Peanut Butter & Jam Pinwheel Biscuits

May19

Not too long ago the Mr treated me to the new Hummingbird Bakery cookbook. I hadn’t planned on baking anything this weekend but suddenly got an urge to, surprise surprise! So I had a goosey gander through the book and came across these little beauties. Peanut butter & jam pinwheel biscuits. So without further ado, here is what you will need to make about 15 biscuits. (Recipe adapted slightly to what I had in the cupboards! See notes)

60g Smooth Strawberry Jam (See Notes)
1 tsp Cornflour
100g Unsalted Butter, softened
100g Crunchy Peanut Butter (See Notes)
180g Golden Caster Sugar
1 Large Egg
2 tbsp Whole Milk
340g Plain Flour
1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
1/4 tsp Salt

NOTES: The original recipe said to use raspberry jam & smooth peanut butter. I only had strawberry jam & crunchy peanut butter in the cupboards so I used them instead. They turned out delicious anyway! Plus I like the extra crunch of the nuts from the crunchy peanut butter.

Firstly, cut two sheets of baking paper to 38 x 25cm. (15 x 10″) and set to one side.

Then, mix the jam & the cornflour in a small bowl and stir until the flour has dissolved. Leave to one side until needed.

In a stand mixer (or a large bowl with an electric whisk if doing by hand) mix together the butter, peanut butter & the sugar until light & fluffy.

Then add in the egg and the milk and mix until fully incorporated.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda & the salt. Then, a spoonful at a time, add the flour to the peanut butter mixture until it forms a dough.

Now get the 2 baking paper sheets you cut out earlier. Place the dough mix onto one of them and press down into a rough rectangle. Then place the second sheet on the top and roll it out so the dough reaches the edge of the baking paper. If it gets a bit uneven, you can always tear bits off and move them, then re-roll.

Now we’re ready for the jam! Spread the jam/cornflour mix you prepared earlier over the biscuit dough. Try and be as even as you can and leave a 2cm border around the edge.

Now for the tricky bit. Carefully roll up the dough using the baking paper as a tool to help you. Roll it as tight as you can, you don’t want any gaps between layers. Take your time with this, you don’t have to rush it. When you’ve reached the end, make sure you seal the seam on the bottom then wrap it up in cling film.

Leave this in the fridge for at least a couple of hours, or better yet, overnight. It makes it far easier to cut into slices & it will bake better too. (When the dough is cold it won’t spread too much so the biscuits will keep their shape.)

Once the dough is completely chilled, Preheat your oven to 170°C/Fan 150°. Cut the log into 2cm thick slices and place onto a baking tray. You may need to cook them in batches so as not to overcrowd the tray OR use multiple trays.

Place into the oven and bake on the middle shelf for about 12-13 minutes until they’re a light golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before consuming. (Although I’m sure there will be a couple of casualties!)

And there you have it! Peanut butter & jam pinwheel biscuits. These were a big hit with the Mr, I’m starting to wonder if the book was actually a gift for me or for him haha! I must admit though, I’m quite proud of how pretty they look. It is a little more effort to make a pinwheel but I definitely think it’s worth it.

In other news, I would like to give a big shout out & a massive congratulations to my good friend Emma and her new husband, Patrick who got married this Saturday. Much like myself, Emma is a keen baker and even made her own wedding cake! (Which was absolutely stunning by the way.) So here’s to you guys, may you have many happy years together and plenty of cake!

Hope you all enjoyed the post my lovelies.

Miss KitchenMason

Mars Bar Oat Bars – Revisited!

May5

This was one of my first ever posts as an online food blogger & one that the Mr said was one of his fave sweet treats. So I thought I would revisit it and give it a bit of a face lift. To be honest, it deserves it!

Here is what you will need to make about x12 small bars.

3 Standard sized Mars Bars
60ml Double Cream
90g Rolled Oats
125g Plain Flour
5 tbsp Soft Light Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Bicarbonated Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
140g Butter
100g Chocolate, chopped (Or Chocolate Chips)

Line a 20cm (8″) square baking tin with parchment/baking paper. Do so by measuring out a large square that is equal to the length, width & sides of the tin – all the way around. Then cut one slit in each corner so you can fold them into the tin. (as per the pics below.)

