Showing posts with label cookies and bars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cookies and bars. Show all posts
Rocky Road Brownies. Prepare yourself to fall in love with this wonderfully deliciously British version of a North American treat.
Brownies, who does not love a good brownie? Classed as a favourite amongst oldsters and youngsters throughout the world, there is something about fudgy, moist, chocolate filled brownies that speaks to the glutton in most of us.
This delicious recipe I am sharing with you today was adapted from a small baking book which I picked up in Marks and Spencers a number of years back. You can't beat M&S cookbooks. I have had a number of them through the years and all of them have been filled with deliciousness.
This one is par excellence! Filled to overflowing with fabulous brownie recipes designed to tempt every taste and desire! Not all brownies are chocolate.
Rocky Road is a completely different thing in the UK than what it is in North America. In the UK, Rocky Road is also known as Tiffin Cake, and is said to be Prince Williams favourite cake. I am not sure if that is true or not, but I can tell you that Tiffin Cake is quite delicious!
Rocky Road or Tiffin is an unbaked chocolate slice typically composed of melted chocolate, crisp broken biscuits/cookies, marshmallows and some type of dried fruit. But not always. It can vary quite a bit from country to country and region to region. In short it is a chocolate fridge cake, similar to a fudge or candy, but uncooked with the exception of melting the chocolate.
A brownie is a type of square or cake that is mostly but not entirely limited to chocolate. Dense and fudgy you can find it in many versions now, one of which is the blondie.
A good brownie is something you should be able to pick up in your hands to eat and is totally enjoyable. Moist, rich and fudgy . . . totally appealing, especially to those who love chocolate.
Rocky Road Brownies are a glorious amalgamation of the two things. I like to think it is composed of the best of both worlds.
You get a dense fudgy brownie, filled with sticky sweet cherries and toasted nuts. Top that with a rich chocolate glaze and sweet mini marshmallows and you have a heavenly bar that everyone who loves brownies is sure to fall in love with!
I have used glace cherries in these. Glace cherries are also known as candied cherries and can be found in the dried fruits/baking aisle of the supermarket. You can also find them online in speciality shops and on amazon.
They are sweet and delicious, and come in a wide variety of colours. I prefer to use the undyed ones which are a bit darker red in colour.
I always rinse them off in warm water before using them in baking. I just pop them into a bowl of warm water and give them a good swish around. I then drain them and pat them dry with some paper kitchen towels.
This helps to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the bake. You really want them evenly distributed throughout the bake.
You can also toss them with a bit of the dried ingredients to hedge your bets even further. Not a lot, just a TBS will do. Note, if you cannot get candied cherries, feel free to use well drained and dried maraschino cherries.
I also always toast my nuts before baking with them. Both Pecans and walnuts. Toasting your nuts just makes them taste nuttier and is not all that difficult to do.
Just preheat your oven to 350*F/180*C. Pop the nuts onto a baking tray and then toast them in the oven for about 8 to 10 minutes at which time they should be smelling all toasty and nutty.
Do check on them to make sure they don't burn. Nuts are expensive baking ingredients and you don't want to waste them. Once they are toasted let them cool completely before using them in any baking recipe.
I often toast my nuts well in advance, doing a whole bag at a time. I then pop them into an airtight freezer container and into the deep freeze where they are ready to use at a moments notice. You don't need to thaw them out.
Toasted nuts also make great snacks. Just saying.
I have used walnuts today, but feel free to use pecans if you would rather. They work really well as do macadamia nuts. (My favourite nut. Especially with chocolate.)
A beautiful chocolate glaze goes on top of these. Not thick enough or fluffy enough to be called a frosting, this is a thick glaze that is very simple to make. Its more like a thin icing.
It gets spread over the top of the cooled bake and then mini marshmallows are pressed into the top before it sets so that they will adhere better to the frosting. Simple.
Once everything sets up they are ready to be cut into delicious bars. I have a confession. I cannot cut or even draw a straight line.
