(Freaky) Chocolate Brownie Slice

I have been meaning to share this amazing Chocolate Brownie Slice recipe for ages, I even took these photos last month. But you know, stuff happens, and I had not got around to it. So I sat down at the computer right now ready to share it, but first looked at a few other blogs I follow, and lo and behold, just today Corrie from retromummy not only blogged a very similar recipe, she has also made the same dinner (my salmon fishcakes recipe is here) for her family, as I have made for ours. Freaky. Spooky. Weird. But all yummy, that's all that matters in my opinion.

I'll still share my Brownie recipe, because I know my sister-in-law Jus and family will love eating them.

Chocolate Brownie Slice

• 150-200g good quality dark chocolate*
• 100g butter
• 1 cup sugar (I use brown)
• 1/2 cup plain flour (I use wholemeal)
• 2 Tablespoons cocoa
• 2 eggs

1. Line a 16x26cm slab pan with baking paper, grease with butter.
2. Melt chocolate and butter together (I use a pyrex dish suspended over a saucepan of simmering water) Let it cool a little.
3. Take off heat, mix in sugar, plain flour and cocoa.
4. Add eggs, mix well.
5. Cook in prepared pan for 25-35 minutes in pre-heated oven set to 160C. I like my brownies quite moist and still a little gooey, so only cook mine for 27 minutes.
6. Try not to eat all of it at once.

* I buy good quality cooking chocolate in 200g blocks. Not all of it makes it into the brownie slice, some falls into my mouth. Make sure you put at least 150g into your brownies :)

Recipe: Anzac biscuits

Abbey wanted to do some baking last week, so we made Anzac biscuits. Abbey only loves cooking if she can eat it along the way, and lick the bowl and cooking spoons (I love this too)


I love her concentration face, rolling the mixture!


And this is the "please can I eat one now" face.

And now the "please can I eat one more, I'll even smile for the camera" pose.

Most Australian's know the recipe, I am mainly posting this for our family in the UK, they might like to make them one day, they are very yummy. I always make a double batch, so I can share some with my mum and Grandma.

I can't say where this version of the recipe has come from, I have had it scribbled on a (now) grubby piece of paper for over 15 years. This grubby piece of paper is well traveled too, it came with me when I lived in the UK.

Anzac Biscuits:

1 cup rolled oats (not quick oats)

1 cup plain flour (I use wholemeal)

1 cup sugar (I use brown sugar)

3/4 cup desiccated coconut

125g butter

2 tablespoons golden syrup

1/2 teaspoon bicarb

1 tablespoon boiling water

1. Combine rolled oats, flour, sugar and coconut in large bowl, mix well.
2. Melt together butter and golden syrup.
3. Add bicarb to boiling water, mix well, then add to butter and golden syrup mixture.
4. Mix together, be careful it does not overflow, as the liquid puffs up in size.
5. Add to the dry ingredients, and mix until well combined.
6. Roll into balls, or use spoonfuls of mixture and cook on a non-stick baking tray or baking paper. Cook in a slow oven 150C for 12-18 minutes. 12 minutes for soft biscuits, 18 for crunchy ones.

I always use less coconut as I have a mild food intolerance to it, and I add in extra oats to make up the difference.

These are amazing

Have you ever tried a new food, and you end up thinking about it all the time? You want to make it all the time? You can't get enough of it? You tell everyone you know all about how yummy this food is.

Well, this happened to me recently.

I had a catch up lunch recently with the lovely Raenette and some friends who we used to work with many years ago. Raenette kindly offered to make lunch for us, which I was rather excited about - she always cooks such yummy food. This day was no exception.

She made these amazing Goat's Cheese and Asparagus Tarts. I could not stop eating them, they were so delicious.

Raenette has kindly shared the recipe with me, and even allowed me to post it here. I have been making them every opportunity I get to entertain. They are yummy hot or cold, but really best right out of the oven. Nice and easy party finger food, and I can imagine talking them along to picnic's when the weather improves in Melbourne.

These tarts are really some thing special, and I hope you enjoy them (even half) as much as me

Goat’s Cheese & Asparagus Tarts

Makes 24. Preparation 20 mins. Cooking 20 mins. This recipe can be made a day ahead; reheat in a moderate oven for about 5 minutes before serving.

3 sheets ready-rolled shortcrust pastry
10g butter
150g asparagus, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
150g goat’s cheese (hard or soft)
2 eggs, beaten lightly
2/3 cup (160ml) cream
Salt & freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to moderately hot (200C/180F fan-forced). Grease 24 holes of patty pan trays (2 tbsp, 40ml capacity).

2. Cut 24 rounds from pastry with a 7cm cutter. Place rounds into patty pan holes.

3. Heat the butter in a small frying pan. Add the asparagus, garlic and 2 teaspoons of the chopped thyme; cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until the asparagus is soft. Allow to cool down for a few minutes.

4. Combine eggs and cream, season with salt and pepper, then stir in the chopped/crumbled goat's cheese and asparagus mixture. Combine well. Divide among the pastry cases.

5. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining thyme leaves.

6. Bake, uncovered, in a moderately hot oven for about 15 minutes or until browned lightly.

Suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave.

Gingerbread

Last week Abbey and I made gingerbread biscuits. She had so much fun, and kept insisting "I do it myself" at every step.

They were very yummy, and only lasted a few days in our house, although we were very generous and gave many away to friends and family.

I love gingerbread. But not really crunchy gingerbread, I like it a little soft.

This is the best recipe I have ever found. By adjusting the cooking time, you can make soft or harder gingerbread to suit every ones tastes. This recipe makes about 40-50 biscuits, depending on the size of the cookie cutter used.

100g butter

200g (1 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar

250mls (1 cup) treacle or golden syrup

2 eggs, lightly whisked

600g (4 cups) plain flour (I used 2 cups wholemeal plain flour/2 cups plain flour)

150g (1 cup) self-raising flour

1 tbs ground ginger

1 tbs ground cinnamon

1.5 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1. Place the butter, sugar and treacle/golden syrup in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly.

2. Combine the butter mixture and eggs in a large bowl. Sift the combined flours, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and bicarbonate of soda over the butter and egg mixture. Stir until well combined.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface (or a large sheet of baking paper) and gently knead until smooth. Shape into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour to rest.

3. Pre-heat oven to 180C and line your tray/s with non-stick baking paper.

4. Divide the dough into 2 even portions, roll out one portion on a lightly floured surface (or a large sheet of baking paper) until approximately 5mm thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out your shapes. Decorate with small chocolate buttons at this point, or with icing after they have been cooked and cooled down.

5. Bake for 5 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy!