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A really easy biscuit that can also be used as a sweet pastry is as follows
1 cup self raising flour
1 cup plain flour
1 cup icing sugar
all sifted a few times
add 125grams soft butter and rub into the sifted flour/sugar
add 1 large egg and knead until all smooth, roll out and cut into christmas shapes
cook in a 180 degree oven for 10-15 minutes
Okay. Got her to bed. I've included some tips in each of the recipes to give you a bit of an extra help if you need it.
Classic Fruit Cake (from Body Shop Cookbook)
Serves 10-12
1 cup raw sugar
3 cups dried fruit (any fruit in cupboard)
1/2 cup sherry or 1/2 cup pineapple juice (I used sherry, I think its an essential Christmas cooking ingredient)
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon bicarb soda
250g butter
2 eggs
1 cup plain flour
1 cup self raising flour
Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius, or 160 degrees for a fan forced oven.
In large saucepan, put sugar, water, fruit, sherry, nutmeg, bicarb soda and butter. Stir over low heat to combine. (Tips: Put butter in saucepan first, chopped roughly, so that sugar definately won't burn. Once butter has melted, you can turn the heat up a little. When the water heats up with the bicarb soda, it will start to foam up a bit which is just the bicarb doing its thing.).
Bring to the boil, then remove from heat. (I did mine on low heat all the way, so it took ages to come off simmer and actually boil!).
Cool for only five minutes, then add beaten eggs and flours. (Stir the mixture quickly when adding the eggs to make sure that they don't start to cook in the hot water mixture).
Pour into a lined and greased deep 22cm baking tin covered with aluminium foil. (I double lined the base of my tin- oil pan, put round of paper down, greased again, put second round of paper down. I used a springform tin 20cm diameter and only 7cm high and spray oil, marvelously handy for greasing bake ware! The foil is to stop the top of the cake from burning. I had to tuck the foil over the tin very well, so that the fan in my oven wouldn't blow it off.)
Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from oven, and leave to cool in tin for five to ten minutes before removing from tin, carefully peeling off paper, and leaving to cool completely on a wire rack. (I don't even own a wire rack, so have to make do with other kitchen bits and pieces positioned to do the job!)
To serve this cake, you could dust it with some icing sugar. Maybe mix the icing sugar with a small amount of cinnamon or nutmeg. Serve warm out of the oven, or heat slices in the microwave for 20 seconds or so, then with some single ('pouring' consistency cream, the most common cream in the supermarket), or some double cream. With double cream, you don't have to whip it. This is my most favourite cream, I always serve King Island cream with my Mississippi Mud Cake. Double cream is dearer than single cream, but a most delightful treat, and oh so rich!
Macadamia Apricot & White Chocolate Truffles
Makes about 50 (I managed 70, 1 1/2 to 2 cm diameter balls)
1 1/2 cups chopped dried apricots (I chopped mine fairly finely, and measured the amount after I had chopped them up)
2 tblsp brandy (I used sherry, didn't have any brandy)
300g white chocolate melts
30g butter
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
60g chopped macadamia nuts (did these the same as the apricots so there wouldn't be huge chunks of nut in the truffles)
1/2 cup desiccated coconut (I put in another full cup worth of coconut, as while the mixture was still warm I thought it was a bit too much chocolate and not much else. They still turned out well)
250g white chocolate melts, extra
50g dark melts (the extra white melts and the dark melts, I didn't use to coat the truffles with. I just rolled them in extra coconut, which I think is so much easier, and you don't have to worry about the truffles touching each other while the chocolate sets.)
(extra coconut for coating)
Combine the apricots and brandy. Leave for thirty minutes (I gave them an occaisional stir to make sure they all got some alcohol!)
Combine the white melts and butter in a heavy based pan, and stir over a (very) low heat until melted.
Combine condensed milk, nuts and apricot mixture in a bowl (you should do this before melting the chocolate so it doesn't burn or start to cool. Once chocolate burns, you have to throw it out, the same as if it gets water in it from a double boiler. I also misread the recipe when I made it, so added the coconut at this stage too. You can add it here if you wish, I think it was a good mistake).
Add chocolate mixture, stir well, refrigerate for 1 hour.
Roll teaspoons of mixture (try to get a bit of chocolate, bit of apricot and a bit of nuts in each one), roll in extra coconut, and place on a tray, then refrigerate again 30 mins or until chocolate is set.
Coat balls in extra white chocolate that has been melted, refrigerate until set. Drizzle with dark melted chocolate, allow to set. (as I said before, I omitted this stage.)
Store in refrigerator.
Okay, I have to go and do some housework. I will try to post the other recipes later!
Well I didn't get much housework done! Steph only slept for an hour and half!
I have numerous rum ball recipes, one even has apricot jam in it. But I think I would most prefer this one. It seems the most like what I remember in rum balls. I got it from a book called The Australian Hostess Cookbook, from the early sixties I think.
