TWD - Chocolate-Tipped Cream Puff Pocky Sticks

This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe is Chocolate-Tipped Cream Puff Pocky Sticks (quite a mouthful!).

As the name suggests, the recipe involves making cream puff (choux) pastry, and piping it into 6” strips before baking:

 Once the pocky sticks are cool, chocolate is drizzled over the end, and they are decorated with sprinkles or sugar. I made the matcha white chocolate glaze fir my pocky sticks and decorated them with pink and white hundreds and thousands.

These pocky sticks are easy to make, albeit a little fiddly. They tasted quite good too.

To see what everyone else made this week and what they thought of it, visit the LYL section of the TWD website.

TWD - Olive Oil Brownies

This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe is Olive Oil Brownies. These brownies contain olive oil instead of butter as the key fat component. They are also flavoured with black pepper, and contain dried fruit. Instead of raisins, I used dried strawberries that I had randomly purchased with no particular use in mind.

The reviews from my fellow bakers on these brownies were mixed, but I liked them. They were not super squidgy, but they were fudgy, which suited me just fine. The dried strawberries baked up well and were a nice contrast to the chocolate.

To see what everyone else baked this week and what they thought of it, visit the LYL section of the TWD website.

TWD - Devil’s Food Party Cake

This week’s Tuesday with Dorie recipe is Devil’s Food Party Cake. It’s a delicious, rich double layer chocolate cake filled and covered with decadent chocolate fudge policy.

I decided to bake my cake in heart shaped tins - because why not? They are super pretty.

Look at those rich fudgy layers! I decorated my cake with fresh raspberries for a pop of colour and tang.

To see what everyone else made this week and what they thought of it, visit the LYL section of the TWD website.

TWD - Park Avenue Brownies

This week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe (Baking With Dorie) is Park Avenue Brownies. Over the years, I have baked lots of different brownie recipes by Dorie. The schtick with these brownies is that they are “thin and rich”, just like the ladies of Park Avenue from whence they got their moniker.

 You wouldn’t be thin for long after tasting these delicious walnut-topped brownies. They are full of chocolatey goodness yet not overly sweet, so it would not be hard to gobble down a pan of them if you were so inclined.

To see what everyone else made this week and what they thought of it, visit tge LYL section of the TWD website.

TWD - Caramel Crunch-Chocolate Chunklet Cookies

 This week’s Tuesday with Dorie recipe is Caramel Crunch-Chocolate Chunklet Cookies. There is no actual caramel in these cookies - just caramelised sugar and butter with walnuts and chocolate chunks.

These cookies are baked in a muffin tin after being cut from a dough log, to help give them a round shape.

They were tasty cookies, and if you are a fan of chocolate chip cookies, you will likely like these.

To see what everyone else made this week and what they thought of it, visit the LYL section of the TWD website.

TWD - Strawberry Cheesecake-Chocolate No-Bake Pie

 This week’s Tuesday with Dorie recipe is Strawberry Cheesecake-Chocolate No-Bake Pie (phew, quite a mouthful).

For me, the “no bake” part wasn’t quite true as I opted to bake a chocolate crust for my pie. 

The pie crust (which can be made with crushed biscuits for the “no bake” option) is lined with ganache, then halved fresh strawberries, then covered with a white chocolate cheesecake filling.

I made the ganache using chocolate and Greek yoghurt instead of cream. I still had to buy cream to whip for the filling (darn it!), but replaced the sour cream with more Greek yoghurt . It worked a treat.

I had to buy cream, cream cheese and white chocolate to make this pie, which made it an expensive recipe despite my use of yoghurt that I already had and making the pie crust instead of using crushed biscuits. For this reason, although the end product is tasty, it will not be returning in my house.

To see what everyone else made this week and their views on it, visit the LYL section of the TWD website.

TWD - Lick The Pot Chocolate Pudding Pie

This week’s Tuesday with Dorie recipe is Lick The Pot Chocolate Pudding Pie, so named because Dorie’s husband always licks the pot when she makes the chocolate pudding filling.

There’s nothing not to like here - a spiced biscuit crumb crust, chocolate pudding filling (containing 200g of chocolate!) and a marscapone cream topping.

It really is the kind of dessert you want to sink your teeth into with its smooth velvety filling and creamy topping.

To see what everyone else made this week and what they thought of it, visit the LYL section of the TWD website.

TWD - S’mores Icecream Cake

This week’s Tuesday with Dorie recipe is S’mores Icecream Cake.

