Gluten free chocolate brownies

Ingredients:

1/3 c  (45 g) cornflour
1/4 c (20 g) cocoa powder
1/2 t salt (4g)
340 g semi-sweet chocolate chips
90 g butter, diced into 1 Tbsp pieces, plus more for baking dish
3/4 c (185g) sugar
3 large eggs
1 t vanilla
1 c chopped pecans (approx. 110 g)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. 
2. In a bowl whisk together cornflour, cocoa powder and salt, set aside. 
3. Add chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl, top with butter and heat mixture in microwave on HIGH power in 20 second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted and smooth. 
4. To chocolate mixture add sugar and stir in. Add vanilla and stir. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until combined after each addition. 
5. Add dry mixture and stir until well blended and smooth, then mix in pecans. 
6. Pour batter into a well buttered 20 by 20 cm baking dish (you can also line the baking dish with baking paper and grease with a little extra butter if desired) and spread into an even layer. 
7. Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into centre comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 35 - 38 minutes. 
8. Allow to cool completely then cut into squares (I found mine cut cleaner after freezing for about 45 minutes - after cooling, if you can waiting any longer).

A very easy and very tasty brownie recipe. Made it for the first time with my husband and 2 year old. Husband declared he could make it himself. I'd like to try macadamia nuts instead of pecans.

Recipe Source: adapted from Martha Stewart

Chocolate Coconut Slice

Makes about 20 slices


Ingredients:
250 g butter
1 cup sugar
1 T cocoa
1 T golden syrup
2 cups flour
2 t baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup coconut


Icing:
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1 T cocoa
1 T soft butter
1 1/2 - 2 T boiling water


1/4 c coconut to sprinkle over icing


Method:

1. Melt the first four ingredients in a pot. Do not let boil. Cool.
2. Preheat oven to 160°C fan bake.
3. Grease an 18 x 27cm baking pan and line with baking paper for easy lift out.
4. Add dry ingredients to coca mixture and press into pan.
5. Bake for 25 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, mix the icing ingredients together and beat well.
7. Ice the slice while warm, not hot, with chocolate icing and sprinkle the additional coconut over the top..
8. Cut into small pieces when cool.

Notes:
You don't need as much icing if you ice while warm this helps "melt" the icing making it go further. 
I have a gas oven, no fan, slice cooked nicely in 25 minutes at around 170°C.


Like this recipe? You may want to try Morriss' Fudge Squares or Chocolate Truffle Fudge Cake!

Banana & apple slice

Ingredients:

125 g soft margarine
150 g soft brown sugar
2 eggs
275 g wholemeal self-raising flour
2 dessert apples, cored and grated
2 bananas, mashed
75 g sultanas
125 ml apple juice
2 tablespoons chopped cashew nuts

Method:

1. Preheat oven, 180 degrees C (350 degrees F, gas mark 4).
2. Grease and line an 18 x 28 cm shallow baking tin.
3. Cream the margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a tablespoon of flour with the second egg.
5. Fold in half the remaining flour with the apples, bananas and sultanas.
6. Fold in the remaining flour with the apple juice.
7. Turn the mixture into the tin and smooth the top with a palette knife. 
8. Transfer to oven and bake for 45 - 50 minutes, until the cake springs back when lightly pressed.
9. Turn the cake out on to a wire rack to cool, then sprinkle with the chopped cashew nuts.
10. Cut into slices to serve.

Alternatives:
Try 2 grated pears instead of apples. Add a handful of chocolate pieces.


Makes: 20 slices
Prep time: 20 - 25 minutes
Cooking time: 45 - 50 minutes

Note: the slices freeze well. Pack them into a rigid, freezer container, cover and freeze. They will keep for up to 3 months. To defrost, remove as many as required and leave at room temperature for 1 hour.

