CHOCOLATE AND CRANBERRY BISCOTTI

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 100 g butter, softened
• 2 eggs, large
• 2 cups plain flour
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 cup chocolate drops
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped
• Rind of one orange, grated
• 1 tablespoon icing sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 C.
2. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper and then spray with baking spray.
3. Cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
4. Add eggs and beat until combined well. Add vanilla and combine.
5. In a bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
6. Stir in flour mixture to form a stiff dough.
7. Mix in chocolate drops, dried cranberries, and orange rind until combined.
8. Divide dough in half. Flour hands and form dough into two slightly flattened logs on prepared baking sheets, each approximately 26 cm long and 5 cm wide. Sprinkle with icing sugar.
9. Bake for 30 minutes or until slightly firm to the touch. Take out of the oven and leave for five minutes.
10. Using a bread knife, cut diagonally into 1 to 1.5 cm slices. Arrange biscotti, cut sides down, and bake for about 10 minutes, or until crisp. Cool on a rack.

Makes

24 slices.

Creamy Coconut Squares

Published by the New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, July 1970. Mum made this regularly on her Monday baking days and it is still one of my favourite slices.

Ingredients – Base

• 115 g butter, softened
• 115 g sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 C flour
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 t baking powder

Ingredients – Topping

• 1/2 tin sweetened condensed milk
• 3/4 C icing sugar
• 3/4 C coconut
• 1/2 t vanilla essence

Method

1. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add egg and beat well.
3. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder. Add to creamed mixture and gently mix until just combined.
4. Spread into a slice tin.
5. Cook at 170 °C (fan-forced oven) for 25 mins or until cooked. Leave to cool before spreading topping.
6. Gently warm the topping ingredients and spread over the cooled base. Sprinkle over some extra coconut. Chill until set.

Makes

24 slices

Red Bean & Chocolate Brownies

I originally found this recipe on http://www.food.com/recipe/kidney-bean-brownies-198852, but have slightly altered it. No one can taste the beans. It’s full of protein and contains no saturated fat.

Ingredients

• 1 can red kidney beans, drained
• 1 cup sugar
• ³⁄₄ cup high-grade flour
• ¹⁄₂ cup cocoa powder
• 1 t salt
• ¹⁄₂  cup unsweetened applesauce (or a tasteless oil)
• 4 eggs (or equivalent egg whites)
• 1 t vanilla
• Handful chocolate drops

Method

1. Line and grease a brownie pan.
2. In a food processor, puree the kidney beans with one of the eggs until the mixture is thick and creamy.
3. Combine all the rest of the ingredients except for the chocolate drops.
4. Beat on low speed until smooth.
5. Pour mixture into the brownie pan and scatter the chocolate drops over the top.
6. Bake in 180 °C oven for 25 minutes or until tester inserted in centre comes out clean.
7. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into squares.

Orange Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I made these for the second time in the weekend. They’re much more delicious this time as I reduced the chocolate and added some spice. Light and slightly crunchy.

Ingredients

• 200 g softened butter
• 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 2 cups self-raising flour
• 100 g chocolate, cut into chunks (200 g if you really want to)
• 1 t cinnamon
• Finely grated rind of an orange
• Juice of 1/2 to 1 orange

Method

1. Cream butter, sugar, cinnamon, and orange rind until light and fluffy.
2. Stir in sifted flour with orange juice.
3. Add chocolate chunks and stir to combine.
4. Take large teaspoonfuls and roll into a ball, placing onto a lined oven tray, and then flatten the balls slightly.
5. Bake for 15 mins at 180 °C or until just golden.
6. Remove from tray and cool on wire rack.

Makes

18 reasonable size cookies

Vanilla Coconut Crunch Biscuits

Light and crunchy biscuits. Made for the first time today.

Ingredients

• 250g butter, softened
• 1 1/4 C sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 t vanilla essence
• 1/2 t coconut essence (optional)
• 1 C coconut
• 3 to  3 1/4 C self-raising flour

Method

1. Cream the butter and sugar.
2. Add egg , and the essences and combine until well-mixed.
3. Add the coconut, and mix and then add the flour. You may not need to add all the flour. Mix until combined.
4. Roll mixture into small balls and press flat on the lined trays.
5. Cook at 180 C for 15 to 20 minutes and then turn the over down to 150C and bake for a further 10 mins.
6. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes

About 30 biscuits.

Lolly cake

A good old Kiwi favourite that Olivia asked if we could make after paying almost $4 a slice at our local cafe. After searching through my extensive collection of recipe books, I failed to find how to make this. I found this recipe on the Internet from Alison Holst. This costs about $5 for the whole lot! It’s pretty easy to make; it was lovely and crunchy and tasted so much better than the cafe slices. Hayley is now a convert to lolly cake.

Ingredients
125 g butter
200 g sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
250 g packet of malt biscuits
180-250g “Eskimo (Explorers)” or “fruit puffs” lollies
coconut to coat

Method

1. Cut the fruit puffs into three or four pieces, or if you are using Eskimo lollies about eight slices, and then place in a large mixing bowl.
2. Crumb the biscuits in a food processor and then add to the lollies. Stir to combine.
3. Melt the butter in a microwave-proof bowl in a microwave until melted; about 1 minute.
4. Stir in half a tin of condensed milk and the vanilla. Mix well. If it does not mix smoothly, warm the mixture in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
5. Grease a brownie pan and then coat it with coconut.
6. Press the mixture into it and then sprinkle with more coconut.
7. Place in the fridge and leave for a couple of hours until set. Slice. Do not put extra coconut over the cut surfaces or you spoil their bright appearance.

Alternatives

• I’ve seen liquorice allsorts used instead of fruit puffs or eskimos.
• Form the mixture into three or four cylinders and then roll these in coconut. Roll in cling film and refrigerate until set. Slice.

Makes

About 24 slices.