Darkest Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Darkest Chocolate Brownie Cookies

This is such a great recipe. The quantities sound large but it makes lots, you roll the dough up into a log and just cut & cook them as needed. The dough keeps well in the fridge for 4 days or just freeze it till you need it.

You will need a parchment lined oven tray.  Cook in batches of no more than 6 or 7 per tray as they spread whilst baking.

Ingredients to make approximately 30 cookies

If you prefer to measure your ingredients in cups & spoons then here's a Detailed Conversion Chart

10oz/300 gms good quality 70% solids dark chocolate, broken into smallish pieces   *see below for additional chocolate
7½oz/200gms  soft brown sugar (I used dark)
7½oz/200gms caster (superfine) sugar
1 large egg beaten
6½oz/225gms soft salted butter
2tsps vanilla extract
10oz/300gms plain flour
2tsps baking powder
4oz/125gms Cocoa (not drinking chocolate)
1 tbsp  Black treacle (molasses if your in the US)
approx 4oz/100g melted dark chocolate for the drizzle

Method

Melt  5oz/150gms of the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Cool slightly
In a bowl beat the sugar & butter together until light & creamy
beat in the egg, vanilla and treacle and the melted chocolate
Sieve together the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder.
Add this along with the remaining 150gms/5oz of broken chocolate to the wet ingredients.
Mix well together.

Place a large sheet of parchment paper onto your work surface
Place the dough (which will be very sticky at this stage) in the centre shape and roll up into a long sausage  around 15" long
Screw the ends up and place in the fridge for at least an hour or so to firm up.

When you're ready to bake them heat the oven to 190c/375f/gas5
With a sharp knife (dipped in hot water) cut the dough into approx ½"/ 1 cm rounds
Spread well apart on the baking sheet...remember no more than 6/7 to each oven tray
Bake for exactly 10 minutes
Leave to cool on the tray for around 10 minutes or so
Remove & finish cooling on a cooling rack
When completely cold drizzle over some melted chocolate

Now hide them from the kids

Remember the dough can be refrigerated for 4 days or frozen until required

Chocca Mocha Rum Cake

Wow this is definitely one for grown-ups. Dark rich ganache laced with coffee & rum and whipped cream with a little added dark rum and even more ganache.The cake itself is beautifully moist with a little kick of coffee & rum. I made the truffles from some rum flavoured ganache and rolled them in a little chopped chocolate. I suppose I should have 8 to 10 as that's how many it's going to serve. Now no fighting over these three please.

The Ingredients for the cake.

100 gram bar of 70% solid dark chocolate melted
2 tbsp cocoa powder sieved together with
220gms/ 8oz self raising flour sifted together with
1 level tsp of baking powder and a pinch of salt
220g/8oz softened unsalted butter or margarine (I used Stork margarine)
220g/8oz caster sugar
1 heaped tsp of coffee granules dissolved in
2 tbsp dark rum
4 large eggs beaten.

Ingredients for the Ganache

200g of 70% solid dark chocolate
150ml /¼ double cream
50g/2oz unsalted butter
1 tbsp dark rum (optional)

The truffles were made with a little left over ganache rolled in chopped chocolate
a few optional chocolate triangles broken from a bar were added to my cake

Ingredients for the Mocha Cream

570ml /1 pint of double cream
50gms/2oz sifted icing/confectioners sugar
3 tbsp of the prepared ganache
1 tbsp dark rum

Set the oven to 180c/350f/gas 4
Grease and line an 8inch/20cm springform tin with parchment paper

Method.

Beat the sugar & butter/margarine until light & fluffy
carry on beating adding a little of the egg at a time until all is incorporated.
Add the cocoa & flour mix a few spoonfuls at a time folding in with a metal spoon as you go along.
Add the disolved coffee & rum and the melted chocolate and carefully stir through until beautifully even.
Place in the prepared tin.
Bake in the centre of the oven for approximately 50 mins to 1 hr when a skewer placed in the centre should come out clean.
Cool in the tin for around 10 mins
Turn out onto a wire rack and leave until completely cold.

