Salted Peanut Brittle Cookies

Sorry it has been a while since my last update, I hope these make up for it. These cookie slices are not very sweet, they are deliciously salty though and quickly disappear. Perfect with a cup of Chai, but not so much on the way to work when you are hurriedly trying to brush the chocolate crumbs away from your mouth, cheek, nose!

This recipe is influenced by this blog, but I'm sure it is floating around the internet in many forms. 

Ingredients

225g unsalted butter, softened
200g granulated sugar
¾ tsp sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
240g plain flour
175g roasted, salted peanuts roughly chopped

100g dark chocolate

Method

Preheat oven to 200C, line a 15 ½ x 10 ½ inch pan with baking paper.

With an electric mixer cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and beat in salt and vanilla, add flour and combine. Stir in half the chopped nuts.

Turn the dough out into the lined baking sheet, press into the pan so the dough forms a thin layer. Sprinkle the rest of the nuts onto the top. Place another piece of baking paper over the dough and roll, or press the nuts into the dough.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops starts to turn golden brown. The mixture will still appear soft, but don’t worry it will harden as it cools.

Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then cut into squares. Allow to cool further and turn out.

Melt the chocolate and spread a thin layer on the bottom of the slices with a knife. Allow to set in the fridge for 30 minutes,  drizzle  the remaining chocolate over the top and allow to set before eating (if you can wait that long!)

Pink Macarons with Chilli Chocolate Ganache.

Okay, so there is an abundance of beige coloured items so far on this blog. Time to change that, although these macarons aren't as bright as I would have liked. It seems impossible to get hold of powdered food colouring in my town. 

This recipe adapted from the good old BBC. It is part of the 'Great British Bake Off Series' which I am addicted to, I want Edd to win!

This is my first time making macarons, next time I'll have more patience and wait the full hour to let them set as they were a little on the thin side. Or maybe I didn't pipe them high enough. I think more experimenting is in order.

Not all macarons are born equally!

Ingredients

125g/4oz ground almonds
200g/7oz icing sugar
3 free-range egg whites
2 tbsp caster sugar
½ tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp red food colouring

Ganache

200g/7oz dark chocolate, chopped
200ml/7fl oz double cream
1/2 tsp of chilli powder 

15g/½oz unsalted butter

Method

Blend the ground almonds and icing sugar in a food processor until well combined. Set aside.

Using an electric whisk, slowly whisk the egg whites in a large bowl at a low speed until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed. Slowly whisk in the cream of tartar and caster sugar until the mixture is smooth and glossy, increasing the speed of the whisk as the mixture stiffens.


Gently fold in the food colouring and blended ground almonds and icing sugar until the mixture resembles shaving foam.


Spoon the macaron mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm/½in round nozzle. Pipe 5cm/2in circles onto the baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. If a peak forms, wet your finger and smooth it down. Sharply tap the bottom of the tray to release any air bubbles from the macarons, then set aside for 60 minutes (the macaroon shells are ready to go in the oven when they are no longer sticky to the touch).


Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 160C/315F/Gas 2½.


Bake the macarons in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 5 minutes. Carefully peel away the greaseproof paper and set aside to cool completely.


Meanwhile, for the chocolate filling, heat the double cream and chocolate in a saucepan over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth and well combined. Add the chilli and butter and stir until smooth, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely.


Use the filling to sandwich the macarons together then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Almond Biscotti

After popping into Starbucks the other day and seeing the rather sad looking biscotti, shrink wrapped and waiting at the till, I decided to make my own. This recipe is adapted from Joyofbaking  but I can never leave anything alone so I’ve made a few changes. The wholemeal flour makes them a little more substantial and not quite as sweet.

Chocolate and Almond Biscotti

Ingredients

100g flaked almonds

135g granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp almond extract

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

100g wholemeal flour

125g plain flour

150g dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 180C

Toast almonds for 5 minutes, until they start to brown.

Flake the chocolate with a knife so you have medium slivers.

In a large bowl beat eggs with sugar until pale and fluffy (should take about 5 minutes with an electric hand mixer) Beat in vanilla and almond extracts.

In another bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add this to the egg mix and fold with a wooden spoon, when combined add toasted almonds and chocolate slivers.

Transfer the dough onto a lined baking sheet. Form it into two long strips about 30cm long and 8cm high. The dough is pretty sticky, so wetting your hands can help. Or just get messy like I did (more to lick off my fingers)

Bake for about 25 minutes until firm.

Remove and allow to cool enough to cut. I left mine for 15 minutes.

Reduce oven to 150C

Slice the loaves into strips on the diagonal, mine are about 3cm thick. Place cut side down on the baking sheet, don’t worry if they aren’t quite solid, they will harden with the second baking.

Bake for about 10 minutes on each side, or until they start to turn golden brown.

Allow to cool and enjoy with something to dunk them in!