Pfeffernüsse

Ingredients:
250g plain flour
200g brown sugar
60g butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of white pepper
1 egg, beaten
1 egg, beaten (extra)
150g dark chocolate
silver cachous

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees and line two baking trays with non-stick paper.
2. Combine all ingredients and blend until well blended (mixture will appear crumbly).
3. Add half of extra beaten egg, then knead the mixture with your hands until it holds together (use more beaten egg if necessary).
4. Shape dough into a ball.
5. Roll teaspoons of mixture into balls and place on baking trays (approx. 2.5 cm apart).
6. Bake for 7 minutes, or until cracks appear on the surface and tops are pale brown.
7. Cool on wire racks.
8. Melt dark chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.
9. Dip pfeffernüsse into melted chocolate and place on baking paper to set. Decorate will silver cachous, if desired.

Strawberry Jam Friands

Ingredients:
1/2 cup plain flour, sifted
1 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 cup almond meal
4 eggwhites
180g butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
strawberry jam

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and lightly grease a 12 cup patty pan tin.
2. Combine flour, icing sugar and almond meal in a large bowl.
3. Add the eggwhites, butter and vanilla; mix to combine.
4. Spoon approx. 1-2 tablespoons of mixture into patty pan tin.
5. Drop 1/2 spoonfuls of jam into the centre of each friand.
6. Bake for 15 minutes, or until dark golden around the edges and firm on top.
7. Cool in tin. To serve, dust with icing sugar.

Adapted from "Apricot jam drop friands" in Donna Hay Magazine, 35, Oct/Nov 2007. p. 92.

Orange Cupcakes

Ingredients:
125g butter, softened
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
225g self-raising flour
juice and finely chopped zest of 1 orange
1 cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon orange juice, extra
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees and prepare 12 cupcake cases.
2. Combine the butter, caster sugar, eggs, self-raising flour, orange juice and zest and beat together until creamy.
3. Spoon the mixture evenly into 12 cupcake cases.
4. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
5. Cool completely on a wire rack.
6. Mix together the icing sugar, orange juice and lemon juice.
7. Spoon the icing over the cakes and spread evenly to the edges with a knife.

Adapted from "Afternoon tea orange cake" in Stephanie Alexander. (1996). The cook's companion. Ringwood, Vic.: Penguin Books Australia.

Almond Burnt Butter Biscuits

Ingredients:
125g butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup self-raising flour, sifted
1/2 cup plain flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup almonds, chopped

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line 2 baking trays with non-stick paper.
2. Melt the butter over low heat and continue to cook until light brown; cool slightly.
3. Beat the sugar with the melted butter, then stir in the egg and vanilla.
4. Fold in the flours and salt.
5. Roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls and place on baking trays.
6. Bake 10-12 minutes or until pale golden.

Cherry Choc-Chip Biscuits

Follow the Choc-Chip Biscuits recipe, omitting the vanilla and substituting 1/4 cup of the chopped dark chocolate with a 55g Cherry Ripe bar, finely chopped.

Choc-Chip Biscuits

Ingredients:
125g butter, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 egg
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark chocolate, chopped*

*For Orange Choc-Chip or Caramel Choc-Chip Biscuits, omit the vanilla and use "Intense Orange" or "Crunchy Caramel" Lindt Excellence chocolate instead of plain chocolate.

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees and line 2 baking trays with non-stick paper.
2. Cream the butter, brown sugar and caster sugar until creamy; add vanilla essence.
3. Beat in the egg until well combined.
4. Mix in the flour and salt until the mixture forms a dough.
5. Add the chocolate, a little at a time, until it is evenly spread throughout the dough.
6. Place tablespoons of the dough on to baking trays, 2cm apart.
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until slightly brown; cool on wire racks.

Adapted from "Chocolate Chip Cookies" in Gabriel Gate. (2006). The chocolate lovers: a children's story and cookbook. Crows Nest, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin.

Jam Drops

Ingredients:
180g butter, softened
1 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla essence
1 egg
2 cups plain flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
raspberry jam

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line 2 baking trays with non-stick paper.
2. Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and creamy.
3. Add the egg and beat well.
4. Stir in the flour and baking powder; mix to form a dough.
5. Roll heaped tablespoons into balls and place on baking trays, leaving 2 inches between each biscuit to allow for spreading.
6. Using the end of a wooden spoon, press deep dents into each ball of dough (you may need to dip the end of the spoon into some flour to stop it from sticking to the dough).
7. Fill each indent with a 1/4 teaspoon of jam.
8. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden.

Adapted from "Spoon-dent biscuits with lemon curd" in Donna Hay Magazine, 33, June/July 2007. p. 144.

M&M Mini Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes for my 30th Birthday party.

Ingredients:
125g butter, softened
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
100g dark chocolate, melted
3/4 cup cream
170g dark chocolate, chopped (extra)
M&Ms

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees and line a 24 mini cupcake tin with patty cases.
2. Beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well.
4. Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder over the mixture, then fold through until combined.
5. Spoon the mixture into the patty cases so that each case is 2/3 full.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.
7. Place cream in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from heat then stir in the chopped dark chocolate. Leave to cool, then spread over each mini cupcake. Place an M&M in the centre of each cupcake to finish.

