Quick Three Cheese Pastry Rolls

Ingredients:
 Puff pastry sheets, 1 pastry makes 2 sausage roll sized rolls.
 Pizza cheese (grated) or - edam.
 Brie
 Creamy feta
 Butter or eggwash (beaten egg)
 Baking paper


Steps:

Layer each cheese in the middle of the pastry sheet. I added some parsley but this is optional. You don't want to overcrowd the sheet as you still need to roll it up and have it all secure.

When securing, I find pinching the ends works better + is longer, rather than folding under. (right)

Then, roll them up. The easiest way is to simply fold the top and bottom end over each other and just press down on the ends to secure them. Any pastry is easiest handled when it's almost thawed. Cut some slits at the top (not too deep because the melted cheese will spill out) and lightly brush egg wash or butter on top. Doing this will give it a nice brown colour. Place on a greased tray or lightly greased baking paper and bake at 180°C or 350°F for 15-20 minutes.

That's all! Easy huh? And it tastes absolutely scrumptious! As always, Enjoy!

Coconut Rum Ball Recipe

Today I made coconut rum balls and thought I'd blogument the process, it was super easy, pretty cheap and absolutely delicious! 'Real' rum can be used however I just used rum essence. 

Ingredients: (makes 12 large, 24 medium)

 1 Cup coconut (dessicated) + 1/2 extra Cup for rolling

 1/4 Cup cocoa

 250g Biscuit of your choice, I used 'Super Wine' Biscuits

 1-3Tbsp Rum/rum essence 

 395g Condensed milk

Steps: (1-4)

1. Crush biscuits.

You can use a food processor but I like to just crush them with a wooden spoon or potato masher. It takes a little patience and it does not have to be perfectly crushed, it's all about your personal preference. The bigger 'chunks' will slightly soften when the condensed milk is stirred through and when they are setting.

2,3,4. Add coconut, cocoa and condensed milk.

The condensed milk is very sweet, so don't worry about adding any sugar.

Steps: (5-8)

5. Add rum.

It's really up to you and how strong you want them to taste, I recommend 1tbsp for a soft flavour and up to 3 for a stronger, more distinct taste. Real rum is optional, I like to use essence as I feel it has the same, but slightly sweeter flavour. You can also use vanilla essence for child friendliness.

6. Combine.

Mix all ingredients together until they are combined well. You should now have a sticky, clumpy consistency and texture.

7. Roll them up.

This is quite easy as they hold quite well when they are being formed, your hands will get quite sticky after mixing a few so it's a good idea to wash your hands and pat them until they're almost dry, this also makes rolling them easier. 1tbsp of mixture will get a nice medium-large size, 1tsp for a smaller size. Place them on some baking paper before the next step. They get quite sticky. Note; if you feel like they are losing shape when placed on the baking paper, put the mixture in the fridge for 15 minutes.

8. Cover in coconut.

The rum balls will lose their shape a little bit but you can re-form them before you cover them in coconut. They're sticky, but when you cover them in coconut and let them set they won't be.

Set in the fridge for 1-2 hours and enjoy! :)

Reese's Pieces Inspired By Robjnixon

My attempt at Reese's Pieces.

Just a quick post today. Reese's Pieces 'Reese's Peanut Butter Cups' are my number one favourite candies! When I saw Robjnixon post a recipe on Youtube, I HAD to recreate them. I'm not going to go through the recipe, but you can find it here on Nicko's channel, Nicko's Kitchen. 

Yum!

Pink Cookie Monster Cupcakes Recipe (Vanilla)

I made these little cuties for my daughters best friends 5th birthday. The traditional blue cookie monsters use the same recipe however, you would use blue food colouring/icing & mini chocolate chip cookies instead.

Ingredients: (makes 12)

1 box of Vanilla Cupcake Mix (click here for a homemade recipe) 

Shredded coconut

Pink food colouring

White chocolate buttons

Black or dark chocolate writing gel (icing)

Mini cookies (pink 100s&1000s go nicely with this version)

Steps:

Click to enlarge.

1. [Follow on pack/website directions] Bake cupcakes & let them cool off.

Filling them approximately 1/2 full will make them rise to just under or just to the top of the case, which is best for this type of cupcake as the decorating will sit more secure. Cool before the next step.

2. Frost cupcakes.

If you have opted for a cupcake kit, use included icing and add pink food colouring until you get the desired colour. Don't worry too much about the neatness of the icing as it will be covered up in the next step anyway.

3. Tint coconut & roll in coconut.

Tint the coconut (shredded) by adding a few drops of pink food colouring, mix it around with a spoon until most of the coconut is covered, then; dip and twist the frosted cupcakes.

4. Add eyes.

Use some icing or the icing gel underneath the button so it can stick nicely to the cupcake. It also helps to practice making the dots for pupils a couple of times before applying them to the buttons. The 'googlier' the better!

5. Cut mouth shape with knife & insert mini cookie.

Cut line horizontally about 3/4 through the cupcake where you want the mouth to be so you can insert a cookie. This is why only filling the cases with batter 1/2 full is important. I found with a higher rise, the cupcakes fall apart when trying to put in the cookies.This way, they'll sit firmly and won't fall apart.

Enjoy :)

Melting Moments Recipe

Melting Moments with my recipe.

Melting moments are one of my favourite sweet treats, and they are surprisingly easy to make too. Here is my recipe.

Ingredients:

Biscuits:

200g Butter

1 Cup Flour (Plain)

1 Cup Cornflour

3/4 Cup Icing Sugar

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder

Pinch Of Salt

Filling (traditional):

100g Butter

1/2 Cup Icing Sugar

1 Teaspoon Water

1/2 Teaspoon Of Lemon Juice

Steps:

{This recipe will make approximately 12 melting moments.}

Start by combining butter and icing sugar in a medium to large bowl and mix until fluffy, you willl want to ensure the butter is soft enough to do this. If you haven't got the butter soft enough, grating the amount you need into the bowl will make it easier to work with. In a separate bowl sift flour, cornflour, baking powder and salt until mixed well.

Combine both bowls together and mix well. You willl be left with a dry, crumb like mixture. Line a baking tray with baking paper or cover in a light layer of butter/grease/cooking spray to ensure biscuits will not stick to the tray.

Now you will want to squish it all together with your hands (make sure they are clean) and roll up large marble sized balls. If they are falling apart, wet your hands and try again, this will enable the mixture to form together easier.

Make 24 and place on 1 or 2 baking trays, space well. When you have done this, press down gently with a fork to flatten, when they bake off it will leave a nice texture on the biscuit.

Bake on 180°C for 20 minutes, just before they start browning. The biscuits will harden when taken out of the oven so if they are a little soft, it's okay. 

Place on a wire rack for a quick cool-down.

Mix icing ingredients together and when the biscuits have cooled, place a medium dollop of the icing mixture in the center (flat part of biscuit) and sandwich with another biscuit. 

You can also use various jams or ready made icing for the centers.

Tip; you can make 6 large melting moments by baking 12 larger mixture balls. If you do not have cornflour, substituting with fine semolina can achieve the same crumble-texture as cornflour does, or 2 1/2 cups of plain flour instead of just 1. You will probably need to use 50-100g extra butter to get to the right consistency.

Sift icing sugar over them and enjoy! :)