Carrot cupcakes

For the cupcakes

• 130 g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 215 g caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 175 ml vegetable oil, or any other neutral oil
• 65 g walnuts, chopped, plus extra to decorate
• 165 g carrots, grated (approximately 2 medium-large carrots)

For the icing

• 170 g thick cream cheese
• 65 g butter
• 125 g icing sugar
• 1/2 lemon, finely grated zest only
• 3/4 tbsp soured cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

For the cupcakes: preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a cupcake pan or muffin tin with paper cases. 

2. Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon and ½ tsp salt and set aside. 

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until thick and creamy. Slowly add the oil in a thin stream while whisking constantly. Fold in the dry ingredients, and once combined gently stir in the nuts and carrots. 

4. Divide the batter evenly among the paper cups and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre of one cupcake comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool. 

5. For the icing: in a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and icing sugar until the mixture is smooth and soft. Stir in the lemon zest, soured cream and vanilla extract. 

6. Pile the frosting into a piping bag and pipe it onto the cooled cupcakes. Decorate with the extra chopped walnuts before serving. 

Makes 12 cupcakes

Choclate Truffle Fudge Cake

Ingredients:
125 g butter
1/4 c caster sugar
2 T golden syrup
2 T milk
2 T drinking chocolate
1 T cocoa
1 pkt plain sweet biscuits, crushed
1 1/2 c chocolate cake crumbs or crumbled sponge cake
nip of whisky or rum
60 g cherries, chopped
1/3 c raisins
250 g dark chocolate, melted for icing

Method:

1. Heat butter, sugar, milk and syrup over a low-medium heat.
2. Add drinking chocolate, cocoa and 1/2 biscuits and mix.
3. Add remaining ingredients and mix.
4. Press into 20cm sandwich tin or flan dish.
5. Melt chocolate in a bowl over boiling water.
6. Spread melted chocolate over slice to ice.
7. Allow to set.
8. Cut with a sharp hot knife.
9. Store in the fridge in a sealed container.

Makes about 30 small pieces.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is best made with chocolate chopped up roughly. The mixture is very soft; chilling it slightly before shaping makes it easier to work with.

Ingredients:
250g butter
1/2 c sugar
3 T sweetened condensed milk
1 - 2 drops vanilla essence
2 1/4 c plain flour
2 t baking powder
250 g Energy chocolate, hand chopped into chunks, not too small

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees celsius.
2. Beat together butter and sugar until creamy.
3. Beat in the condensed milk and vanilla essence.
4. Stir in dry ingredients and chopped chocolate.
5. Chill.
6. Roll into large walnut-sized balls.
7. Place on cold, greased oven trays, allowing some room to flatten.
8. Flatten with the palm of your hand.
9. Bake at 170 degrees celsius for 15 - 20 minutes until lightly golden.
10. Cool, then remove from trays and store in an airtight container.

Makes about 30 biscuits.

Mum's Chocolate Cake

INGREDIENTS:

20 cm square tin
300 g butter
6 T cocoa
9 t hot water
1 ½ c sugar
1 1/8 c flour
1 ½ t baking powder
3 eggs

METHOD:

Melt butter, cocoa and hot water in a thick based saucepan.
Add sugar and stir well.
Add flour and baking powder and blend together lightly.
Stir in egg yolks and then quickly stir in stiffly beaten egg whites.
Pour into a greased tin and bake at 180ºC for 30 – 40 minutes.

ICING:

90 g cream cheese
90 g butter
2 c icing sugar
2 T cocoa
Vanilla essence

Beat cream cheese and butter to a cream.
Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until smooth.

Morriss' Fudge Squares

170 g butter

3/4 c sugar

2 T golden syrup

2 T cocoa

1 1/2 c flour

1 1/2 t baking powder

3/4 c coconut

Icing:

125 g icing sugar

1 T cocoa (sifted)

15 ml warm water

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees celcius or gas mark 4.
   
