Oh heck, who am I fooling. Its candy. Pure and simple, but what a way to go.  Rocky Road is a confection that has always been a favorite of the royal family. It is especially popular at this time of year when there is lots of chocolate about.

This is a recipe I adapted from a page called Taming Twins.  I cut the recipe in half as I did not need a large pan of this around tempting me.  

It does make for great gifting however, and if Christmas is Love (and I believe it is) this is a beautiful and very delicious way to show it!

 

You will need about 1 1/2 chocolate oranges for this recipe. There will be no problem disposing of the unused half orange, I promise.  I was surprised at how many different varieties there are available to use now.  I used the traditional orange flavored chocolate orange.  I am a traditionalist at heart.

I used chocolate chips (semi-sweet and white) for the other bits of chocolate.  You need plain digestive biscuits/cookies.  Here in Canada, they are Christie Peek Freen's brand. If you cannot get them you can use broken up graham crackers in their place, or any plain biscuit really. Social T's are also very nice as are Maria biscuits.

You could use colored mini marshmallows to add even more interest to the mix, but I only had white ones.  In the U.K. they come in white and pink. Here you can get them in orange, pink, green and white. Any kind of mini marshmallow will do.

My cake sprinkles/decorations came from Sweetapolita.   I thought they added a lovely festive touch and sparkle.

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE ORANGE ROCKY ROAD

This is a very simple confectionary to make.  If you can operate a microwave oven, then you have this in the bag! (Alternately the chocolate, etc. can be melted in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.)

Butter a 9 by 5-inch loaf tin or baking dish and line with baking paper. Set aside.

Measure the butter, semi-sweet chocolate, broken up chocolate orange and golden syrup in a microwave-proof mixing bowl.

Microwave for 30 seconds. Give it a stir and then microwave for 15 to 20 seconds longer until everything can be whisked together into a smooth amalgamation. Set aside for a few minutes to cool slightly. (You don't want any of the stir ins to melt when you add them.)

 

Add the broken chocolate orange pieces, marshmallows and broken digestive biscuits giving everything a good stir together. Press firmly into the prepared baking dish using a spatula.

Melt the white chocolate chips according to package directions. (Go with caution as it can seize up very quickly. I microwave it for about 20 seconds, stir and then microwave for about 10 seconds longer.)

 

Drizzle this over top of the chocolate mixture in the baking dish and spread it out to cover the base.

Arrange the remaining orange slices over top and sprinkle on some decorative sprinkles to make it real pretty.

Place in the refrigerator to set for at least 3 hours. When set, remove from the pan and use a sharp knife to cut into squares for serving.

 

Rocky road is one of those deliciously indulgent holiday treats that everyone loves. This is a fabulously tasty version. I love its ease of preparation, and the flavors and texture are simply fabulous.

The cake sprinkles on top are entirely optional, but they do add a lovely festive flair! I took half of these over to my next-door neighbor Sheila.  I was quite happy to do so.  We had a little chin wag while I was there.  She always loves to have company and if you come bearing something delicious to eat, well, so much the better!

 

Here are a few other confectionary type of Christmas goodies to pop onto the Christmas goodie trays!  Both are old family favorites!

FOOLPROOF CHOCOLATE FUDGE - This fudge is pretty much failure proof. It turns out perfectly every time.  Simply stir some simple ingredients together and then pour into a square pan or do as I did and turn it into a pretty wreath shape for the holidays, decorating it with candied cherries. Everyone always loves this delicious, smooth, creamy chocolate fudge. Walnuts are optional!

MOTHER'S PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE - It would not have been Christmas in our house when I was growing up without my mother making this delicious peanut butter fudge. It is creamy and peanut buttery.  She never really measured anything to make it.  I had to watch her make it one time and carefully write down the measurements so that I could replicate it.  Everyone always loves this delicious peanut butter and brown sugar fudge as well!  Its fabulous!

RECIPE HERE

Yield: 8 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

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Chocolate Orange Rocky Road (small batch)

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 3 HourTotal time: 3 H & 15 M

Rocky road is a simple, no bake treat, that goes together very easily and that is very popular. This recipe uses Chocolate Oranges which are so common at this time of year for a very festive version. This is a small batch recipe. Simply double the quantities to make more servings. I guarantee this will be one of the most popular Christmas treats on the cookie tray!

