caramel macadamia slice

Lovely Wee Days has been having a bit of a blogging break of late, as we've all been off enjoying the sunshine on our respective holidays. However yesterday we had a LWDs reunion, as Becs, Libby and their family stopped in to visit my family on their way to the beach.

Such an occasion called for a trial of a new recipe. My brother David does some volunteer work for Red Cross, and his Christmas present from them was the 'New Zealand Red Cross Cookbook'. The baking recipes in the book are mostly the standard fare - melting moments, shortbread, ginger crunch etc. But the Caramel Macadamia Slice took my fancy as it wasn't one I was familiar with.

The slice was easy to make (particularly as the caramel is made in the microwave) and was enjoyed by all. The caramel filling is similar to Russian fudge and with lots of macadamias it's hard to go wrong with this one. I think it will now become a firm favourite in the baking repertoire.

Caramel Macadamia Slice
150g butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 cups flour, sifted
1 can (395g) sweetened condensed milk
75g butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons golden syrup
70g macadamias, roughly chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a 18x 28cm baking tin with baking paper.
2. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric beater until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla, then fold in the flour until evenly combined (the mixture should be crumbly).
3. Press three-quarters of the mixture into the base of the prepared tin.
4. Place the condensed milk, butter, sugar and golden syrup in a microwave-proof bowl. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes until the butter has melted. Stir, then cook for 2-4 mins until thick. Poor the caramel over the base.
5. Mix the macadamias through the remaining flour mixture and sprinkle over the caramel. Bake for 20-25 mins until golden.
6. Cool in the tin before cutting into pieces.

thursday baking - courgette slice

As we bake our way through A Treasury of NZ Baking

I have been meaning to try this recipe for ages, in fact had photocopied it from the Zarbo Cookbook where it first appeared years ago. It is similar to the Hello Rosie slice baked a few weeks ago, but instead of condensed milk uses a rather huge amount of brown sugar and eggs.

I am still undecided on this slice. As predicted it is VERY sweet, and cloyingly so for my taste. I was tempted to reduce the sugar but stuck to the recipe. I used half a block of Whittakers dark chocolate (50% cocoa) as made with milk chocolate this would be incredibly sweet. The filling is crunchy on top and slightly gooey inside, even more so on the middle of the tray, as the outer edges were a bit more crispy. I will try it again tomorrow when I have a coffee to see what I think of it then!

It makes a huge trayful, so I suggest making it for a crowd, as with the courgette in it I don't think it will be a great keeper.

Courgette Slice - Mark McDonough - Week 28

Base

125g butter

1/2 c sugar

1/2 egg (!... I just used a few tbsp of milk)

200g flour

Topping

5 eggs
3 c brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

pinch salt
3 tbsp flour

100g sliced almonds

2 1/4 c long thread coconut

1 c chocolate chips

2 1/4 c grated courgette (grate just prior to mixing)

Preheat oven to 180c. Line a 20x30cm slice tin with baking paper.

To make the base beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until creamy. Add the egg, then the flour, stirring to combine. Press into prepared tin in a thin layer. Bake for approx 15 mins until golden brown.

To make the topping combine eggs, brown sugar, vanilla and salt and mix well. Mix in the flour, coconut and chocolate. Grate the courgette and mix this in too. Spread topping over the prepared base and bake at 180c for approx 30-40 minutes. The cooking time will vary according to the amount of moisture in the courgettes. The slice should be firm to touch but soft on the inside.

Cool then cut into slices.

Thursday baking - 'Hello Rosie' slice

As we bake our way through A Treasury of New Zealand Baking

This is a special guest post, brought to us by Rosie!

When I was round at Miriam’s for a lovely dinner a couple of weeks back I was flicking through A Treasury of New Zealand Baking when I came across Hello Rosie Slice. When the girls suggested I should try and bake it for the blog, although hesitant to test my amateur baking skills, I agreed thinking that the short list of ingredients, and short instructions, meant it was a safe bet.

As Miriam is not a huge fan of coconut, and this ended up being the main ingredient, I made up the topping mixture without the coconut and put aside some before adding the coconut for the rest of the slice.

I must say it was better with the coconut although Miriam may disagree. This slice is very sweet so cutting it into small pieces is ideal, although I found this difficult to do due to its sticky and chunky consistency. The slice was enjoyed over a cup of tea at Miriam’s on Sunday and the remaining by my colleagues on Monday morning. Overall Hello Rosie proved to be a success, even for an amateur baker.

I would bake this again but with the addition of other dried fruit or nuts (whatever you have handy). To save time I would probably not bother toasting the walnuts first as this didn’t seem to noticeably change the outcome.

'Hello Rosie' Slice - Mark McDonough - Week 25

Base

100g butter

250g malt biscuits, crushed

Topping

2 cups walnut pieces, roughly chopped and lightly toasted

1 1/2 cups dark chocolate buttons, chopped

1 cup sultanas

2 cups long-thread coconut

500g sweetened condensed milk

Preheat the oven to 160C. Grease a 20x30 cm slice tin and line with baking paper. Mix the butter and biscuit crumbs together and press into the prepared tin. Mix the topping ingredients together and roughly press them over the base. Bake for 30 mins, or until browned. Do not overcook. If the slice starts to brown too quickly during the cooking time, cover with baking paper until the time is up. The finished product should be slightly moist and sticky. Cool in the tin and cut into pieces when cold.