Break up 2 of the 3 mars bars and put into a saucepan along with the cream. Over a low heat, stir until its all melted and smooth. Leave to one side to cool whilst you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Preheat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C

Meanwhile, chop up the last Mars Bar & the 100g bar of chocolate into largish chunks and put in the freezer whilst you make the flapjack. This will make sure that you end up with chunks of Mars Bar & chocolate in the centre rather than just melted goo. (which, to be fair, sounds delicious but it’s worth it – trust me!)

To paint a picture, imagine little pockets of chunky chocolate accompanied by gooey segments of melted caramel & nougat …. yeah, you get the imagery … : )

Mars Bar Chunks! Sift the flour into a large bowl. Then add in the oats, light brown sugar & salt & give it a mix. Cube up the butter and rub into the flour mix with the tips of your fingers until it forms a crumbly dough.

Now press half the mixture into the prepared baking tin and pop into the oven for about 15-20 minutes until it’s a beautiful golden brown.

Leave too cool for about 10-15 minutes, then remove the chopped Mars Bar/chopped chocolate from the freezer and randomly scatter along the cooked flapjack base.

Pour over the mars bar mixture – if it is too thick after cooling, simply add a little more cream to loosen up the mixture.

Next step, press the remaining oat dough onto the top of the mixture. It’s potentially a little bit messy, but if everything is as cool as it should be (cucumber style…) it shouldn’t be toooo messy!

Pop this bad boy into the oven for about 20-25 minutes until lovely and golden on top. (Rotate half way to ensure an even bake.) Allow to cool in the tin for at least 15-20 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing into bars.

And there you have it sports fans – the Mars Bar Oat Bar! It’s quite beautiful isn’t it? It’s nowhere near as sickly as I imagined it to be. In fact, it’s actually quite moreish. I can kinda’ see why the Mr requested me to make it again. NOM!

Hope you enjoyed the post my lovelies!

Misd KitchenMason

Sesame Seed Bagels

Apr14

Continuing my quest to explore the world of bread, I stumbled upon a recipe for bagels in my copy of the Bread Revolution cook book. It’s never even crossed my mind to make these but then I do love a good bagel for lunch! So here is what you will need to make 9 bagels.

500g Strong White Bread Flour
10g Fine Sea Salt
7g Fast Action Yeast
250ml Cold Water
45g Honey
Sesame Seeds

In a stand mixer with the dough hook attached, mix together the flour and salt. Then add in the yeast & mix again. Make a well in the centre and add in the water and the honey. Mix on low for a minute or two until the dough comes together then mix on medium for about 5 minutes or until you can stretch the dough quite far without it breaking. It should still be quite firm though.

If you are doing it by hand simply knead for about 10 minutes or until the same result is achieved.

Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave to double in size – this should take about an hour.

When the dough has doubled in size, knock it back on a clean work surface. (in 90° turns, fold the outside edge inwards until all the air bubbles are popped.)

Divide the dough into 9 equal portions. I found it easier to weigh them rather than second guessing!

Roll each piece into small tight balls and leave to rest for 5 minutes.

Flour a baking sheet and leave to one side. Flatten each ball with the palm of your hand then carefully tear a hole through the middle and widen each one, still keeping the circular shape. Dust with flour and place on the baking sheet. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to prove again for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, get a large roasting tray and half fill it with water. Bring it to the boil on the hob then reduce to a simmer. Also, preheat your oven to 200°C/Fan 190°C.

In two batches (depending on the size of your roasting tray, maybe more) carefully drop the bagels into the simmering water leaving enough room for them to spread slightly. Cook for 2 minutes on each side.

Then place them on a baking tray lined with baking/parchment paper. Whilst they’re still still wet, top with the sesame seeds (if using.) Place them straight into the preheated oven for about 15 minutes until they are a deep golden colour.

Repeat the process with the remaining bagels.

You could easily change the flavour of the bagels by either leaving them plain instead of using sesame seeds, or you could top them with onion seeds, poppy seeds or even some sea salt. They are easily adapted to anyone’s tastes and obviously you can fill them with anything you like!