Rum Balls
1/4 pound sweet biscuits, crushed (use something like Arnotts Marie biscuits)
1/2 tin condensed milk
1/2 cup coconut
1 level tblsp cocoa
2 dessertspoons rum
extra coconut (I would use the chocolate sprinkles that look like little ants, dollar sprinkles or something I think they are called??)
Crush biscuits, mix in condensed milk, coconut, cocoa and rum. Roll into balls and toss in extra coconut (or chocolate sprinkles). Store in refrigerator in a screw top jar.
Note: 1/2 cup chopped mixed dried fruits may be added if desired (if adding fruit, I would soak them in the rum for half an hour).
I may actually make these... When I finally get the Cherry Ripe Slice finished and off my bench. Once again, I am deviating from the recipe (I have trouble sticking to the originals), and instead of making them into a slice with the chocolate base, I'm going to make them in a mini muffin pan with a chocolate biscuit crumb base, with melted dark chocolate drizzled on the top. I'll post that recipe when I can. Steph is screaming at me again. Still.
Made the shortbread, came out PERFECT ... dh ate everything!!!!!!!!!
did not even had a chance to take a picture!!
I am making some for my mom and MIL and for my BIL and sisters on Monday - we have public holiday
Can't really chat now - have an 11 month old in desperate need ;P of my attention, otherwise she is wrecking my house!!!!!!
THANK YOU AGAIN!!!!!
Well done Nadine!!! All this talking of biscuits is making me hungry!
Alan, I just wanted to check, is there anything that you can't do? ;-)
Yup
I can't give birth ;)
Oh Alan... I'm sorry! But you get to do the next best thing to it!
Yeah thats true.
And I don't have to suffer any pain......well not often
Nadine, that's great hun! Make sure you take pics of the next lot.
Alan, surely every now and then a birthing mother kicks you or something? ;)
Thats why I added .....well not often :)
OMG I just made these, and not only is it the cheapest recipe ever but soooooo yummy!
Chocolate Ganache Truffles
230gms Choc (I used 115 milk & 115 dark buds)
30gms unsalted Butter
180mls Cream
2-3 tbs fave liquor
Rolling Coatings:
Crushed Biscuits (I use butternut.. think kingston... mmmm)
Icing Sugar
Cocoa (good cocoa!)
Grated Chocolate (can be white, dark or milk or combo!)
Shaved Chocolate
Chocolate Flake crushed
Chocolate Sprinkles
Toasted chopped nuts
Instructions:
Measure out the choc in a bowl and set aside. In a saucepan melt the cream and butter together, just as it starts to bubble add the liquor of choice (I have done one batch with chambord raspberry liquor and one batch with frangelico hazelnut liquor). Then pour hot cream mix over the chocolate and stir till combined. Refrigerate till set (takes about 4 hours or overnight, or 1 hour in the freezer 2 or 3 in the fridge ;)). Then using a melon baller or truffle scoop, scoop out balls and put on greaseproof paper. Return to the fridge and organise your coating bowls/plates etc. I used Biscuits crumbs (butternut) and cocoa for the frangelico and I used icing sugar and chocolate sprinkles for the raspberry. You can get fancy and dip in melted chocolate and roll in nuts or crumbs or all sorts of things.
Make about 30 small truffles.
OOHHHH yummo cailin! THye sound devine, I will ahve to make some for my chrissy parcels...
There's also a special brandy called Marc de Champagne and if you use 2 tbs of that you get champagne truffles :D YUMMO!
Hey ladies, jus tme again waiting another christmas recipe that I can not seem to find anywhere!!
I was wanting to make white christmas but the one with rice bubbles in it but I thought I had the recipe in my old high school cook book but it ain't in there!! :cry:
So I now need one.....TIA
Maybe try looking at the Kelloggs website, they may have it there.
hugs xoxo
From womans day :
White Christmas
Serving size: Serves 10 or more
Cooking time: Less than 15 minutes
Special options: Kid friendly
Course: Cakes/baking
INGREDIENTS
250g copha
2 cups Rice Bubbles
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup icing sugar, sifted
1 cup milk powder
? cup sultanas
? cup chopped red glac? cherries
? cup chopped green glac? cherries
METHOD
Lightly grease a 20 x 30cm slice pan. Line base and sides with baking paper.
Place copha in a small pan on low heat. Cook, stirring, for 4-5 minutes until melted. Cool slightly.
Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add copha and mix well. Press mixture firmly into pan.
Freeze 15 minutes, until set, then chill until ready to serve. Serve cut into small squares. Store White Christmas in an airtight container in the fridge.
FYI if you don't like glace cherries replace with green & red raspberry lollies :)
Ok well I did the mix twice and I have a few tips. DO NOT put it in the freezer, the condensation gets into the mix and makes it watery. And I'd also say maybe do 300 gms chocolate as I found they didn't set properly. Still tasted AMAZING! But just didn't set. I think I went a bit crazy with the liquer, so maybe stick to 2 Tbs. I'm going to remake these using another recipe...
how did I know must have been you wrote started this thread :)
recipe counds awesome I will have to give it a go. damn I wonder how many points a truffle is worth.