Cherry Choc Slice Heaven

DELENN APPROVED RECIPE

It was a good friends birthday this week. She is studying to become a teacher so not only did a few colleges and I get together and give her the most awesome prac teacher survival pack ever, I also made her a sweet treat for having to come in and work on her special day. So not only did she get her stationary fix she was also introduce to this amazing Cherry Choc Slice.

I have no idea where I got this recipe from, it could be from a number places. I think most likely the same book I used to make this Choc Lovers Cake  but, I have lent it a friend. This slice was super simple to make and tastes amazing. It is quite rich (esp because I melted 2 blocks over the top of it) but well worth it for a ladies afternoon tea or quick sugar fix.

Choc Cherry Slice

Ingredients

185g plain sweet biscuits, crumbled

1/4 cup baking cocoa

90g, butter

1 1/4 cup red glace cherries, chopped (1 cut into quarters)

395g sweetened condensed milk

2 1/2 cup desiccated coconut

200g dark chocolate, melted

1 tbsp vegetable oil

Method

1. Line a 20cm square cake pan with baking paper.

2. Combine biscuits, baking cocoa and butter in a medium bowl, mix well. Press evenly into base of pan and pop i the fridge until cool. 

3. Meanwhile, combine cherries, sweetened condensed milk and coconut, spread evenly over biscuit layer. Refrigerate until firm.

4. Combine chocolate and oil in bowl, melt. Pour over slice evenly. Refrigerate until set. 

I hope you all enjoy this as much as I do. We will be eating it all of next week. 

Banana Muffin Update- better recipe

Okay, I may be obsessed with banana's. They taste good on their own, in a smoothie, on a cake, in a fruit salad, dried and baked. What more could you want from a fruit AND they are plentiful around here. I never thought I would get over my 'never want to look at a *@$#ing banana phase' after working on the farm. But, I am glad I did. Previously I posted a recipe I use for my banana muffins. However, I have a simpler and in my opinion yummier recipe that I am making today. It requires less ingredients and I use brown sugar. Here is my amended awesome Banana Muffin Recipe (esp. good if you are short on cooking supplies).
  Awesome Easy Banana Muffins 
-from a friend who wishes not to be named- you know who you are :)

  Ingredients
- 3-4 ripened bananas
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tblsp butter
- 1 egg
- 2 cups self raising flour
 - 2 tblsp milk

  Method
 1. Squash bananas, place in bowl
2. Add all other ingredients and mix.
3. Pre heat oven to 180 degrees celsius, prepare trays
4. Bake for 15-17 mins

 Serve
I normally do not put any icing on however, previously I have dusted with icing sugar or sprinkled with brown sugar. My friend uses cream cheese icing with hers (sorry haven't made this before, perhaps google for a recipe). On a side note these also freeze well (in case you need to make hundreds).

 Happy baking! Here are a few clever banana art pictures I have seen on the interwebs previously. So talented!

Choc-A-Holic Cookies

So I really wanted to bake yesterday. I have these cool new cookie cutters that I was going to use. Then I stumbled across 2 choc cookie recipes and decided to try a mutated version of both. These are the most chocolate tasting, fudge like centred cookies I have ever had. I made 24 only 6 survived the night. Those 6 may not survive this post...just saying.

Choc-A-Holic Cookies

Ingredients
3/4 cup (firmly packed) brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
200g butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups plain flour
1 cup Bournville Cadbury cocoa (any nice Cocoa would work I guess, let me know)
1 teaspoon baking powder
200g choc chip (milk, dark, white or combination it is your choice- I used milk)

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat sugars, butter and vanilla until fluffy.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each.
4, Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt over.
5. Add chocolate chips.
6. Stir to combine.
7. Place 1/2 tablespoonfuls of mixture into ball like shapes on lined baking tray. Flatten with a spoon.
8. Bake for 8-10 minutes (vary cooking time for size).
9. Cool biscuits on trays.