The original was an enormous 9” cake containing a lot of icecream and chocolate. I quartered the recipe and ended up with 2 x 10cm heart shaped cakes.
 

The cake starts with a biscuit and peanut base, topped with icecream, then fudge sauce, then more icecream, then a peanut butter/marshmallow fluff filling, then yet more icecream and finally more fudge sauce. After freezing the cake for 6 hours, it is topped with mini marshmallows that are then torched, and put into the freezer again.

You end up with a cake that is a rather rich, decadent treat:

I used all vanilla icecream rather than 3 separate flavours as suggested by Dorie. Marshmallow fluff is not easy to come by here and I’d be unlikely to use it again, so I made a homemade version using melted marshmallows and corn syrup. 

While I do enjoy this icecream cake, it is quite a process to make and rather decadent, so once what I have is gone, I won’t make it again.

To see what everyone else made this week and what they thought of it, visit the LYL section of the TWD website.

TWD - Chocolate-Pecan Cookies

 This week’s Tuesday with Dorie recipe is Chocolate-Pecan Cookies.

These delicious cookies involve combining finely chopped pecans with Dorie’s good for almost anything chocolate cookie dough, and topping the cookies with a mixture of nuts, sugar and egg whites.

These are simply delish. The cookies also hold their shape well in the oven, so top marks from me.

To see what everyone else made this week and what they thought of it, visit the LYL section of the TWD website.

TWD - Zan’s Birthday Cookies

This week’s Tuesday with Dorie recipe is Zan’s Birthday Cookies. These cookies comprise a chocolate/coconut brownie base, a coconut pastry cream filling and a chocolate crumble topping.

 They taste OK, but probably are not a repeat for me.

To see what everyone else made this week and what they thought of it, visit the LYL section of the TWD website.

TWD - Mochaccino Muffins

This week’s Tuesday with Dorie recipe is Mochaccino Muffins. As the name suggests, they are flavoured with chocolate and coffee. Coffee powder, coffee extract, cocoa and chocolate chips make up the flavours.

They are really tasty - not too dense, nice and moist inside:
 

Best of all, the washing up is minimal, as these are made without the aid of a mechanical mixer:

To see what everyone else made this week and what they thought of it, visit the LYL section of the TWD website.

TWD - Chocolate Olive Cookies

 This week’s Tuesday With Dorie recipe is Chocolate Olive Cookies.  These biscuits are a chocolate sable flavoured with chopped olives.

It sounds totally weird, but these biscuits are really good. They melt in your mouth and have that sweet-salty thing going on.

To see what everyone else made this week and what they thought of it, visit the LYL section of the TWD website. 

Avocado Chocolate Mousse

 I have finally tried making Avocado Chocolate Mousse. I used this recipe by Chocolate Covered Katie.

The verdict - it is ok, and you can’t taste the avocado. However, it doesn’t beat the version made with cream for me.

Raspberry Marshmallow Slice

 If you love marshmallow and raspberries, I found a great recipe on the Woolworths website for you to make.  It is Raspberry Marshmallow Slice.  A biscuit base is topped with a jammy raspberry mixture (or I am sure you could sub in raspberry jam), and topped with marshmallow.  The top is then decorated with swirls of melted chocolate.

To make this slice, you will need:

Base

1 packet chocolate coated Scotch Finger (shortbread) biscuits

 1/2 cup dessicated coconut

120g melted butter

Raspberry layer

375g fresh or frozen raspberries

1/4 cup cornflour

1/4 cup sifted icing sugar

Marshmallow

2 teaspoons powdered gelatin

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup sifted icing sugar

50g chocolate, melted, for decoration

For the base, line a 20cm x 30cm slice tin with baking paper.  Put the biscuits into a food processor and whizz into fine crumbs.  Add the coconut and melted butter and pulse until combined.  Press the mixture into the base of the lined tin and refrigerate while you make the topping.

For the raspberry layer, mash the raspberries and put into a small saucepan.  Add the sugar and cornflour and stir the mixture over low heat for 5 minutes or until the raspberries become glossy.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool while you make the marshmallow.

For the marshmallow, put 3/4 cup water into a small saucepan and sprinkle over the gelatine.  Allow to stand for 5 minutes.  Whisk with a fork to combine.

Add the granulated sugar to the gelatine mixture and place on the stove.  Stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves, then turn up the heat to medium and stir over the heat until the mixture boils and thickens, ~ 5 minutes.

Pour the gelatine mixture into a heat proof bowl and allow to cool for 5 minutes.  Add the icing sugar, then beat the mixture until thick, white and glossy.