2. In a pot melt the butter, sugar, golden syrup and cocoa (I like to sift this to get out any lumps).
   
3. Add the flour, baking powder and coconut to the melted mixture.
   
4. Press mixture out in a Swiss roll tin (or similar, shallow tray).
   
5. Bake for 10 minutes.

Icing:

1. Sift icing sugar and cocoa into a bowl.

2. Add warm water and mix until smooth. Add extra water drop by drop if the icing is too stiff.
TO FINISH:

Ice fudge squares when cool and cut into squares.

Carrot Cake

Ingredients:
1/4 cup oil (eg peanut or sunflower)
1 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup low-fat milk
2 egg whites and 1 whole egg
1/2 cup flour
3-4 cup sugar
2 cups wholemeal flour
2 tsps baking powder, baking soda and vanilla essence
2 tsps cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cups chopped walnuts and raisins or chopped prunes
1 234g can pineapple crushed with juice

Method:

1. In a large bowl, beat together the oil, apple sauce, milk, egg whites and egg until well mixed.

2. In another bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmet and cloves. Make a well in the centre. Carefully pour the apple sauce mixture into the well in the dry ingredients and mix them together lightly with a holed spoon.

3. Add the carrots, walnuts, raisins, pineapple and vanilla. Pour mixture into a 23cm greased cake tin.

4. Bake for 60-70 minutes at 180 deg C. The cake is cooked when a skewer inserted comes out clean and the cake has come away form the side of the tin. This cake is very moist.

5. Allow the cake to cool 10 minutes before turning out and leaving the cake to cool on a cake
rack.

Topping:

1. In a food processor, put 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese, 3 tblspns low fat yoghurt, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tblspn lemon juice, 1/4 cup cream cheese, and 3 tblspns icing sugar. Process until blended.

2. When the cake is cold, spread the topping over the cake and decorate with walnuts or grated lemon rind.

Barbara's Pinwheel Scones

Ingredients:

2 c flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt (optional)
4 T margarine
2/3 c milk

Savoury Flavour:
60 g Edam cheese
pepper to taste

Sweet Flavour:
4 t sugar
1 t cinnamon

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
   
2. In a bowl sift flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Rub in the margarine with the tips of your fingers until it is just crumbly.
   
4. Mix in the milk quickly with a knife until the mixture sticks together in a lump.
5. Without touching the dough, roll into a rectangle about 1 cm thick.
6. Sprinkle dough with your chosen flavour ingredients.
7. Roll up from the longest side.
8. Cut into eight pieces and place pinwheels on a lightly floured oven tray.
9. Bake at 200 degrees C for 10 – 12 minutes or until golden.
10. Serve warm.

In memory of my great scone making grandma 19/11/19 - 24/4/08.

Chocolate Brownies

To prepare: 20 minutes
To cook: 35 minutes

225 g butter
200 g dark chocolate
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/4 t vanilla essence
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup cocoa, sieved
1 1/2 cups walnuts, roughly chopped (optional or substitue for other nuts)

Brownie topping:
200g melted dark chocolate
OR
dust with icing sugar

Method:

1. Melt butter and chocolate over a low heat in a pot.
2. Add sugar to the melted butter and chocolate. Allow to cool if necessary before adding eggs.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Stir in vanilla essence.
5. Sift in flour and cocoa. Add nuts and mix until evenly combined.
6. Pour into a greased 30cm x 24cm baking tin.
7. Bake at 180 degrees C for 35 minutes until set.
8. Cool then spread over melted chocolate or dust with icing sugar.
9. If topping with melted chocolate allow to set before cutting in to squares.
10. Makes about 30 pieces.

TIP: I often make this recipe ahead of time. It can be pretty gooey even when properly cooked. It is easier to cut if you freeze it first. Obviously take out of the freezer for a bit before you try and cut it unless you are super strong and have a really good knife! If you are going to freeze this mixture, dust with icing sugar after freezing and before serving.

Enjoy!