Walnut Shortbread

If you thought I was done making biscuits so was I, but on a quiet weekend at home we got hungry so I just had to make some more. No experiments this time though, this baking session was just for eating! We decided we wanted shortbread recipe but this time with a nutty twist. Here is my recipe for Walnut Shortbread;

Ingredients

• 125g of Butter
• 55g of Caster Sugar
• 180g of Flour
• 75g of Crushed Walnuts

 

Walnut Shortbread

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190
2. Mix the butter and sugar in a bowl until the mixture is smooth
3. Begin to stir in the flour in stages through a sive and contiune to mix together thoroughly
4. At this stage the mixture turns from a paste to a crumbly mixture
5. Then add the crushed walnuts to the mixture
6. Use your hands to create a ball with the mixture
7. Dust a dry and clean surface with flour and roll the mixture out to 1cm thick
8. Cut out your shapes and place on baking paper on a baking tray (you may have mixture left over, keeping rolling our until you use all of the mixture for the shapes)
9. Put the shapes into the fridge for 20 minutes
10. Put into the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until golden
11. Leave to cool for 45 minutes

Satisfaction is always guaranteed with this recipe for Walnut Shortbread, the biscuits themselves are just delicious and the addition of walnuts is perfect. I think you could try this recipe out adding any type of nuts or sweet treats to the recipe before baking!

If you use this recipe with any other twists I would love to hear what!

Almond Rolled Biscuits

My final biscuit recipe, which makes me sad as I had so much fun experimenting and then sharing them with you, but I am sure I will be baking again soon! This time a recipe for Almond Rolled Biscuits;

Ingredients

• 250g of Butter
• 140g of Caster Sugar
• 1 Egg Yolk
• 2tsp of Vanilla Extract
• 300g of Plain Flour
• 100g of Flaked Almonds

 

Almond Rolled Biscuits

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150C
2. Cream the butter and caster sugar in a large bowl until smooth
3. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat to combine
4. Sift the flour into the mixture in stages whilst working it into the mix
5. At this point using your fingers is best to bring the mixture together
6. Roll the mixture into a tube
7. Then roll in the almonds so that they cover all over
8. Cover with cling film and put in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes
9. Once chilled cut width ways in 1cm thick strips and lay the biscuits onto a baking sheet
10. Place in oven for 15-16 minutes watching carefully until the biscuits are golden
11. Bring out of the oven and allow to cool

These Almond Rolled Biscuits combined 2 of my great loves, biscuits and almonds, I would literally have almonds with everything and what is better than that? Nothing that is what, the biscuits were chewy and moist whilst the crisp almonds gave off a delicious flavour and crunchy texture, I will definitely be making these more often!

Chocolate Brownies

I did not have time to post this recipe over the weekend, but on Saturday evening after a day of shopping, I made Chocolate Brownies for my boyfriend and I to enjoy with yet another game of football. I improvised an old recipe that I had along with another one from Jamie Oliver and this was the result;

Ingredients

• 250g of Unsalted Butter
• 200g of Milk Chocolate
• 100g of Chopped Almonds (Walnuts would also work well)
• 80g of Cocoa Powder
• 65g of Plain Flour
• 1tsp of Baking Powder
• 360g of Caster Sugar
• 4 Large Eggs

The Chocolate Brownie Mix Ready for Baking

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C
2. Line a baking dish (around 25cm x 25cm) with greaseproof paper and set aside
3. Then mix the cocoa, flour, baking powder and sugar in a large bowl for later
4. In a large glass bowl melt the chocolate and butter together over a pan of simmering water until smooth
5. Add the nuts and stir in
6. Then add the cocoa mixture that you had set aside to the chocolate mixture, keeping it simmering over the heat, and stir thoroughly
7. Then add the eggs and beat into the mixture (still over the simmering water) and beat until the mixture is a silky consistency
8. Pour the mixture into the lined baking tray and put in the oven for 25 minutes
9. The brownie should not be cooked like a cake but should instead be springy on the outside whilst still gooey on the inside
10. When cooked remove the brownie from the oven and allow to cook in the tray
11. Then transfer the brownie to a chopping board (using the greaseproof paper) and cut as desired

A Large Chunk of Chocolate Brownie

Luckily they tasted great, they were rich but at the same time moist and delicious! They are not as nutty as I had hoped so this recipe actually has more nuts in it than I used this time around but I will be adding more next time for sure. Although after another meal of my Home-made Vegetable Curry these brownies were not quite the refreshing dessert that I needed, but yummy all the same!

I would love to hear from you if you make any of my desserts!

Chocolate Tiffin Bar

Due to the excitement of the final group stages of Euro 2012 and Germany playing last night, we unfortunately were not having dinner with our friends. Which to be honest I was mainly disappointed about as I wanted to make my first apple crumble and custard but that will now be saved for a later date. So instead I decided not to make anything for dessert this week, which was met by a sad face of my boyfriend who said ‘we (not him) can still make something yummy just for us) so here is it, Chocolate Tiffin Bar;

Ingredients

• 200g of Digestive Biscuits
• 200g of Milk Chocolate
• 100g of Walnuts
• 100g of Almonds
• 65g of Ready Made Meringue
• 150g of Unsalted Butter
• 100g of Mini Marshmallows
• 1tbsp of Golden Syrup

My Set Chocolate Tiffin Bar

Method

1. Firstly line a large plastic container (around 20cmx30cm) with cling film, leaving plenty of extra film around the edges to help turn out your tiffin when its set
2. Break the biscuits up into small pieces in a large bowl
3. Add the walnuts, almonds and marshmallows and mix together
4. Put the chocolate, butter and broken up meringue into a glass bowl and put on a low heat over a pan of simmering water until the butter and chocolate are almost melted
5. At this point add the golden syrup and stir until thoroughly melted
6. Combine the biscuit/nut mix and the chocolate and stir thoroughly ensuring that all ingredients are covered in chocolate
7. Pour the mixture into the line plastic container and push down to form a solid bar
8. Place in into the fridge until it has set
9. After it is completely set turn the tiffin out of the container onto a plate and slice into chunky slices ready to serve

I have a few recommendations for anyone making this; firstly buy peeled almonds, secondly, prepare everything before you start, it is fairly simple to make but I found myself in a rush at times during cooking and finally, make this recipe it is amazing!

The only place I have every tried tiffin is in coffee shops and I am usually disappointed to find cherries or raisins in them, so by making it at home I can put all of my favourite things in them to make a truly delicious dessert or snack that can be kept in the cupboard to enjoy all week long. The tiffin turned out delicious and would actually be great to make with kids as there is no baking involved, however be sure to only let them have a small piece as the sugar levels in this tasty treat are really high!

If you are watching the waistline (aren’t we all) this is not the best thing to enjoy however it is so rich and chocolatey that after one small piece I was satisfied so I like the idea of keeping it in my cupboard to enjoy as a naughty but rewarding treat!