I thoroughly enjoyed baking these and I honestly think I will make them again.

Hope you enjoyed this week’s post my lovelies.

Miss KitchenMason

Split Tin Loaf

Mar31

Ever since Christmas & my Birthday in January – I have had an abundance of recipe books that I’ve been dying to get stuck into. In particular, I really want to get into making more breads. So! I dug out a fantastic book called Bread Revolution which boasts tons of lovely bread recipes. This is the first time I have used it but will definitely be using it again as the step by step features & helpful hints the whole way through are just great!

Here is what you will need to make an 800g (2lb) split tin loaf.

500g Strong White Bread Flour
10g Salt
10g Fast Action Yeast
300ml Cold Water
5tsp Olive Oil
Milk (for glazing)

Special Equipment

2lb (800g) Loaf Tin

In a large bowl, add the flour & the salt. Mix together then add in the yeast and mix again. Make a well in the centre and add in the olive oil and 3 quarters of the water.

Note: Using cold water will lengthen the proving process but this actually makes the flavour ten times better!

Mix the ingredients until they start to come together – add more water if you need to. To be honest, the wetter the dough the better. Just don’t add loads of water as you don’t want it seriously sticky.

Lightly oil your work surface & place on the dough. Yes oil – NOT flour. Flour will incorporate itself into the dough which will ruin the balance of ingredients. Oil will simply stop it from sticking.

In 90° turns – fold the outside edges inwards. Coating the dough in oil. Then knead well for a good 10-15 minutes. The dough should end up being soft, stretchy and smooth. When you can stretch the dough quite far & thin without it tearing – it’s ready. Roll into a ball and place in a lightly oiled large bowl.

Cover with either a damp tea towel or greased cling film and leave to prove until at least doubled in size. (Approx 1-2 hours.)

When the dough has risen – take out the bowl and place on a clean work surface. No need to flour or oil the surface as the dough should not be sticky at this point.

Now you need to knock back the dough. Simply punch the dough down and then fold the outside edges into the middle to remove all the air pockets that were created during proving.

Turn the dough ball upside down (so the folds are tucked underneath) and now you are ready for shaping.

Flatten the dough into a rectangle then fold the sides in and seal by pressing with your knuckles. Then bring the top and bottom into the middle (like an envelope) and seal again. Flip the dough over and place into a lightly oiled loaf tin. (I used a stone pan so floured instead of oiled.)

Loosely cover again with a tea towel or greased cling film and leave to rise to about two thirds it’s original size. (About an hour.)

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 250°C/Fan 230°C and place a roasting tin at the bottom of the oven.

Once the bread has risen to the right size, brush the top with some milk and cut a line running straight through the middle of the loaf. Try not to cut as deep as I did though lol – I got a bit carried away!

Place the loaf into the oven and throw either a handful of ice cubes or a glass of cold water into the hot roasting tray and quickly shut the door. This will create steam which will help to get a better rise from your bread.

After 10 minutes – reduce the temperature to 230°C/Fan 210°C and open the oven to let out the steam.

Bake for a further 15- 20 minutes.

Once the loaf is cooked & you have a gloriously golden crust – remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before attempting to slice. I know it’s hard but it will be worth it!

If you want your crust to stay crispy – store the loaf in paper. If you prefer your crust to go softer – store in plastic. (Either a bag or tub.)

I absolutely adore home made bread. Even bad home made bread is a million times tastier than shop bought! And there’s something so satisfying about knowing that you have created something so gorgeous from next to nothing with your bear hands.

I hope you enjoyed the post my lovelies!

Until we meet again

Miss KitchenMason

Tortilla Wraps

Mar17

This week I wanted to have a bash at something completely different to anything I have ever attempted before. Me and the Mr both fancied burritos for dinner so I thought, why not try and make my own tortilla wraps??

So here it is! How to create your very own home made tortilla wraps. Makes about 14-16 7″ wraps. (approx)

(Recipe taken from the legendary Mr Paul Hollywood’s How to Bake book.)