The Ganache.(can be made a little in advance)

Place all the ingredients into a heatproof bowl
Place over a pan of hot but not boiling water making sure the base of the bowl is not touching the water.
Stir occasionally until all is mixed together and becoming smooth & glossy.
Leave to cool naturally. Do not place it in the fridge or the ganache will lose it's sheen.
Do not use until it starts to thicken or it will run all over the place.
If it gets a little too thick just place over a bowl of warm water while stirring contiually until it begins to loosen again

The Mocha Cream

Place the cream, sugar and 3 tbsp of ganache in a bowl and whisk until it begins to thicken. Add the rum and lightly whisk again until soft peaks begin to form It is now ready.

The Truffles

If you have any ganache left over, just add a tiny bit more rum and roll into balls then coat with either chopped chocolate or cocoa.

To assemble the cake.

Please make sure the cake is cold before you start to fill it.
Cut the cake cleanly in half.
Turn the cake upside down so the bottom now becomes a nice flat top to work on.
use around half the mocha cream to fill the centre
Place the other half on top
Using a palette knife smooth over almost all of the remaining ganache just leaving a little if you want to top with a few truffles.
using a large star nozzle pipe mocha cream rosettes around the edges.
Finish off with the truffles and perhaps a few chocolate triangles as I have done.

Chewy Cranberry, Dark Chocolate & Oatmeal /Oatmeal & Raisin Cookies

Oh my, these are soooooo very delicious. You better make lots because they won't last for long.
This recipe will make approximately 24 cookies
At the end of the post you will see that I've also added my oatmeal & raisin cookies, just substitute the cranberries for raisins the chocolate can be left in or out your choice

you'll need to line 2 baking trays with parchment paper and set the oven to 170c/ 320f/gas 3

If you prefer to measure your ingredients here's a handy Conversion Chart

6oz/175 g dried cranberries
3½ oz/100g good dark chocolate broken into small pieces
3½ oz/100g porridge oats
1¾ oz/ 50g unsalted softened butter
6oz /175 gms caster sugar
3fl oz / 100 ml  corn or sunflower oil
5oz /150g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large beaten egg
Icing sugar to sprinkle over (optional)

method.

Place the sugar and butter into a bowl and mix together. I just squished this together with my hands.
Sift the flour and Baking Powder together
Place everything in the bowl with the sugar & butter and bring it all together with your hands
Roll walnut sized pieces of the dough in your hands and place onto the baking tray leaving about an inch and a half or so between each cookie.
you should have 12 cookies on each tray.
Now flatten them slightly and refrigerate for around half an hour
You can freeze them at this stage and bake whenever you want them.

Bake for around 15 minutes, the cookies will still be soft but starting to brown
remove from the oven and leave on the oven tray until they are cold and set.
remove from the oven tray with a palette knife and store in an airtight container.
Sprinkle with icing sugar if you like.

White Chocolate Florentines with Cranberries & Pistachios

White Chocolate Florentines

This recipe should make approximately 12 x 7cm Florentines. I used a silicone muffin tray with 7cm holes to bake mine.(thanks to Ruth @Pink Whisk for this fab tip) Otherwise you'll need good
parchment paper on a greased oven tray, leaving lots of space between each Florentine as they really spread out. I would only make 4/5 to a tray at a time. Of course you could make smaller ones for Petite Fours by just using a teaspoon of mixture per Florentine, should make around 2 dozen with this recipe.   I have also posted the recipe for dark chocolate Florentines at the bottom of the page.
Set Oven at 180c 350f gas 4

1.5 oz /40g butter
2oz 50g caster sugar
1 level tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp double cream
1 tsp lemon juice
4oz/ 100g white chocolate
2oz /50g dried apricots chopped
1.5 oz /40g dried cranberries chopped
1oz /50g chopped pecans
1oz /50 g chopped Pistachios
1oz/50g flaked almonds

Melt the butter with the sugar in a saucepan
Beat in the sieved flour, cream & lemon juice,
Add all the other ingredients, stir well and you're ready to bake.
Bake for approx 15 mins but keep a keen eye on them. They should be golden but not brown.

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over hot water.

When the Florentines are cold remove them from the silicone cases, if you use parchment you can quickly reshape them into neat circles while they are still hot from the oven and then leave until cold.

Coat the backs with white chocolate, leave to set. I usually pop them in the fridge for this.
When set use the remaining chocolate to trickle over the tops.

I estimate that the cost to make 12 Christmas Florentines would be around £3.50 to £4 as the ingredients are quite expensive. I usually make large batches of 48-60 and of course this would cut down the cost substanially as you can use whole packets of everything.


