 10 mins plus cooling

Cooking time: 10 mins

Total time:  20 mins plus cooling

 

Servings: 22 large cookies 

 

4 large free range eggs
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup (115g) soft butter
2 cups plain flour - preferably strong/00 flour
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Up to 5 cups of chunks  eg.
1 cup of chopped pecans
1 cup roughly chopped dark chocolate melts1 cup white chocolate chips1 cup chopped pretzel pieces1 cup caramel chocolate

 

1. Beat the eggs and sugars in a bowl until the mixture turns lighter in colour, about 2 minutes.
2. Beat in the soft butter for about 2 minutes. If there are small lumps of butter, don't worry as these will be beaten out once the flour is added.
3. Sift in flours, bicarbonate soda and baking powder and stir with a wooden spoon until incorporated.
4. Add the oil and chunks (split the mixture in two if desired and add chunks to each) and stir with a wooden spoon until incorporated.
5. Refrigerate, covered, for at least one hour.
6. Preheat oven to 180°C
7. Using an ice cream scoop, or by rolling large balls by hand, place mounds on tray, about 8 cms apart. I can get about 6 to a large cookie sheet.
8. Bake for 10 mins for soft gooey cookies, and 12 for firmer cookies.
9. Allow to cool slightly before enjoying!

White Chocolate Meringues with Strawberry Coulis and Fresh Raspberries

These are so easy to make and look so spectacular!

On my trip to the amazing Jan Powers Farmers markets, I couldn't resist the fresh raspberries on offer from My Berries and the fresh picked strawberries from the stalls. I have so many amazing idea as to what to do with these berries and this is just one (I'm thinking up a pretty spectacular cake) but for now I want to show you this super simple dessert that really let's the berries be the star of the show.

This is my version of Eton Mess. Traditionally made with meringues, strawberries and cream, my version ups the stakes by adding chunks of white chocolate to the meringues and lightens it ever so slightly with the zingy tang of Greek yoghurt.


Here's (almost) everything you need! ...lemon juice was camera shy

I recommend using the biggest eggs you can find and make them fresh and free range. Start by separating the eggs. Now eggwhites freeze easily but egg yolks take a little work to save, you need to mix some salt or sugar in with the yolks before freezing. Honestly, I don't bother. Keep them in a container in the fridge if you're going to use them in the next couple of days.


This is the satiny, shiny, stiff meringue!

Beat your egg whites til they turn foamy and just start to hold their shape, then beat in the sugar in, tablespoon by tablespoon til it's all gone. I used vanilla sugar in this, as I love the dimension it adds. Whenever you use a vanilla pod, chuck the scraped pod into some sugar for easy, flavoured sugar. I hate waste and vanilla pods are expensive, yo! Plus you get vanilla sugar - win, win, win. If you haven't been so lucky as to craft yourself up some vanilla sugar, regular caster sugar works perfectly well.


The chocolate rubble...like white chocolate gravel.



So once all the sugar has been added, fold in the white chocolate, one teaspoon of white wine vinegar and a pinch salt Make sure when you chop up the white chocolate you get a range of sizes in there. The small pieces will melt through your meringues and permeate them with flavours while the big pieces will be delightful chunky surprises.



See that pink spatula thing? That has got to be one of my most favourite kitchen tools and it was an impulse buy for like $3. This is once the vinegar and chocolate is folded in.



The vinegar may seem an unusual addition to sweet meringues and if you're cheeky and taste the raw meringue, you can taste it. Don't worry, that cooks away and you won't notice it in the finished meringues. The vinegar makes the meringues turn wonderfully crisp on the outside and chewy, soft and delightful on the inside.



I fit three on a sheet and then did the same thing over with the remaining mixture, so 6 meringues all up.

I like to use the outline of a bowl to trace circles on baking paper to make sure all my meringues are the same shape and size. I used a bowl that was 14cm in diameter.  Add a little dab of the meringue to the back to stop your paper slipping around. You could use a piping bag to make the meringues neater but I like the roughness of shaping the with a dessert spoon. Make a little hollow with the back of your spoon for the berries and yoghurt to nestle in later.


See the indentation? That's gonna make the meringue into an awesome little bowl for your toppings.



The strawberry coulis couldn't be easier. Put the elements on the stove, give them a quick stir and let them simmer away into a delightful sauce. There is less sugar than you'd find in a lot of coulis recipes, I don't think fresh strawberries need much sugar.


This is the completed syrup. So easy, so good.



Once you've got it all together, your mouth is in for a treat. Assembly takes no time. Everything can be made ahead and plated up quickly. These are the perfect thing to serve at a dinner party if you're being a grown up, or just as good for afternoon tea!


See that little chunk of white chocolate in there? That's the magic.





Like my flat lay? Yeah. I'm a professional food stylist now...





The raspberries are lovely bursts of sweet tartness!



A delightfully easy dessert, you're gonna love it.





Get in mah belleh!



And the not so pretty aftermath!

White Chocolate Meringues with Strawberry Coulis and Fresh Raspberries

For the meringues
6 large egg whites
250g vanilla sugar - ordinary caster sugar is also suitable
100g white chocolate
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Pinch Salt

For the strawberry coulis
500g strawberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons water

To serve
500g Greek yoghurt
Fresh raspberries
White chocolate, extra

Prep time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 60 mins

Total time:  75 mins

 

Servings: 6 large meringues

To make the meringues

1. Preheat oven to 180°C
2. Roughly chop chocolate into varying sized pieces and set aside.
3. After separating the egg yolks from the white, place egg whites into a large, metal or glass bowl.
4. Beat on a high speed until the eggs are foamy and starting to stiffen.
5. Add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time until all the sugar is added and the meringues are at the stiff peaks stage. They should be stiff and shiny.
6. Gently fold the chocolate and the white wine vinegar.
7. Cover a baking sheet with baking paper and use a bowl to trace circles on the baking paper.
8. Spoon meringue onto the circles and use the back of a table spoon to create an shallow indentation.
9. Place tray into the over and turn the oven down to 150°C. Bake for 30 minutes.
10. After 30 minutes, turn the oven off and leave meringues in the oven with the door shut for a further 30 minutes.
11. Take the tray out of the oven and allow meringues to cool.

To make the coulis

1. Roughly chop the strawberries and add to a medium saucepan.
2. Add the sugar, water and lemon juice in the pan with the strawberries
3. Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, til the coulis has thickened and coats the back of a spoon.
4. Allow to cool.

To serve

1. Add a 2 - 3 tablespoons of Greek yoghurt to each indentations of the meringue and divide the strawberry coulis between each meringue.
2. Tumble over fresh raspberries and grate white chocolate over the top.