I always bake my bars and cakes that I plan on cutting into squares in pans which I have lined with baking parchment. I make sure I have an overhang of paper so that I can lift them out easily once done. Much easier to cut that way. At least for me.
Now doesn't that look delicious. Like something you can't wait to sink your teeth into? I promise you they are totally delicious.
Amazingly
delicious, a tiny bit dangerous, these are the type of brownie that
everyone need to experience at least once in their lifetime! These brownies are rich, chocolatey and moist, holding well together. Everything a good brownie should be!
Rocky
Road Brownies. British style, with plenty of chocolate oomph , candied
cherries, toasted nuts, a lush choccie glaze and mini marshmallow
topping!
Be warned. These are highly addictive. I am quite sure you won't be able to stop at eating just one. These are just good, good, good!
Rocky Road Brownies
Yield: 16
prep time: 15 Mincook time: 40 Mintotal time: 55 Min
Quite simply delicious. Not the North American version of Rocky Road, but the British with glace cherries, walnuts and marshmallows.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (225g) butter, melted
- 3/4 cup (100g)plain flour
- 3/4 cup (140g) granulated sugar
- 3 TBS cocoa powder, sifted (not drinking mix)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 large free range eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup (70g) glace cherries, quartered
- 2/3 cup (70g) toasted walnuts
For the frosting:
- 1 1/2 cups (200g) icing sugar
- 2 TBS cocoa powder, sifted
- 3 TBS evaporated milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup (60g) mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 165*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Butter a 9 inch square baking tin and line with baking paper. Set aside.
- Whisk together the melted butter, eggs and vanilla. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder into a bowl. Stir in the sugar. Make a well in the centre. Add the wet ingredients all at once. Beat well to mix together smoothly. Stir in the cherries and walnuts. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until just firm on top. Leave to cool in the tin.
- To make the frosting, place all of the ingredients into a bowl and beat together with an electric whisk to give you a speadable consistency. Spread over the cooled brownies. (It won't be really thick, but it shouldn't be runny either.) Sprinkle the marshmallows on top, pressing down slightly. Leave to set before cutting into squares to serve.
- Store any leftovers in a tightly covered container.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
I wish you could smell my house right now. It smells really cosy. What is it about the warm baking spices and gingerbread that makes us feel right at home sweet home??
I have been baking these small batch Gingerbread Cookie Bars and let me tell you, our house smells truly A - MAZE - ING! Truly splendiferous!!
These might not look like much, but trust me, they are destined to become a firm favourite. Todd just loves them. He loves anything Gingerbread, as do I.
They are crisp edged and chewy middled. The recipe makes exactly 8 nice sized bars. No more, no less. I suppose you could cut them larger, but there is such a thing as too much goodness, and that would be it.
Eight bars is just the perfect size for us. We are only two. I find these days that if I bake anything in large numbers, it just doesn't get used up.
The empty nest sure takes getting used to. For years and years I cooked for seven people. Now there are only two of us. It has taken me a while to adjust.
I suppose when we do get company (my oldest son and daughter are supposed to be coming over at some point) I will have to try to expand my recipes again!
They were originally supposed to be coming for the month of April, but alas the Pandemic put an end to those plans. Now we are hoping that they will be able to come next year. Fingers and toes are being crossed on both sides of the pond!
These lush bars are buttery and flavoured with molasses and vanilla, as well as plenty of warm baking spices. I do so love the warm baking spices, don't you??
Cinnamon, Ginger, Cloves, Allspice . . . they are all in there . . . you could also add a touch of ground cardamom as well if you wished. It would not go amiss.
The icing is a simple lemon buttercream. Basic buttercream icings are very simple to make. Just pop everything into a bowl and beat on high with an electric whisk. Butter, (I like Lurpak lightly salted) cream, icing sugar and lemon extract.