FLORENTINES WITH DARK CHOCOLATE
candied orange peel, almonds & sultanas

Ingredients:- to make around 15
1oz/50g candied orange peel chopped
1oz/50g blanched slivered almonds
1.5oz/40g glace cherries chopped
half an ounce/25g sultanas chopped
small piece around 15g candied angelica chopped (just increase cherries if you can't find this)
1.5oz/40g unsalted butter
1oz/50g caster sugar
1tbsp double cream
1 tbsp plain flour
1tsp lemon juice
6oz/175g 70% really good dark chocolate
Preferably you will need one or two of those non stick silicone muffin trays or good quality baking parchment on around 3 oven trays.
Melt the sugar & butter gently in a saucepan
Beat in the flour, cream and lemon juice
Stir in everything else.
Set the oven to 180c
Place rounded teaspoons of the mixture into the silicone muffin trays or space tsps well apart on the parchment paper ( at least 2" between each)
Bake for approx 12 minutes until golden. Leave in the silicone trays until completely cold. If baked on a tray you can quickly reshape them into neat circles while they are still warm.
When cool coat the backs with melted chocolate. When the chocolate is almost set make wavey lines on the chocolate with a fork.

White Chocolate Bavarois with Darkest Chocolate Sauce & Strawberries

This Chocolate Bavarois is such a wonderful dessert for a special dinner party or event. It can be made well in advance & placed in the freezer. It just needs an hour or so at room temperature to defrost. It's quite a complicated recipe but if you take your time and follow the instructions carefully you will have no problem at all. Once you've made them I'm sure you'll be back time & time again as they are so light & a delicious way to end a special meal.

Take a look below and you will see a White, Milk & Dark Chocolate Bavarois. Made in exactly the same way but layered up one lovely Chocolate layer at a time. I always make 3 & freeze two for a later date.

I do hope you try & enjoy them.       

White Chocolate Bavarois with Darkest Chocolate Sauce



This recipe should make 8 small puddings. It could also be made in a loaf tin and sliced. It freezes brilliantly.

recipe

13 fl oz / 375ml milk
8 egg yolks lightly beaten
1.5oz caster sugar
15oz white chocolate grated
3/4oz - / 20g gelatine powder soaked in 6 tbsp of cold water
1and a quarter pints/ 720ml lightly whipped double cream

Method

Line 8 . 3 &1/2"  / 8cm pudding basins with cling film
or a 2pt loaf tin
Boil the milk.
Beat the egg yolks & sugar with a wooden spoon to combine.
Pour the milk onto this, stir well.
Return to the pan and heat very gently until the mixture starts to thicken and will coat the back of the spoon.
WATCH THIS LIKE A HAWK, DO NOT OVERHEAT OR THE MIXTURE WILL CURDLE. IF IN DOUBT TAKE IT OFF THE HEAT. IT'S BETTER UNDERCOOKED THAN SCRAMBLED EGGS.
Place the chocolate into a bowl, pour over the milk & eggs and stir to disolve
Place the gelatine into a small pan, pour over the cold water and leave to gel
Heat slowly on a low heat until completely disolved
Add the the chocolate custard
Pass through a sieve into a clean bowl to remove any straggley egg whitey bits
Place in the fridge & leave until it starts to set around the edges.
Lightly whip the cream
Fold into the chocolate custard and pour into the prepare pudding basins/ loaf tin.
Chill until set firmly, preferably overnight and it's ready to serve. Served with raspberries, strawberries as I have here or it's delicious with Cherry Compote.

Darkest Chocolate Sauce
8oz/Dark 70% solids Chocolate
3oz /80g soft brown sugar
1 tbsp golden syrup
6 fl oz/175 ml double cream
1oz/ 30g butter.

Just place everything into a saucepan, heat gently until it's combined & glossy and it's ready. Just warm through if it's sets a little thick.

Now using this recipe you can make a three layered chocolate Bavarois using White, Milk & Dark Chocolate .
Just make sure that each layer is set before you start on the next layer. It's very time consuming so I always make at least three at a time. The recipe freezes brillantly so you'll always have a spare in the freezer when unexpected guests arrive. It will need at least 2 hours at room temperature or even better overnight in the fridge to defrost the loaf.