Note: Eat when warm soooooo good! I would recommend to watch the oven when you are cooking this because I made tablespoon sized ones and had to have them in for 17 mins. Pictures to come.

Mmmm Pumpkin and Cherry Pie

Hello blogging world. Well I have had my last day for the year at my second job. To celebrate I brought in Christmas presents and pies for everyone. I used the wonderful Cherry Pie recipe I got from mathaholic on swapbot and also a pumpkin pie. I am lucky to have Steve send me the pumpkin pie spices from America which make it a little easier to make. So here is the Cherry Pie recipe from mathaholic.

Cherry Pie
Ingredients
2 sheets of short crust pastry (for pie crust)
4 cups of tin cherries pitted-in America Tart Cherries (I use the black ones from Coles)
1 1/2 cups of sugar
4 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 tbsp butter

Method
1. Put cherries in medium saucepan over medium heat. Once it get soupy, remove from heat.
2. Pour sugar and cornstarch over cherries, mix well.
3. Put back on heat and cook on low until thick, stirring often.
4. Let it cool.
5. Prep crust and pour cooled cherries into pie.
6. Make a lattice work pie top.
7. Sprinkle with sugar
8. Bake in 375F oven for 50mins.
9.Let cool before serving.

Yummy, wish I had kept some at home :(

Banana Muffin Addiction

Here is my plan. Just go with it okay. I have 3 bananas left from my bunch the parents brought down for me from the farms North of here. I am so excited because they are almost perfect for making Banana Muffins, I am so excited!!! I want to make them tonight but I am half way through making my previous fritter recipe for staff lunch tomorrow. Here is the recipe I use I got it from one of my aunties. If I don't get it done tonight it will have to be tomorrow.

Banana Muffins

Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups self raising flour
- 3/4 cup of brown sugar
-1 cup of milk
-1 egg
-2 tbsp butter
-1 tsp vanilla essence
- 2-3 bananas mashed

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees, prepare muffin tray.
2. Combine milk, egg, butter, vanilla and bananas blend in a metal bowel.
3. Add flour and sugar and mix well.
4. Put mixture into muffin tray
5. Bake for 20-25 mins or until golden
6. Serve warm with butter or eat cold.

Marshmallow Slice

To celebrate my new swap 'Scrumptious Slice' I am sharing my new favourite slice recipe. It is full of chocolate goodness and marshmallows. I got it from my friends mum. She found it on a side of a tin years ago. Here it is:

Marshmallow Slice
Prep: 20 mins (plus refrigeration time)
Makes: 16 pieces

Ingredients:
-250g sweet biscuits crushed
-3/4 cup mini marshmallows
-3/4 cup desiccated coconut
- 3/4 cup choc chips
- 1tsp baking cocoa
-Can of sweetened condensed milk (375g)
- 100g butter, chopped
- 1 tsp banilla essence
- 150g milk chocolate, melted

Method
1. Grease and line a 18x28cm lamington/slice tin with baking paper. In a large bowl combine biscuits, marshmallows, coconut, choc chips and cocoa. Reserve,
2. In a medium saucepan combine sweetened condensed milk, butter and vanilla essence. Stir over low heat until melted. Pour over biscuit mixture, mix well and firmly press into prepared tin. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until set.
3. Once slice is cooled spread melted chocolate over the top, refrigerate until set, cut into squares.

This is good with scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you don't like milk chocolate it also works with dark chocolate but is much richer.

Hosting My First Swap!

I finally decided to just do it and have a go hosting my first swap on Swapbot. It is a simple swap called 'Sweet Tooth Recipe Swap.' Swappers are being asked to send 3 of their favourite sweets recpices e.g. desserts, cakes, slices etc. So please sign up if you want to join the fun :)


I have also added and Pasta recipe swap here called 'Perfect Pasta Recipe Swap.' So if you are interested check it out and sign on up.