500g Strong White Bread Flour
10g Salt
30g Caster Sugar
10g Instant Fast Action Yeast
30g Unsalted Butter, softened
320ml Cool Water
Vegetable Oil (for cooking)

Sift the flour into a large bowl. Add the salt & sugar on one side and the yeast on the opposite side. (This is because salt can kill yeast so you should never directly mix the two.)

Add in the softened butter then make a well in the centre. Pour in about 3 quarters of the water.

Mix roughly with your hand and gradually add in a little of the remaining water at a time until you have picked up all the flour from the bowl. You don’t want a wet dough though- just a soft dough.

Note: you may not need all the water/you might need to add a little more, use your judgment.

Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 10-15 minutes until you have a soft and supple dough. Lightly oil a large bowl and place the ball of dough inside. Cover with a tea towel and leave to prove for at least an hour until it has doubled in size. (It doesn’t matter if it’s 2-3 hours though.)

Now you need to “knock back” the dough to remove any air bubbles that are trapped inside. Do this by repeatedly turning and folding the dough in on itself. Now you need to divide the dough into 60g pieces. You could do it by eye but honestly – it’s just easier to weigh it. This way you can be sure they will all cook in a similar time too.

Roll each piece into a small ball then, using a rolling pin, flatten each one out to about 7″ in diameter. (Don’t stack them on top of each other or they will stick.) I found it easier to do them in batches of 5. Rolling them, cooking them and then moving onto the next batch.

Heat either a frying pan or a crepe pan over a medium heat then add 1 tsp of vegetable oil. Set your timer for 3 minutes and start it as soon as your wrap hits the pan. When the oil starts to smoke – lay on a tortilla wrap.

The wrap will bubble up but don’t be tempted to pop it – just leave it as it is. When your time gets down to about 1 minute – flip it over.

When the timer is finished – remove from the pan and place on a plate. Stack each one on top of each other as this will help to stop them from drying out.

And there you have it ladies and gents! Your very own home made tortilla wraps to do with as you please. You can either use them within 24 hours or layer with cling film/parchment paper and store in the freezer. (Don’t freeze without layering otherwise they will all stick together and are impossible to separate!)

I must say I thoroughly enjoyed baking these little beauties. Me and the Mr both love wraps and eat them frequently with salads, packed lunches & Mexican dishes. I’m really quite proud of how they turned out!

I Hope you all enjoyed the post – next time I’ll share a recipe for burritos so you can use some of your lovely home made tortilla wraps : )

Miss KitchenMason

Valentines Heart Biscuits

Feb10

I can’t believe it’s that time of the year already! I swear it seems like Christmas was only yesterday. But then they do say that time flies when you’re having fun! Well, as much fun as you can have in January – the longest and most miserable month of the year haha!

Anyway! Onto the matter at hand. Everyone is looking for something new, unique and thoughtful to give to their loved one on Valentines Day and I think I’ve found a special little something for you all to have a go at.

Inspiration for this recipe was found over at the lovely Cake Time blog and here is what you will need to make upwards of 20 biscuits for that special someone in your life.

125g Icing Sugar
1 Vanilla Pod
250g Plain Flour
125g Butter, Cubed
1 Egg
Red Food Colouring Gel (Or normal liquid food colouring)

Special Equipment

Food Processor (Can be done by hand but just takes a little longer)
8cm Circle Cutter (Crinkled or Plain)
A Heart cutter than fits in the middle (approx 4.5-5cm)

Put the icing sugar into a small bowl then split the vanilla pod, remove the seeds and mix them into the icing sugar. Leave to one side. (I also left the pod in the icing sugar too until needed as I think it imparts more flavour – just remember to take them out before you add it to the food processor!!)

You could of course use 1 tsp of good quality vanilla extract instead – but add this in at the same time as the egg.

In a food processor, add the flour and cubed butter. Pulse until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. (If doing by hand, place the mixture in a bowl, get your hands in and rub the mixture between your forefingers and thumbs.)

Next, remove the vanilla pods and put the icing sugar into the food processor. Pulse to mix evenly. (Or continue to rub between forefingers and thumbs.)

Beat the egg in a glass or jug then add it into the food processor. Pulse briefly until the dough starts to come together. (Or add to the bowl and mix by hand until the dough comes together.)