Ingredients

For the chocolate base:

• 1/3 cup (75g) butter
• 2/3 cup (125g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 (78g) of a Terry's Chocolate Orange, broken up
• 2 TBS Golden syrup (can use light corn syrup)

Stir ins:

• 2 cups (100g) mini marshmallows
• 8 plain digestive biscuits (75g) broken up coarsley
• 1/4 of a chocolate orange, broken into bits (39g)

To top:

• generous 1/2 cup (100g) white chocolate, chopped or white chocolate chips
• six chocolate orange slices
• Holiday sprinkles

Instructions

1. Butter a 9 by 5-inch loaf tin or baking dish and line with baking paper. Set aside.
2. Measure the butter, semi-sweet chocolate, broken up chocolate orange and golden syrup in a microwave-proof mixing bowl.
3. Microwave for 30 seconds. Give it a stir and then microwave for 15 to 20 seconds longer until everything can be whisked together into a smooth amalgamation. Set aside for a few minutes to cool slightly. (You don't want any of the stir ins to melt when you add them.)
4. Add the broken chocolate orange pieces, marshmallows and broken digestive biscuits giving everything a good stir together. Press firmly into the prepared baking dish using a spatula.
5. Melt the white chocolate chips according to package directions. (Go with caution as it can seize up very quickly. I microwave it for about 20 seconds, stir and then microwave for about 10 seconds longer.)
6. Drizzle this over top of the chocolate mixture in the baking dish and spread it out to cover the base.
7. Arrange the remaining orange slices over top and sprinkle on some decorative sprinkles to make it real pretty.
8. Place in the refrigerator to set for at least 3 hours.
9. When set, remove from the pan and use a sharp knife to cut into squares for serving.

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This recipe I am sharing with you today is a very old one that I have been making for well over 45 years now. It is a recipe that I got from my good friend Leona way back when.  Leona was a bit older than myself, more of a mother figure to me really.

I met her in London, Ontario at a Bingo on the base we were posted to. We clicked together from the start.  She had an easy, open and friendly manner and she reminded me very much of my mother, whom I lived quite far away from at the time.

We both had a real love of family and of cooking. Leona was a simple, old-fashioned cook. She really didn't use recipes per se, but mostly just cooked by instinct, unless it came to baking.  She was more inclined to use a recipe then.

 

 

 

Dry mustard powder usually comes in a tin. Keen's is the most common one found. It gives a nice bit of heat to this, but don't overdo it.  You don't want it to overwhelm all of the other flavors. If you cannot get powdered mustard, you can use a good Dijon.  Just thinly smear it over the ham slice.

Soft light brown sugar is what I use. You could also use demerara sugar or even muscovado sugar. Don't overdo that either. You want it to kind of melt into the ham steak and give it a slight glaze.

I use whole milk which is all I keep in my kitchen.  Just pour it around the edges of the ham steak, not over top. You don't want to wash off the sugar mixture. How much you use depends on the size of your dish and the size of your ham steak.  You want it to just come about 1/2 way up the side of your steak, unless it is really thick. Then 1/3 of the way is probably sufficient.

 

 

 

 

Yield: 4 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

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Old Fashioned Baked Ham Steak

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 10 M

This is a very simple recipe which I have been making for years. The ham always comes out delectably moist and delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 (1-inch thick) center cut ham steak
• 2 tsp dry mustard powder
• 1/4 cup (50g) soft light brown sugar, packed
• milk (I use whole milk)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Have ready a large shallow baking dish large enough to hold your ham steak.
2. If your ham steak has a very fatty edge, trim that off. Pat it dry. Place it into the baking dish.
3. Sprinkle the dry mustard powder over top of the ham. Rub it into the top and sides. Sprinkle the soft light brown sugar evenly over top of the mustard.
4. Pour some milk into the baking dish around the ham steak. Don't pour it over top.
5. Bake, uncovered, for one hour in the preheated oven.
6. About 10 minutes before it is done, take a spoon and spoon some of the juices over top. I also like to pop it briefly under the grill to glaze it a bit, but that's not totally necessary.

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