Memories- of sweetened condensed milk

So I was lucky enough to come by an amazing recpice book that was given to me by a friend. Their is only one problem/awesome thing. The main ingredient for the entire book is Condensed Milk. It was designed by Nestle to celebrate 100 years of their product. OMG the recipes in here make my mouth water. The official title is '100 years of Sweet Baking Memories' A Collection of Australia's favourite Sweetned Condensed Milk recpices. *Drool* I think I will just start at page 1 and make each recipe. One of them is precisely the recipe I got from my grandma, I wrote it into my cooking notebook when I was 6. So here it is 6 year old me's favourite recipe.


Coconut Ice

Prep: 10 mins (plus refrigeration time)
Makes: 16 pieces

Ingredients:
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Can of sweetened condensed milk (359g)
6 drops of red food colouring

Method
1. Grease and line a 30x20cm rectangular slice pan with baking paper.
2. Combine sugar and cream of tartar in a bowl. Add sweetened condensed milk and coconut, stir well. Place half the mixture in a seperate bowl. Add food colouring to one bowl and stir well until combined. Press uncoloured mixture into base of pan, level well, then top with pink mixture, pressing firmly.
3. Refrigerate for two hours or until set. Cut into squares and serve.



I have a memory of one of the first times I ate this. I was really little and dressed up as a fairy with massive wings (I am sure now I would think they were itty bitty) and the mum who brought us the food said, "here don't forget your fairy snacks, they match your costumes." We were all so excited and then on a massive sugar high running through the park with all the pink and white flowers around us.

Lazy Saturday, cupcakes and a curious kitty

I can has cupcake?

Today has been a slack one, but I was in a baking mood. So I decided to make up some simple yummy vanilla cupcakes with chocolate butter cream icing. Yum! I am being so naughty with my cooking lately. I of course also had my little side kick being super cute and annoying the whole time. Here are the recipes I used to make these.

Vanilla Cupcakes
Recipe taken from: Mum (she probably got it from a recipe book like 200 cupcakes or a Women's Weekly Cookbook)
Serves: 12 larger cupcakes or 15 smaller
Prep Time:10 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients:
150g butter, softened
150g caster sugar
175g self-raising flour
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:
1. Line a 12 section muffin tray/cupcake tray with papers or foils.
2. Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F), Gas Mark 4.
3. Put all cake ingredients in a large bowl and beat with electric beater 1-2 mins until smooth and creamy.
4. Divide cupcake mixture into papers/foil holders
5. Cook for 20 mins, transfer to wire racks to cool.

Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting
Recipe Taken from: Combined 2 different to find middle ground
Makes enough to cover 12 muffins (yes leftovers!)
Prep time: 2 mins
Cooking time: Nil

Ingredients:
150g softened butter
250g icing sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp hot water
2 drops vanilla essence

Method:
1. Use an electric mixture to combine butter and icing sugar.
2. Dissolve cocoa into hot water, add to icing mix. Use beater until combined and smooth.
3. Spread over cupcake in preferred manner. (My piping bag broke so I just used a knife)

A New Beginning with Banana Chip Cookies

Hello online folks,

It has been along time since I have blogged. I will be using this to share craft ideas, swaps, cooking discoveries and adventures I go on. That might be as simple as gardening or a wander along the river to beaches and rainforest get aways. Moving along.

I have been off work for the past week on bed rest and to stop myself from going stir crazy I have been reading through cook books and started a few projects. I managed to find an old friend while laying in bed. Yummy 'Banana Chip Cookies.' I haven't made them in ages!

Here is the recipe if you would like to give it a go. It is written on a card and I cannot remember where I found it. I think it is from one of my uni friends.

Banana Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
125g butter
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1 1/3 cups self raising flour
1/2 cup banana chips chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup banana chips, extra

Method:
1. Beat butter, essence, sugar and egg in a bowl with electric mixer until just combined. Stir in sifted flour, chopped banana chips and nuts.
2. Shape rounded teaspoons of mixture into balls, placed onto greased oven trays, leaving about 5cm between cookies. Top with extra banana chips.
3. Bake in moderate oven (180-190 Degrees Celsius) for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cook cookies on trays.