Tip the dough out onto a work surface and split into two halves. Add red food colouring gel to one of the two doughs and knead until evenly distributed. Add more gel until you get the colour you want. If you are using normal liquid food colouring it will probably alter the consistency of the dough and you will therefore need to add a little more flour to make it more firm again. If this is the case, use the other dough half’s consistency as a guide.

Place the two doughs into separate pieces of cling film and flatten into discs. Place in the fridge to chill for at least an hour. This will make it dramatically easier to work with later. (Remember, the larger the surface area the quicker it will chill so don’t put them into the fridge in balls!)

When the dough is chilled – roll out the doughs to a thickness of about 5mm on a work surface lightly dusted with icing sugar.

Then get an 8cm circle cutter and a heart cutter that fits in the middle (leaving at least a 1cm gap all the way round the inside.)

Cut out equal amounts of circles using both doughs. Then cut out hearts from the middle of each one and swap them to the alternate coloured circles (as above.) Press lightly around the heart to bind the edges together.

Note – you will need to move quite quickly as when the dough starts to warm up it becomes much more fiddly to work with. You could pop it back into the fridge for a bit if it becomes too difficult.

Then place them on baking sheets/plates and pop back into the fridge again for about an hour until the biscuits are completely chilled again. (This will stop it from spreading too much in the oven so they will hold their shape better.)

If you have any spare dough – just cut out little hearts to use it up. Waste not want not!

When the dough is nearly ready – preheat your oven to 190°C/Fan 170°C.

You may need to cook these in batches as the mix makes quite a few biscuits. I transferred mine to a larger baking sheet for cooking as they do spread slightly. This way, you can spread them out and give each biscuit more room.

Bake in the centre of the oven for about 10-12 minutes until they are lightly golden around the edges. Every oven varies slightly though so do keep an eye on them. The beauty of baking biscuits as opposed to cakes is that you can open the oven to check on them and it won’t effect the bake.

Leave on the tray to firm up for a few minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

And there you have it! Super cute, home made, thoughtful gifts for that special someone this Valentines Day. I must admit though – they are dangerously addictive! Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I hope you all have a beautifully romantic day with the one you love.

Je t’aime mon amis!

Miss KitchenMason

American Pancakes!

Feb10

It’s pancake day on Tuesday!! Last year I shared a traditional English Pancake Recipe with you all. This year, I thought I would change it up and go for American pancakes.

They’re easy to make and you can literally top them with anything that takes your fancy. Bananas and maple syrup, raspberries, blueberries & yoghurt, golden syrup and icing sugar, peanut butter syrup… the list goes on. I myself, for some reason, always seem to prefer the savoury option. (Smothered in bacon and eggs- a stupendously indulgent breakfast!)

So today I’m going to share a simple recipe for plain American Pancakes that allows you to make them both sweet or savoury.

Here is what you will need to make about 6-8 10cm pancakes (makes 2x decent sized stacks):

1 Egg
75ml Milk
1 knob of Butter, Melted
75g Plain Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tbsp Caster Sugar (I prefer golden caster)
Pinch of Salt
Toppings of your choice!

Firstly, pop the milk and the egg in a bowl and whisk until it is really foamy – then add in the melted butter. (This will stop you from having to grease your frying pan later – less messy, less greasy, more healthy!)

In a separate bowl, sift in the flour and baking powder then add in the caster sugar & the salt.

Pour over the milk mixture and whisk furiously until it’s smooth and lump free. Transfer the batter to a jug to make it easier to pour into the pan.

Heat a good quality non stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Don’t be impatient here – the pan needs to be hot before you add the batter or it won’t work properly.

Carefully pour circles of the batter into the hot pan so they spread to about 10cm in diameter. (Don’t overcrowd the pan but you can cook 2-3 at once depending on the size.)

As soon as the batter starts to bubble on the top – flip them over. Don’t try and do it before this happens or you will land yourself in a bit of a kerfuffle. (Speaking from experience!)

They will only need about another minute until they’re cooked – keep an eye on them. They should end up a deeply delicious golden colour.

When they are cooked – you can wrap them in foil and pop into the oven to keep warm whilst you cook the rest of the batter and sort your toppings.

Stack the pancakes on a plate with your favourite toppings and devour immediately!!