Just beat them together until the mixture is light, fluffy and smooth. If you want your icing to be a bit thinner, you can add a smidgen more cream, or a small splash of milk.
I think it is pretty perfect just as it is. Just look there . . . delicious . . .ooey, chewy centred. What a fabulous looking mouthful.
I just adore the crisp edges and I love the chewy middles and I love that frosting. It is sweet and tangy and rich and goes so perfectly with the flavours of gingerbread.
These lush cookie bars are perfectly at home with ice cold glasses of milk or hot cups of tea or coffee . . . whatever it is you personally enjoy with things like these.
I had to have a taste of course, just to make sure they were okay before I fed them to Todd. I wouldn't want him to have to eat anything nasty . . .
Its a tough job but somebody has to do it. I am always willing to take the bullet for just such a cause, and I'm afraid my hips show it!
Moderation is evidentally not really a part of my vocabulary. That's another reason why small batch recipes work well for me. There is far less temptation for me to have to deal with.
Just because you are a small family that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the same things that larger families enjoy. These are perfect.
You can freeze any leftovers, or keep them in an airtight container for about a week, no problem. I am pretty sure, however, that these won't be around that long to worry about their storage.
Lemon Frosted Gingerbread Cookie Bars
Yield: Makes 8 bars
prep time: 10 Mcook time: 25 Mtotal time: 35 M
Todd just adores these soft and chewy Gingerbread Bars. He doesn't like anything too hard. These are crisp edged and chewy middled. With their sweet lemon buttercream frosting, they always go down a real treat!
Ingredients:
For the Bars:
- 1/4 cup butter, softened (60g)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 1/4 cup soft light brown sugar, packed (50g)
- 1 large free range egg yolk (freeze the white to make angelfood cake at another time)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 TBS molasses
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- pinch each cloves and nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup all purpose flour (140g)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
For the Lemon frosting:
- 1 cup sifted icing sugar (130g)
- 1 TBS butter softened
- 1 TBS cream
- 1/2 tsp lemon extract
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Butter an 8 by six inch baking dish and line with baking paper so that you can remove the bars easily. Set aside.
- Cream together the butter and both sugars. Beat in the egg yolk, vanilla and molasses until light and creamy
- Sift the flour together with the spices, salt and baking soda. Add to the creamed mixture and mix together until combined and there are no longer any white streaks. Press this dough into your prepared pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes. It will be golden around the edges and puffed up. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan. (It will sink in the middle, don't worry that's what is supposed to happen.)
- To make the icing, beat all of the ingredients together until light and creamy. If you think it is a bit too stiff, add a crop more cream. Spread this into the sunken area of the bars once they are completely cold.
- Cut into 8 bars to serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
Make sure you come to visit me on Monday, I have a fabulous Giveaway to share with you for something that is really REALLY delicious!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The
English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are
reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you
may report it to me at: theenglishkitchen@mail.com
Millionaires' Shortbread. I think I must have been hiding under a rock before I came here to the UK because this was something I had never heard of or experienced before coming here.
These incredibly moreish bars consist of a shortbread base, topped with a rich caramel filling and finished off with a melted chocolate topping.
This recipe I am sharing today is the best millionaires shortbread recipe. I kid you not!
I can remember it being love at first bite when I tasted these for the very first time.
Shortbread cookies have always been a favourite of mine, but topped with caramel and then chocolate? Well . . . count me in!
The recipe which I am sharing with you today comes from the Cookery by by Parragon Press, entitled Grandma's Best Recipes.
I love this book. It is filled to overflowing with lovely recipes. Everyone I have tried so far has turned out perfectly.
Also known as Caramel Shortbread, the origins of this recipe are said to be Scotland, which makes sense as shortbread is certainly a Scottish invention!
I guess you could call it Scottish Millionaires Shortbread.
The original recipe of this shortcake has certain variations. One variation includes shortbread with raisins on top and another with peanut butter instead of chocolate.
