Toblerone dessert in 30 minutes!!

                               

                                Toblerone dessert in 30 minutes

A super quick and easy "emergency" dessert today for the holiday season. It's creamy, it's chocolaty, it's yummy and it's ready in only 30 minutes!

Makes 8 small or 6 medium or 4 "husband Mark" sized serves.

Ingredients

200 gram (7oz)  Milk or Dark Toblerone (melted)

500g (17.5 oz) *softened Philadelphia Cream Cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup caster sugar (superfine sugar)

1 tsp vanilla 

Optional... 2 tablespoons of chocolate, or honey, or almond liqueur

Decorations

200 gram (7oz) Milk or Dark Toblerone 

thick cream

honey to drizzle

flaked, chopped or silvered toasted almonds

Method

Beat softened cream cheese with caster sugar until smooth. Add melted Toblerone, sour cream, vanilla and liqueur if using and beat until combined.

                          beaten cream cheese

 melt toblerone in a metal or glass bowl over a pan of barely simmering water until just melted.

 beaten Toblerone mixture still contains the pieces of honey nougat from the chocolate bar

Spoon into small serving glasses, bowls or ramekins. 

Top with a spoonful of thick cream, toasted almonds, Toblerone pieces and a drizzle of honey... that's it, ready to serve! 

If you do want to make ahead of time, spoon the Toblerone mixture into glasses, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until required. Just before serving add the toppings. 

*to soften your cream cheese roughly chop and place in a microwave safe bowl, zap on low in 30 second increments  until soft. 

Notes: reduce the fat in the dessert by substituting light sour cream and light Philly cheese for the full fat varieties. 

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Mini Chocolate Cake Puddings

   Ode to Bounty Bar Cupcakes

Stamped Sugar Cookies

camomile & honey cupcake, honey frosting, fondant flowers & stamped honey cookie winnie the pooh topper.

I'm still playing with my "new toys" from yesterdays post. The first batch of stamped cookies I made last week weren't successful; I "lost" the faces, they slowly faded away on baking. Now I have that problem sorted out by reducing the baking powder and by chilling the stamped cookies in the freezer before baking.

Making stamped cookies; I've adapted my cookies from a Martha Stewart recipe for sugar cookies, but you could use your favourite sugar cookie recipe and reduce or even omit the baking powder. 

Stamped Honey Sugar Cookies

Makes about 40

Ingredients

• 2 cups sifted plain flour (all-purpose) flour

• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 tablespoon of *honey 

• 1/2 cup butter

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method

1. In a large bowl, sift together flour and baking powder. Set aside.

2. In bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg & honey beat until smooth, 1 minute.

3. Add reserved flour mixture, and mix on low speed until thoroughly combined. Stir in vanilla. Wrap dough in plastic, and refrigerate for about 45 minutes.

4. Position two racks in oven; preheat oven to 160 celsius (325 degrees). Line two baking trays with baking paper or a non-stick baking mat; set aside.

5. On a well-floured work surface, roll out chilled dough to 0.3 cm (1/8 inch) thick. If using a 2 piece cutters like mine, cut out the outline shape. With a metal spatula, transfer whole cookies to the prepared baking trays. Stamp each cookie, with enough pressure to create a fairly deep imprint. If using a one piece stamp/cutter, press and cut your shapes and transfer cookies to prepared baking trays.

6. Transfer baking tray to the freezer, and chill until cookie dough is firm, about 15 minutes. Place the baking tray in the oven, and bake cookies for 6 to 8 minutes. 

7. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 3 minutes, and then use a metal spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

* If using your cookies as cupcake toppers, frost your cupcakes as per usual and just before serving add your cookie toppers. 

*I used honey in these cookies, when you are baking with honey you will  notice your baked goods will brown more quickly... keep an eye on them, particularly if your stamped cookie has small protruding parts like ears. 

Happy Baking :) 

P.S Thank you Angela!!! I love these cutters!

Liquid Sweeteners & Syrups

                                                          Golden Syrup

Liquid sweeteners and syrups are often used in your baking and candy making, today a quick look at the most popular.

                             a selection of liquid sweeteners

                                      Treacle

Treacle is a twice boiled syrup made from a by-product produced in the process of refining sugar cane.

Treacle is called Molasses in the US. However, black strap molasses (the same syrup boiled a third time during processing) is called Black Strap Molasses in the US, UK & Oz. 

If you love Harry Potter, you will know 'Treacle Tart' is his favourite dessert, but treacle tart is not made from treacle... it's made from Golden Syrup (see below).

Availability in Australia: Common, most supermarkets carry treacle. Black Strap Molasses is available in health food stores. 

                             Golden Syrup

Golden syrup is the syrup produced in the process of refining sugar cane. The first boiling in production produces the light coloured syrup, which is a variety of treacle.

The essential ingredient for Treacle Tart in the UK and in Australia for our national biscuit (cookie) the ANZAC.

Golden Syrup can be replaced by honey in recipes, though this will alter the flavour. Golden Syrup has a distinct "lightly burnt sugar" taste. 

Availability in Australia: Common, all supermarkets carry Golden Syrup

                                Glucose Syrup

Glucose Syrup is a clear thick sugar syrup and a purer form of corn syrup (see below). Glucose syrup is derived from honey, fruits (usually grapes) and some vegetables.

Used in your confectionary work to help prevent crystallisation of sugar.

In most cases you can substitute light corn syrup. 

Availability in Australia: Common, most supermarkets carry glucose syrup.

                            Corn Syrup

Corn syrup is a glucose syrup derived from corn with some additives. Karo Light Corn Syrup is the most popular brand and has according to the manufacturer 'is a mixture of corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup , flavored with salt and vanilla'. Also available as Dark Syrup. 

There has been some bad press coming out of the US about corn syrup, it seems to be focused around obesity and the use of corn syrup in processed food. Any of liquid sweeteners mentioned today will cause obesity if over consumed. For anyone following a healthy diet & limiting processed foods the occasional consumption of corn syrup isn't a problem. 

Corn syrup is used to help prevent the crystallisation of sugar in candy/sugar work, in frostings & some desserts.

Availability in Australia: Difficult, some supermarkets do carry it, otherwise you will have to hunt it out at delicatessens & speciality grocers. Consider substituting for glucose syrup if unobtainable.

                                 Honey

Honey a sweet syrup food produced most commonly by Honey Bees. Most honey in Australia is mixed honey, however do try single varieties of honey in your baking for a flavour treat. Clover leaf honey is the best mild tasting honey for baking.

With the same relative sweetness as sugar, honey adds a distinct flavour to your baking. Cakes containing honey brown more quickly.

Availability in Australia: Common for mixed honey, single variety honeys are available in some supermarkets, speciality food stores & farmers markets will often have varieties such as lavender honey.

                           Maple Syrup

Maple Syrup is a thin sweetener syrup made from the sap of maple trees. Most commonly used on pancakes, waffles & in desserts.

Availability in Australia: Limited to good, pure maple syrup is in some supermarkets... it's usually always CAMP brand. Avoid the less expensive artificial syrups, the flavour is not comparable.