I absolutely love treating myself and the Mr to this for breakfast – it’s one of my all time favourites. But then again, weekend breakfasts are my favourite meal EVER! If I could get away with eating breakfast for my 3 meals a day I’m sure I probably would.

Hope you all have fun tossing your pancakes on Tuesday!

Until next time.

Miss KitchenMason

Nutella Cookie Cups!

Feb3

This is a recipe I dabbled with a long time ago, but it came up in conversation recently so I thought I would give it a revival!

What you will need to make approx 8 cookie cups.

HALF the recipe from the Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie post, Chilled

Ready made dough from the supermarket, Chilled

For the Filling

150g Milk Chocolate
30 ml Double Cream
1 tbsp Unsalted Butter
1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
125g Nutella

Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C Fan.

Grab a cupcake tin and place heaped ice cream scoops of the dough into each cup.

Place in the middle of the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes – turning halfway to ensure an even bake.

When they are nice and golden & risen – take out the oven and leave to cool for about 10 minutes.

Then get a shot glass or you could just use the back of a spoon – and gently press the middles in and the sides out to create little cookie cups.

Leave to cool for a further 10 minutes then carefully prise out with a teaspoon. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely so they harden up.

Meanwhile – Prepare the filling.

Break the chocolate into a glass bowl set over simmering water. (Or melt in the microwave.)

Once all the chocolate is melted and smooth, leave to cool for 5-10 minutes. (Don’t be impatient with this, if you add the other ingredients whilst it is still warm – the mixture is more likely to split, giving it a horrible grainy texture.)

Once the chocolate has cooled, add in the butter and the cream. Stir until smooth. Then stir in the vanilla extract.

Then, slowly stir in the Nutella – try not to over mix as this can also make the mixture split. (Speaking from experience!)

If however, it does still split – simply stir in small amounts of double cream until the texture is smooth again. It will firm up once in the cups anyway.

Load up a piping bag fitted with a nozzle of your choice and precede to fill each cookie cup with the Nutella buttercream filling. (Don’t over fill though as the buttercream will set and become very rich!)

Serve with scoops of your favourite ice cream.

These are a lot simpler to make than they first seem – even easier if you buy ready made cookie dough!

They are sure to achieve that wow factor at any dinner party or buffet table though. And once again – these come with the Mr’s approval!

Hope you all liked the post & I’ll catch you next time!

Miss KitchenMason

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Jan27

I have been perfecting this recipe for a long time but I believe I’ve finally cracked it! May I present to you – the best EVER chocolate chip cookie recipe. Crunchy on the outside – chewy in the middle. Sheer chunky cookie perfection!

This is what you will need to make approx 18 large cookies.

170g Unsalted Butter, melted
250g Plain Flour
1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
220g Soft Light Brown Sugar
110g Castor Sugar
1tbsp Vanilla Extract
1 Egg
1 Egg Yolk
2 x 100g Bars of Milk Chocolate
1 x 100g Bag of Milk Chocolate Chips

Put the butter in a small saucepan and heat until melted. (Or melt in the microwave.) Leave to one side.

Sift together the flour & bicarbonate of soda then add the salt and give it a mix.

Chop the milk chocolate into chunks & set to one side with the chocolate chips. (I know it sounds a lot but it all adds to the overall flavour & texture – trust me!)

Either in a stand mixer or a large bowl – mix the brown sugar, castor sugar & the melted butter until combined well.

Then add in the whole egg, the egg yolk & the vanilla extract – mix well.

Next, gradually add in the flour mix a spoonful at a time until there are only a few spoonfuls left.

Then toss the chocolate chips/chunks through the remaining flour until they are all coated.

Add the chocolate into the dough and mix until thoroughly combined.

This next step is very important – cover the bowl with cling film and put in the fridge for at least 1 hour – 2 if you have time. This stops the dough from spreading too much during baking, giving you a beautiful chunky cookie as opposed to a flat greasy cookie.

Once the dough is completely chilled – preheat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C.

Then, using an ice cream scoop, (mine measures approx 5cm diameter x 2.5cm deep) place scoopfuls of the dough onto a baking sheet. Leave room in between for spreading. Don’t be tempted to flatten them though – leave them as they are.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes – turning halfway to ensure an even bake.