Spread the raspberry mixture over the chilled biscuit base, then working quickly, pour over the marshmallow topping and spread evenly over the top of the raspberry layer with a metal spatula.  Allow to set before piping or drizzling melted chocolate over the top of the slice.

Once the chocolate has set, cut the slice into squares, and enjoy! 

  

WWDH - Chocolate Brownies

 For Wednesday with Donna Hay this week, I present Chocolate Brownies from Modern Classics Book 2. The recipe is also available online here.

This is a pretty straight forward brownie recipe with no fancy strings attached. 

I made mine with gluten free flour to share with friends.

They were good - not the best brownie recipe I have ever made, but serviceable and easy.

To see some other Donna Hay dishes, visit Kayte at Grandma’s Kitchen Table, and Margaret at Tea and Scones.

TWD - Mokonut’s Cranberry-Rye Chocolate Chunk Cookies

This week’s Tuesday with Dorie (BWD) recipe is Mokonut’s Cranberry-Rye Chocolate Chunk Cookies.

This recipe is based on the cookies made at  a Parisian restaurant called Mokonut. As their name suggests, the cookies are flavoured with dried cranberries, rye flour and chocolate.

And they are absolutely scrumptious. This is the best cookie recipe I have made in a long time - I loved them so much I kept 5 for me.

To see what the other Dorie Bskers made this week and their thoughts on it, visit the LYL section of the TWD website.

 

WWDH - Rum and Raisin Truffles

 

This week’s Wednesday with Donna Hay recipe is Rum and Raisin Truffles. The recipe is online here.

These truffles are, as you would expect, quite rich. I gave some to one of my neighbours abd she thought they were delicious.

To check out some more Donna Hay dishes, visit Kayte at Grandma’s Kitchen Table, Margaret at Tea and Scones, and Peggy at Pantry Revisited.  

TWD - Chocolate and Walnut Bars

This week’s Tuesday with Dorie ( Dorie’s Cookies) recipe is Chocolate and Walnut Bars. This recipe is based on a Roman treat rather than the melt and mix brownie I thought it would  be.

There are quite a few steps to make these bars, including chopping and melting chocolate, blitzing walnuts, separating eggs and whipping the egg whites to stiff peaks, followed by making a chocolate glaze.

The end result is decadent and delicious. I didn’t have any cream, so instead of making Dorie’s ganache glaze, I made a glaze from chocolate, butter, glucose syrup and vegetable oil by Donna Hay. I think it worked pretty well as a substitute.

I only made a quarter of the  recipe, which was plenty for me. The full batch uses 8 eggs.

To see what everyone else made this week and what  they thought of it, visit the LYL section of the TWD website.

Spiced Chocolate Pear and Hazelnut Torte - The Cook’s Pantry

Currently there are a lot of pears around, so it is a perfect time to make the most of them. I was watching The Cook’s Pantry this weekend when Courtney Roulston made a Spiced Chocolate, Pear and Hazelnut Torte - a perfect way to celebrate pears.
 

This moist torte contains both hazelnut and almond meal. When combined with dark chocolate, cardamom and cinnamon, and topped with sliced pears, you have a nutty, winning dessert.

To make this easy, gluten free dessert, you will need:

120g chopped dark chocolate, melted

2/3 cup olive oil

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup hazelnut meal

1/2 cup almond meal

3 eggs, separated

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cardamom 

2 pears, cored and thinly sliced

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius and grease and line a 9” fluted tart pan with a removable base.

In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients and the egg yolks with the olive oil, then fold through the melted chocolate.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold the whites through the chocolate mixture.

Scrape the mixture into the prepared tart pan and smooth the top. Arrange the sliced pears on top.

Bake the torte in the oven for 45-50 minutes or until cooked through. Remove the torte from the oven and allow it to cool in the tin before slicing and serving.

TWD - Chocolate Chip Not Quite Mandelbrot

 This week’s Tuesday with Dorie recipe is Chocolate Chip Not Quite Mandelbrot. The name is derived from the fact that Mandelbrot is meant to contain almonds - these biscuits do not.

Like biscotti, these biscuits are twice baked. I made my own modifications - I used a gluten free flour mix, a mixture of Reese’s pieces and chocolate chips, and chocolate ginger sugar in place of cinnamon sugar on top.

These biscuits were quite tasty - way tastier than commercial almond bread.

To see what everyone else made this week and their thoughts in it, visit the LYL section of the TWD website.