Peanut Butter Choc Chip Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup (260g) crunchy peanut butter
1 cup (200g) brown sugar
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup (185g) dark choc bits
 
Directions
1) Preheat oven to 200°C
2) Combine peanut butter, sugar, bicarbonate of soda and egg in a bowl.
3) Stir in choc bits.
4) Roll teaspoonfuls of the mixture into balls and place on the prepared tray. Press lightly with a fork.
5) Bake for 8-10 minutes or until light golden (watch this as my oven only took 7 minutes)
6) Leave to cool on the trays then place into an airtight container.
7) Eat & Enjoy!

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Ingredients
500 g unsalted butter
125g good quality dark cooking chocolate
2 cups icing sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp salt
4.25 cups flour
½ cup white sugar (in a separate bowl for later)
 
Directions
1) Preheat oven to 165 degrees
2) Melt the butter and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly
3) Once melted, stir smooth and transfer to a large mixing bowl
4) Add the powdered and white sugar and stir thoroughly. Set aside to cool
5) When the mixture is cool enough that it won’t cook the egg, add the eggs one at a time, stirring after each addition (you can use the electric mixer for this part)
6) Mix in the vanilla, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.
7) Add flour 1 cup at a time mixing thoroughly with a wooden spoon
8) Once dough is completely mixed through, roll in dough balls of approx 2.5 cms
9) Dip the balls into the bowl of white sugar and coat
10) Place dough balls on baking tray and flatten slightly with your hand - even though they are small only put 12 to a tray as they will spread out
11) Bake for 10- 15 minutes, depending on your oven. Mine took about 13 minutes
12) Allow to cool on a wire rack
13) Eat & Enjoy!

NOTES:
- This recipe makes between 8 and 10 dozen cookies, depending on the size, so allow a lot of cooking time
- for added chocolate flavour remove 1 Tbsp of flour and replace with 1 Tbsp of powdered cocoa
- mix through a handful of chopped nuts for that extra crunch

Chocolate Crackles

Ingredients
4 cups rice bubbles
1 cup icing sugar
200g copha
4 tbsp cocoa powder
Various sprinkles

Directions
1) Put all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir through till completely combined
2) Put copha in a saucepan and melt over a low heat
3) Remove from heat and allow to cool
4) Pour over dry mixture and stir until well combined
5) Put into patty pans and put favourite sprinkles on top
6) Allow to set in fridge - approx 30 minutes
7) Eat & Enjoy!

Chocolate Risotto

Ingredients
1.25L (5 cups) milk
40g butter, chopped
220g (1 cup) arborio rice
100g dark chocolate (Plaistowe brand), finely chopped
60g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
 
Directions
1) Bring the milk just to the boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
2) Reduce heat to low and hold at a gentle simmer.
3) Heat the butter in a medium heavy-based saucepan over medium heat until foaming.
4) Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until the grains appear slightly glassy.
4) Reduce heat to medium-low and add a ladleful (about 125ml/ 1/2 cup)of the simmering milk to the rice and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until all the liquid is absorbed.
5) Continue to add the milk, a ladleful at a time, stirring constantly, allowing the liquid to be absorbed before adding more. The rice will take about 40 minutes to cook.
6) Once the last ladleful of milk is just absorbed, add the chocolate and sugar, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until chocolate melts and mixture is well combined.
7) Eat & Enjoy!

NOTE: Served immediately this is soft & risotto-like in texture. However to serve later you can reheat in the oven. It tastes the same, however the texture becomes more like a thick rice pudding.

Chocolate Shortbread

Ingredients

2 cups powdered sugar
1.5 cups butter, softened
3 cups flour
0.75 cups baking cocoa
2 teaspoons vanilla
125g milk cooking chocolate, melted & cooled
 
Directions
1) Heat oven to 160°
2) Beat powdered sugar & butter in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light & fluffy
3) Stir in flour, cocoa & vanilla
4) Roll half of dough at a time, 1cm thick on a lightly floured surface
5) Cut into shapes using cookie cutters
6) Place 5cms apart on an ungreased baking tray
7) Bake 11-14 mins or until firm (cookies should not be dark brown)
8) Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack, cool completely
9) Melt chocolate and allow to cool while preparing the frosting
10) Prepare creamy frosting (instructions below)
11) Spread each cookie with about 1 teaspoon of frosting
12) Immediately drizzle straight lines of chocolate across the frosting then pull a wooden toothpick back & forth across the lines
13) Let stand until chocolate is firm
14) Eat & Enjoy!

Creamy Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1.5 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons milk

1) Mix powdered sugar & butter in a medium bowl.
2) Stir in vanilla & milk
3) Beat with spoon until smooth & spreadable

Mega Choc Chunk Cookie

Ingredients
1.5 cups butter, softened
1.25 cups white sugar
1.25 cups packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
0.5 teaspoon salt
2 cups coarsely chopped mixed nuts
750g milk chocolate buttons
 
Directions
1) Heat oven to 190°
2) Beat butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed.
3) Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt (dough will be stiff)
4) Stir in nuts and choc chips
5) Drop dough by ¼ cup fulls about 5cms apart onto an ungreased baking tray. (Ice cream scoop is perfect for this). Flatten slightly with a fork.
6) Bake for approx 15-18 minutes, or until light brown (centres will be soft)
7) Cool for a couple of minutes then move to wire rack to finish cooling.
8) Eat & Enjoy!

Fudgy Macadamia Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
0.5 cups butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
60g dark cooking chocolate, melted & cooled
1 egg
1 cup flour
0.5 teaspoon baking powder
0.5 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped macadamias
 
Directions
1) Heat oven to 180°
2) Beat sugar, butter, vanilla, chocolate, and eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed
3) Stir in fours, baking powder & salt
4) Stir in nuts
5) Drop rounded tablespoons of dough about 5cms apart onto an ungreased baking tray
6) Bake 12-14 minutes, or until almost no indentation remains when touched in the centre (remember, the bigger you make the cookies the longer cooking time they will need)
7) Cool for 3-4 minutes then move to wire rack to finish cooling
8) Eat & Enjoy!

Note: For an added flavour kick use ½ cup of macadamias and ½ cup of hazelnuts

Hazelnut Chocolate Tart

Ingredients
12 frozen sweet shortcrust tartlet cases
250g dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup thickened cream
1/4 cup chocolate hazelnut spread
chopped roasted hazelnuts, to decorate

Method
1) Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced.
2) Place tartlets in foil cases on a baking tray. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden.
3) Set aside to cool.
4) Meanwhile, place chocolate and cream in a heatproof, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on medium (50%) for 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds with a metal spoon, or until melted and smooth.
5) Stand for 10 minutes.
6) Place 1 teaspoon spread in each pastry case.
7) Divide chocolate between cases.
8) Decorate with hazelnuts.
9) Stand for 5 minutes or until set.
10) Eat & Enjoy!