Chocolate Ginger Truffles Recipe
This recipe was one my mum got for me when she went to a demonstration on how to make them at a WI meeting. They make very good presents and since Valentine’s Day is coming up I thought it was a good idea to post this recipe. I tend to use sherry as the alcohol but it works with other types too e.g. rum, tia maria etc. The recipe works best with dark chocolate, but it would work with milk chocolate as well. These truffles will keep for about a week in the fridge.
Picture of Chocolate ginger truffles
Ingredients
18 ginger biscuits
150g full fat cream cheese
75g desiccated coconut
4 balls of stem ginger (from a jar in syrup)
40g icing sugar
2 heaped tsp of ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sherry or alcohol of choice
275g dark chocolate
Method
1. Line 2 large baking trays with tin foil and lightly sprinkle with desiccated coconut. (This is to stop the chocolates from sticking to the trays while they set).
2.2. In a food processor blend the ginger biscuits until they resemble breadcrumbs. (Alternatively channel your anger by putting the biscuits in a plastic bag and bashing them with a rolling pin until you achieve the same result)
3. Finely dice the stem ginger balls
4. 4. Put the coconut, crushed ginger biscuits, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, chopped stem ginger and icing sugar in a large bowl. Add the cream cheese, and alcohol and mix with a wooden spoon until it all starts to come together into a slightly sticky dough. (Alternatively you can do this with clean hands if you fancy a more therapeutic approach ).
5. 5. Mould into 25 small round balls and place on the lined baking trays.
6. 6. Transfer to a fridge and leave to chill (The truffles not you!) for at least 30 minutes.
7. 7. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water.
8. 8. Take the chilled truffle dough out of the fridge. Using two spoons carefully place a truffle ball in the melted chocolate and try to coat it completely in the chocolate. (I tend to do this in batches of about four at a time to speed up production slightly).
9.9. Place the coated truffles on a foiled baking tray making sure that they are well spaced.
10. 10. Leave at room temperature until completely set.
11. Once set chill in the fridge until you’re feeling a bit peckish or you are ready to give them to someone.
12. Enjoy!
Carrot Cake Muffins Recipe
Makes 16-18 medium size muffins or 10 large muffins
This is a recipe I came up with while experimenting with different flavours of muffins. I made a batch of them for Verity coming home last week and did a photo shoot while I was making them. Even our Mum who is not a fan of carrot cake really enjoyed eating them.
Ingredients
600g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon mixed spice
300g light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
250g butter melted
100 ml milk
4 eggs
75g raisins
300g grated carrots
For the cream cheese frosting
480g icing sugar
150g cream cheese
40g salted butter softened
juice of 1/2 an orange
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180ﹾC or 350ﹾF and line your muffin trays with muffin cases.
2. Sieve the flour baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and spices into a large bowl. Add the sugar, grated carrots and raisins and whisk together.
3. In a medium bowl of measuring jug whisk together the melted butter, eggs, milk and vanilla extract.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients bowl and fold until combined and there is a smooth consistency. (DO NOT overwork as this will make the muffins tough.)
5. Fill the muffin cases two thirds full
6. Bake in preheated oven for 20-22 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the muffins comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to continue cooling.
7. For the cream cheese frosting sift the flour into a large bowl and add the butter and cream cheese and the orange juice. Beat with a spoon or an electric mixer until you get a smooth consistency. It should be quite thick as it’s easier to pipe.
8. Put the cream cheese icing into a piping bag fitted with a nozzle. You can store it in the fridge until your muffins are ready for icing.
9. When the muffins are cool using the piping bag pipe a generous layer of cream cheese frosting onto each muffin. Alternatively you can spoon the icing on if you prefer.
10. Serve fresh or store in airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. If not using the icing, the muffins can be frozen and then defrosted when needed.
Enjoy!!
Plaited loaf Recipe
This is a recipe I came up with myself. I first made it a couple of weeks ago when I was making bread for lunch and thought,
“I’m going to try my own recipe!”
That was the first time I had ever made bread without following a recipe. My family was incredibly pleased with it. However, I was not very bright as I didn’t bother to write down my proportions! This caused a problem when I decided that I would l make my own recipe again and couldn’t remember my ingredient quantities. I decided to go with a rough estimate of what I did the first time and made notes of my measurements while making it. This time my family loved it and said that it was better than the first time I made it. Last week I made it again and did a photo shoot while I was making it so I could post the recipe on here. It looks similar to the Jewish bread loaf Cholla, but it is a savoury loaf and differs in terms of certain ingredients. It is great served with soup and makes brilliant toast. (My Dad loves it toasted!) It has a crisp crust and a buttery taste.
Ingredients
700g strong plain bread flour
14g salt
14g dried yeast
80g unsalted butter (very softened but not melted)
400-450ml water (It varies on certain recipes, but it is just a myth that you need warm water to make bread.)
1 egg for the glaze (optional)
Method
1. You can do the recipe by hand by putting the flour, salt and yeast into a large mixing bowl. Make sure that the salt and yeast are on different sides of the bowl. Add the butter and three quarters of the water and mix with the ingredients with a spoon. Gradually add the remaining water until you’ve picked up all the flour from the sides of the bowl and you have a soft but not sticky dough. Then tip the dough onto a worksurface lightly dusted with flour (not too much as the flour adds to the recipe). Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until the dough is stretchy and elastic.
Alternatively if you have a mixer put the flour into the bowl of the mixer fitted with a dough hook. Then add the salt on one side of the bowl and the yeast on the other side*. Add the softened butter to the bowl then gradually add three quarters of the water while mixing it on a low speed. Slowly add the remaining water (you may not need all of it or you may have to add a bit more) until it forms a dough. Continue using the mixer on a low speed for about 5-8 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
2.. When you have a smooth silky dough put it into a large lightly oiled bowl. Leave to prove for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
3. Line a baking tray with baking parchment or silicone paper.
4. Cut a large separate piece of baking parchment, put it on the worksurface and dust it lightly with flour. Tip the proved dough onto the parchment. Handle it gently rather than knocking it back. Weigh your dough and split it into three equal pieces (six if you are making two medium sized loaves).
5. Roll each piece of dough out into a sausage. Put three sausage pieces onto the baking tray and join the pieces together at one end by pinching them.
6. Start plaiting the dough by taking an outer piece on the left and placing it over the middle piece. Then take the outer piece on the right and lift it over to the middle. Repeat until you are nearly at the end, then join the pieces together at the end and tuck them in to make it neater. If you are doing two medium sized loaves repeat this stage again so you have two plaited loaves.
7. Leave to prove again for about an hour. Heat your oven to 220C. Beat the egg and brush over the top of the loaf.
8. Once the oven is hot bake in the oven for 25-30minutes until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on its bottom. The loaf does colour quickly due to the egg glaze and may look done earlier than it actually is but do keep an eye on it.
9. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
10. Enjoy!