I cannot speak to what those might taste like as I have only ever tasted this version, with the caramel filling.
I have to say however a peanut butter version sounds pretty heavenly to this peanut butter loving heart.
The base goes together very quickly in a food processor.
You just bang in the ingredients, blitz and then press the mixture into a baking pan and bake.
You can be making the filling while the shortbread base bakes. Its relatively simple to make as well.
You just put everything into a saucepan and cook and stir . . . the stirring is the most tedious part . . . as it must be stirred constantly.
With its high sugar content (sweetened condensed milk, golden syrup, sugar) it can catch very easily.
It is important not to cook it over a very high heat and to stir, stir, stir it constantly to prevent this from happening.
I have heard of some people using Dulce de Leche for this filling, but I don't recommend that.
You really want to make it from scratch for it to be perfectly authentic.
Rich and caramel-like . . . sweet and lush, and also buttery, just shy of being like McIntosh's toffee bars from back home.
My ex husband used to love McIntosh's toffee. I am sure he ate one of those every day of his life almost. At least while we were married. He loved that and wine gums.
In any case, I digress. This thick caramel filling is gorgeously moreish.
Very rich however so a little bit goes a very long way.
You pour it over the shortbread base and then refrigerate it so that it sets up perfectly, ready to have melted chocolate poured over top.
The recipe just said chocolate. I used chocolate chips. They worked beautifully . . .
This is incredibly rich, which is probably why it has the name Millionaires' short bread.
The recipe said it made 12 fingers, but in all honesty I think the fingers are far too much to contemplate.
I would rather enjoy it cut into squares in which case instead of 12 servings it would make 24.
Millionaires' Shortbread
Yield: Makes 12 slices
With their buttery shortbread base, rich caramel filling and crisp chocolate topping these are destined to become a real favourite!
Ingredients:
For the shortbread base:
- 120g cold salted butter (1/2 cup)
- 175g plain flour (1 1/5 cup)
- 55g castor sugar (1/4 cup)
For the caramel filling:
- 175g butter (3/4 cup)
- 115g sugar (1/2 cup)
- 3 TBS golden syrup
- 400ml sweetened condensed milk (14 ounces)
For the chocolate topping:
- 200g plain chocolate, broken into pieces (1/2 pound) (I used semi sweet chocolate chips)
Instructions:
- First make the shortbread base. Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9 inch square baking tin and line with paper leaving a bit of ovehang to lift it out with when totally done.
- Put all of the ingredients for the shortbread base into a food processor. Blitz until the mixture begins to bind together. Press into the prepared tin and smooth the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.
- For the filling, combine all of the filling ingredients in a saucepan. Gently heat over low heat, stirring, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Bring to the boil and then simmer at a low bubble, stirring constantly for 6 to 8 minus until the mixture turns caramel like and becomes very thick. Pour this mixture over the shortbread base in the tin. Refrigerate until firm.
- Melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over simmering water. Stir until completely melted and then pour/spread over top of the set caramel. Return to the refrigerator until completely firm.
- Cut into 12 fingers with a sharp knife to serve.
There is really no nice way to photograph these or make them look really pretty. They are what they are and that is to say incredibly delicious, and a lot easier to make than one would suppose!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan@aol.com
One thing we both love in this house is figs. Fresh, dried, in baked goods, diced on top of our morning oats, fresh in a salad, etc.
Figs are a favourite in our home.
Todd really loves Fig Rolls. Do you know the ones I mean? In North America they are called Fig Newtons. Here in the UK they are called Fig Rolls.
I suppose that is because they are basically a cookie/bar dough rolled around a sweet fig filling, flattened and cut into bars.
They can vary drastically from one brand to another. Some might have more filling than others, but I think they are all a bit stingy with the filling to be honest.
I prefer a much higher filling to cookie ration.
There are quite a few copycat versions of them around the world wide web.
Today I adapted the best of all of them, threw in my own interpretations and made a small batch, from scratch.