Adapted from "Double chocolate cupcakes" in Donna Hay. (2007). Simple essentials: chocolate. Pymble, N.S.W.: Harper Collins Publishers Australia.

Number Birthday Biscuits

I made these biscuits for my 30th Birthday using the Lemon Shortbread Stars recipe. I then sprinkled each biscuit with hundreds and thousands: it's important that you decorate the biscuits straight after dipping them in the icing otherwise the icing will set and the hundreds and thousands will just bounce off!

Linzer Jam Biscuits

Ingredients:
180g butter, softened
155g brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon lemon peel
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
250g plain flour
125g almond meal
raspberry and/or apricot jam
icing sugar

Method:
1. Beat the butter until creamy. Add the brown sugar, baking powder, lemon peel, cinnamon, allspice and salt.
2. Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla essence.
3. Beat in as much flour with a mixer as you can, then mix in the remaining flour with a wooden spoon.
4. Mix in the almond meal until the mixture forms a dough. Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap, then chill for 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 190 degrees.
6. Roll dough onto a lightly floured surface to a 3mm thickness and cut out rounds (for the bottom layer) and rounds with shapes cut out of the centre (for the top layer).
7. Bake for 6--8 minutes, or until the edges are firm and the bottoms browned.
8. Cool on a rack, then assemble by spreading a layer of jam on the bottom side of a round and then placing a decorative round (dusted with icing sugar) on top.
Note: Store the biscuits unassembled, then assemble up to a few hours before serving.

Lemon Shortbread Stars

Ingredients:
2 cups plain flour
2 tablespoons rice flour
200g unsalted butter
1/3 cup icing sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup icing sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice, extra
silver cachous
coloured decorative miniature stars

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line 2 baking trays with non-stick paper.
2. Place the plain flour, rice flour, butter and sugar in a food processor and process until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Add the lemon rind and lemon juice; process until mixture forms a dough.
4. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth, then roll out to a 5mm thickness.
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until slightly coloured.
6. Mix the icing sugar and lemon juice in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until smooth. Use a knife to spread the icing over the biscuits, then decorate the biscuits with the silver cachous and miniature stars before the icing sets.

Adapted from "Shortbread stars with lemon glaze" in Family Circle. (1994). Biscuits & slices step-by-step. Sydney: Murdoch Books.

Easter Chocolate Biscuits

Ingredients:
110g butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup plain flour, sifted
1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
125g dark chocolate, melted
250g dark chocolate, chopped
1 packet speckled solid milk chocolate easter eggs
50g dark chocolate, melted (extra)

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees and line 2 baking trays with non-stick paper.
2. Beat the butter and sugar until very pale and creamy.
3. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Stir the sifted flour, cocoa powder and melted chocolate through the mixture.
5. Stir in the chopped chocolate.
6. Shape the mixture into balls (about the size of 1 tablespoon) and place on baking trays.
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until cracks begin to appear on the surface.
8. Cool on wire racks.
9. When cool, dip easter eggs into the extra melted chocolate and place one on top of each biscuit.

Adapted from "Double chocolate cookies" in Donna Hay. (2007). Simple essentials: chocolate. Pymble, N.S.W.: Harper Collins Publishers Australia.

Marble Chocolates

Ingredients:
250g white chocolate, chopped
250g dark chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter




Method:
1. Line a 16cm x 25cm slice pan with baking paper.
2. Melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure that the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Cool for 5 minutes, then stir in the peanut butter until smooth.
3. Melt the dark chocolate as above, then cool slightly.
4. Drop alternate spoonfuls of the white chocolate mixture and dark chocolate into the pan. Tilt the pan slightly from left to right so that the chocolate spreads evenly across the pan.
5. Create a marble effect by moving a skewer or cake tester through the pan in small, figure 8 motions.
6. Cool in the pan until firm (at least 2 hours, preferably overnight), then turn out on to a chopping board and slice into squares.
Note: Do NOT refrigerate - this will result in white specks forming on the white chocolate mixture.

Adapted from "Chocolate and peanut butter swirl" in The Australian Women's Weekly. (2002). Wicked: sweet indulgences. Sydney: ACP Publishing, 2002.

Cappucino Crinkles

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon instant coffee
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 egg whites
1/3 cup vanilla yoghurt
1 1/2 cups plain flour, sifted
1/4 cup white sugar

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line 2 baking trays with non-stick paper.
2. Cream butter in a large mixing bowl.
3. Beat in the brown sugar, cocoa powder, coffee, baking soda and cinnamon until combined.
4. Beat in the egg whites and yoghurt until combined.
5. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer; stir in the remaining flour with a wooden spoon.
6. Place the sugar in a small bowl. Drop teaspoons of the mixture into the sugar and roll into balls; roll again in sugar.
7. Place the balls 2 inches apart on baking trays; bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are firm.
8. Cool on wire racks.

Welcome to Crossicka's Baking Blog!

This blog has been created so that I can share my baking secrets with my friends! Here you'll find my favourite recipes along with some photos I've taken. I am aiming to add a new recipe each week, so stay tuned for the first installment...