This slice can be kept in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

fill the tins baking

I did a bit of baking yesterday, just to fill the tins, so nothing too fancy. I made Bill Grangers chocolate oatmeal cookies, a longtime favourite, and 'Betty Boop', a delicious, easy (and very moreish!) melt-and-mix chocolate slice our family has made for years. It is a little like an afghan slice if there was such a thing, as it has cornflakes in it, so is nice and crunchy and ever so slightly chewy. I have no idea of the origins of the name, the original recipe came from Rotorua's Fat Dog Cafe cookbook I think.

With the cookies I like to press a square of chocolate into the top of each one as soon as they are removed from the oven. The chocolate will melt onto the top of the cookie, which looks quite cool but also means each coookie is guaranteed at least one big chunk of chocolate. (Not that I am mean with the chocolate chunks in the dough, but it doesn't always get evenly distributed does it, and that can be disappointing!) Usually I am a Whittakers girl, but I think the flatter shape of Cadbury's Old Gold looks quite nice here.


Bill's Choc Oatmeal Cookies

300g butter
2 c brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 1/2 c rolled oats
2 c chocolate chips

Cream together the butter and sugar. beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add flour and baking powder, then stir in oats and chocolate. Roll into balls, press with a fork, and bake at 180c for 15-20 minutes. They won't spread too much so you can fit a few on a tray. Makes about 50.


Betty Boop

250g butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
250g brown sugar (I have used white too which works fine)
2 c flour
2 1/2 c cornflakes
4 tbsp coconut
2 tbsp cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup together in a large saucepan. Add the rest of the ingredients and press into a rectangular slice tin (smaller than roasting dish size). Bake at 180c for about 20 minutes. When cool ice with chocolate icing and sprinkle with coconut if you so desire.

Thursday baking - sticky lemon slice

As we bake our way through A Treasury of NZ Baking...

Due to an issue with my copy of ATONZB still in storage, I have been thus far unable to participate in our Thursday baking challenge. Thankfully last weekend Becky lent me her spare copy, so now I'm back in the game!

I decided to make this sticky lemon slice as my friend Natalie was visiting and she loves lemon treats. It was an added bonus that the recipe doesn't need any special ingredients - so didn't require a trip to the supermarket. And thankfully I was able to scavenge the first of the yellowing lemons off the lemon tree.

This slice is quite similar to a lemon tart. It was delicious - very gooey and lived up to its name in stickiness. In fact it was so sticky and gooey that I got 'told off' for eating it too loudly! It is quite sweet, so nice to have with a cuppa - I had it with a peppermint tea, which complimented it nicely. I will definitely make this again. Here's the recipe;

Week 5: Sticky Lemon Slice (Julie Biuso)

Base
225g butter, softened
70g icing sugar
275 standard flour

Topping
400g sugar
4 medium sized eggs, beaten
4 tbsp standard flour
1 tsp baking powder
grated zest of 2 lemons
90ml lemon juice, strained
icing sugar

Preheat oven to 170C. Line the base of a non-stick 32 x 21cm tin with baking paper. For the base: process butter in food processor until whipped. then add icing sugar until light in colour. Sprinkle in the flower and process until the mixture forms a ball. Tip into the tin an press flat. Bake for 15 mins, then remove from the oven. While the vase is cooling, make the topping.

Topping: Process eggs and sugar in food processor for 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, then sprinkle the flour and baking powder over the top. Add the lemon zest and juice, mixing it all together with a large spoon. Pour the mixture on top of the base (it will fill the tin).

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden in colour and firmish to touch. Cool in the tin, then dust with icing sugar and cut into squares. Transfer to an airtight container when cool. This slice will keep for 3-5 days.

coffee and a sweet treat

Here is a sweet something I made the other day. The recipe featured in the 'A Taste of Marsden' cookbook from the Wellington school of the same name. It is rather fancy...fundraising cookbooks seem to have come a long way in recent years. Like most books of this kind the best recipes seem to be found in the baking section. This slice stood out immediately, the melted hazelnut chocolate layer on top looked so delicious.

It is super easy to make, with a no-bake melt and mix fudge cake base. These sort of recipes are perfect for when you need to make something fast without thinking too hard. (Although not such a good choice if you are a contestant on NZ's Hottest Baker and are required to exhibit your technical baking skills!)

It is very sweet, so best cut into wee squares. The original recipe also had a couple of tablespoons of golden syrup which it didn't seem to need so I would leave that out next time. Best enjoyed with a strong one of these...

chocolate hazelnut fudge

1 pkt wine biscuits
100g butter, melted
1/2 tin condensed milk
1 kingsize block Whittakers hazelnut chocolate, melted

Crush biscuits in the food processor. Add the butter and condensed milk and combine well. Press into a lined tray, this is enogh for an 18cm square tin. Pour over melted chocolate and refrigerate. And that's all there is to it.

It is best to cut this slice when the chocolate is 'just' set rather than waiting until it is rock solid and therefore liable to crack. Best kept in the fridge.