Let me tell you . . . these are infinitely better than the fig rolls that you buy.
No, the filling isn't totally encased and rolled up in a biscuit dough . . .
These are more like a bar. There is plenty of filling to cookie dough ratio I think it is the perfect amount.
You get the sweet brown sugar dough, crumbly and buttery . . . both on the bottom as a bar and on the top as a crumble.
NO oats in this I am afraid, but there is whole wheat and plain flours, so a bit more fibre.
The filling is perfectly ample . . . not too much, not too little. Just right.
These are moist and crumbly and incredibly moreish, from that buttery crust to that sweet and sticky filling.
They are filled with sweet fibre, both in the crust and in the filling. These will help to keep you regular which reminds me of an interesting story about my mom.
Mom always kept a special jar of this fig spread in the refrigerator. She bought it at the drugstore I think, or maybe it was the health food store.
She called it her medicine. Nobody was aloud to touch it upon pain of death.
Nobody wanted to to be honest. Medicine? Who would take medicine on purpose!
Now that I am an older woman I begin to appreciate the importance of fibre and figs to help keep things working smoothly.
These are a fabulous way to get in some of that fibre, and in a most pleasant way.
Incredibly moreish. Trust me on this. So much so that I am wishing I had not baked a small batch.
Never mind . . . I just get to bake them again. Fresh, as and when we need want them!
Trust me when I tell you, having tasted one of these, you will never settle for a ready made Fig Newton Roll again! Never!
Homemade Fig Bars, small batch
Yield: Makes 8 bars
This small batch recipe, if anything, is more delicious than the fig bars you can buy. They are also very delicious.
Ingredients:
For the filling:
- 4 ounces dried Turkish or Calimyrna figs (1/4 pound)
- 240ml cloudy apple juice (1 cup)
- pinch salt
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
For the crust:
- 53g all purpose flour (4 TBS)
- 35g whole wheat flour (1/4 cup)
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- 3 TBS unsalted butter, softened
- 83g soft light brown sugar (6 TBS, packed)
- 1 large free range egg yolk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla
Instructions:
- First make the filling. Trim the hard stem from the dried figs and discard. Cut the figs into quarters and put them into a small saucepan. Add the apple juice and salt. Cook over medium heat until the figs are very soft and the juice is syrupy. This will take 15 to 20 minutes. There should only be about a tablespoon or two left in the pan. Stir in the lemon juice. Puree them in a small food processor until smooth, or use an immersion blander. You should have something with a thickish jam consistency.
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Line an 8 by 4 inch loaf tin with some aluminium foil and butter the foil.
- Whisk together the flours and baking powder. Set aside.
- Beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture to combine well. Divide in half and press half of the mixture into the bottom of the loaf tin. Spread the fig mixture over top of this. Scatter the remaining batter evenly over top and lightly press down to help it to adhere to the filling.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.
- Leave to cool completely in the tin before lifting out and cutting into bars. Store any lefovers in an airtight container.
Does anyone know the story behind Fig Newtons? Here is what I found out. I thought you might also find it intersting: (Source, the Inventors.org)
A machine invented in 1891 made the mass production of Fig Newtons possible. James Henry Mitchell invented a machine which worked like a funnel within a funnel; the inside funnel supplied jam, while the outside funnel pumped out the dough, this produced an endless length of filled cookie, that was then cut into smaller pieces. The Kennedy Biscuit Works used Mitchell's invention to mass-produce the first Fig Newton Cookies in 1891.
Originally, the Fig Newton was just called the Newton. There is an old rumor that James Henry Mitchell, the funnel machine's inventor, named the cookies after that great physicist, Sir Isaac Newton, but that was just a rumor. The cookies were named after the Massachusetts town of Newton, which was close to Kennedy Biscuits. Kennedy Biscuits had a tradition of naming cookies and crackers after the surrounding towns near Boston."
So now we both know.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan@aol.com
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