Leave on the tray for a few minutes to harden slightly then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

And there you have it. The most beautiful chocolate chip cookies that there ever was. A satisfyingly crunchy edge with a chunky chewy middle. Absolutely jam packed full of chunky chocolate goodness. I am head over heels in love with these cookies and I am pretty sure I will never get sick of eating them! They also come complete with the Mr’s approval – so they’ve got to be good!

I sincerely hope you give these a try – I promise you won’t regret it!

Miss KitchenMason

Chocolate Stuffed Crust Pizza!

Jan20

Oh hell yeah you heard me right!! A down right dirty chocolate pizza with a chocolate ganache stuffed crust. You know you want to…

This is thanks to yet another cook book that the Mr got me for Christmas (I’m such a lucky lady!) – the Gü Chocolate Cookbook. I’ll be honest, I don’t think this will be the only recipe I will be sharing with you from this book – it has LOADS of super awesome ideas that I literally cannot wait to try. But… the first one had to be this.

This is what you will need to make a 29cm (approx) pizza.

For the Ganache (Stuffing for Crust)

40g Dark Chocolate
15g Milk Chocolate
75ml Whipping Cream

For the Dough

2tsp Active Dried Yeast
250g Plain Flour
2tbsp Cocoa Powder
1tsp Salt
3tbsp Olive Oil
1tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted

For the Topping

4-6 tbsp Double Cream
50g Milk Chocolate, chopped
50g White Chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp Hazelnuts, chopped
1 tsp Brown Sugar

First up – make the ganache by breaking the chocolate into a bowl. Then heat the cream in a saucepan and pour over the chocolate. Stir until smooth then pop in the fridge to set.

Now onto the dough. Pour 150ml of warm water into a jug and stir in the yeast. Wait for 5-10 minutes until the mixture starts to bubble. This means the yeast has been activated.

Sieve the flour and cocoa powder into a bowl and add the salt. Mix together then pop into a food processor.

Switch the machine on low and slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Then add in the yeast mixture – continue to mix just until a dough forms.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for about a minute. Pour a small amount of oil in a large bowl and drop in the dough – turn to coat evenly. Cover and leave in a warm place for about an hour to double in size.Whilst the dough is proving – preheat your oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C and place a baking sheet in to warm up.

Once the dough is ready, knock back and roll out to approx 33cm circle on a lightly floured surface. Take the ganache from the fridge and load it into a piping bag. Snip off the end and pipe out a circle about 1 inch or so in from the edge.

Brush some water onto the dough inside the ring of ganache then carefully fold over the edge. Make sure you really seal it well as mine actually burst it’s banks whilst cooking!

Remove the hot tray from the oven and slide on the dough. Brush with the melted butter and prick the base gently with a fork. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the dough is starting to go crispy.

Whilst the dough is cooking – prepare your toppings. Chop up both chocolates and the hazelnuts and get the cream out of the fridge.

When the base is ready – take out the oven and drizzle over the cream. Then scatter over the white chocolate, milk chocolate & hazelnuts. Finally, sprinkle over the brown sugar.

Pop back into the oven for a couple of minutes to get all warm, gooey and melty.

Just look at it! It’s beautiful isn’t it? All that oozy melted chocolate cascading down the side of the sweet chocolate dough, filled with bursts of milk & white chocolate and the crunch of the hazelnuts…

Erm, sorry… got a bit carried away there. But it’s so damn good!!! It’s a labour of love but I implore you all to give it a go, it’s totally worth the effort!

I honestly think it would make the perfect shock inducing pud at a dinner party or on a buffet table. I mean come on, it’s combining two of most peoples loves – chocolate & pizza!

I really hope you all enjoyed the post this week.

In the words of Porky Pig, “Th th th th That’s All Folks!”

Miss KitchenMason

KitchenMason

Category Archives: Vegetarian

Mars Bar Oat Bars – Revisited!

Sesame Seed Bagels

Split Tin Loaf

Tortilla Wraps

Valentines Heart Biscuits

American Pancakes!

Chocolate Stuffed Crust Pizza!

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