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ROCKY ROAD BROWNIES
This remains a firm favourite with my kids. We have it at least twice a month and they never get tired of eating it! We love it with vanilla ice cream or whipped fresh cream.
ROCKY ROAD BROWNIE BARS
Makes about 2
Ingredients
2 cups of chocolate chips
1 1/4 cups of cake flour
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
1 ½ teapoon of baking powder
¾ cup of sugar
1 1/4 cup of soft brown sugar
6 tablespoon of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
2 eggs
2 cups of mini marshmallows
1 ½ cups of walnuts, coarsely chopped
Method:
Preheat your oven to 180C. Spray a 13x9inch baking pan with non stick cooking spray and lay the bottom with parchment paper.
Add 1 cup of the chocolate chips in a small bowl and melt in the microwave and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar, add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Add in the melted chocolate and beat until smooth.
Beat in the dry flour mixture and spread this mixture evenly in the prepared pan. Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out slightly sticky.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle evenly with the marshmallows, remaining chocolate chips and walnuts. Return to oven for 2 minutes or until the marshmallows begin to melt.
Variation: Substitute the vanilla essence with peppermint essence and sprinkle peppermint crisp chocolate over instead of the chocolate chips for a pepperminty flavour.
Let them cool for about 30 minutes and cut into bars.
CHICK PEA RICE
CHICK PEA RICE
Having canned chick peas on hand is quite useful for a quick and easy meal. When using canned chick peas, you don’t even have to cook for long. To make rice using chick peas doesn’t take much time at all. I like to add chopped pieces of boneless chicken for a filing meal for the kids. I don’t use much chili powder but to make an adult version, go ahead and increase the amount of chili powder and add some chopped green chilies to spice it up.
Chick Pea Rice
Ingredients:
2 cups of cooked rice
1 tin of canned chick peas
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2 sticks cinnamon
3 cardamom pods
Salt to taste
½ teaspoon ginger and garlic paste
½ teaspoon chili powder
Pinch of turmeric
½ teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon jeera powder
2 teaspoons oil
Small pieces of boneless chicken
Chopped dhanya leaves for garnish
Method:
- Heat oil in a saucepan.
- Add onions and sauté till translucent.
- Add stick cinnamon and cardamoms.
- Add the chicken now if using.
- Stir and cook approximately 10 minutes or until chicken are cooked.
- Then add the ginger garlic paste and sauté for 30 sec before adding the tomatoes.
- Add the chick peas and some salt.
- Cover and cook for about 5 minutes till the chick peas are cooked.
- Add the turmeric, chili powder and garam masala and sauté for another couple of minutes.
- Add in the cooked rice and mix it up well the cooked chick peas.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
- Serve warm.
RING DOUGHNUTS
Ingredients:
4 x 250ml cake flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
Pinch salt
1 dessertspoon butter
1/4 cup oil
2 dessertspoons vanilla essence
2 dessertspoons almond essence
Approx 175ml milk
1 packet instant yeast
750ml oil for frying
Method:
Mix together the sugar, eggs, salt, butter, oil, vanilla essence, almond essence and light and fluffy.
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Add the liquid mixture and mix to combine well to soft dough.
Set dough aside, covered, to rise until double in size. Divide dough into approx 30 small balls on a slightly oiled surface.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan.
Once oil is hot gently pull the ball to form a ring starting from the centre of the ball.
Fry each side until browned.
Drain on absorbent paper.
Sugar syrup
500ml water
250ml sugar
Boil water and sugar until sugar is dissolved and syrup is slightly thickened and sticky. Add drops of water if syrup becomes too sticky.
Dip each ring doughnut in sugar syrup.
Serve plain, sprinkle with desiccated coconut or cut the doughnut through the middle and fill with cream.
SPRINKLED WITH DESICCATED COCONUT
DATE TRUFFLES
DATE TRUFFELS
Ingredients:
250g dates (pitted)
1 packet Tennis or Marie biscuits
110g butter or margarine
2.5ml vanilla essence
90ml sugar
1 egg, beaten
Desiccated coconut
METHOD:
Chop the dates ensuring no pits remain.
Crush the biscuits.
Combine the dates, butter, vanilla essence and sugar in a small pot.
Cook over low heat until well mixed and soft.
Allow to cool slightly, add the beaten egg and crushed biscuits and mix well.
Shape into small balls by hand and roll in the coconut.
Store in the fridge.
ROCKY ROAD BROWNIES
This remains a firm favourite with my kids. We have it at least twice a month and they never get tired of eating it! We love it with vanilla ice cream or whipped fresh cream.
ROCKY ROAD BROWNIE BARS
Makes about 2
Ingredients
2 cups of chocolate chips
1 1/4 cups of cake flour
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
1 ½ teapoon of baking powder
¾ cup of sugar
1 1/4 cup of soft brown sugar
6 tablespoon of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
2 eggs
2 cups of mini marshmallows
1 ½ cups of walnuts, coarsely chopped
Method:
Preheat your oven to 180C. Spray a 13x9inch baking pan with non stick cooking spray and lay the bottom with parchment paper.
Add 1 cup of the chocolate chips in a small bowl and melt in the microwave and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar, add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Add in the melted chocolate and beat until smooth.
Beat in the dry flour mixture and spread this mixture evenly in the prepared pan. Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out slightly sticky.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle evenly with the marshmallows, remaining chocolate chips and walnuts. Return to oven for 2 minutes or until the marshmallows begin to melt.
Variation: Substitute the vanilla essence with peppermint essence and sprinkle peppermint crisp chocolate over instead of the chocolate chips for a pepperminty flavour.
Let them cool for about 30 minutes and cut into bars.
EASY RING DOUGHNUTS
This doughnut recipe makes great tasting home made doughnuts. Best eaten on the same day.
RING DOUGHNUTS
Makes +/- 30
Ingredients:
500g selfraising flour
3 eggs
¾ cup sugar
70g butter/margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 – 1½ cups buttermilk
Oil for frying
7cm and 3cm round cutters
For the coating:
1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
125g caster sugar
Method:
Cream together the eggs, sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl. Add vanilla essence.
Add the flour and baking powder. Make a slight dent in the middle of the flour.
Add the buttermilk.
Mix together into a smooth ball and then turn out on to a floured work surface.
Roll the dough out to a thickness of just over 1cm. Flour the cutters and use the larger one to cut out rounds of dough, then cut out the centres using the smaller cutter. (Or you can buy a ring doughnut cutter from your local spice shop)
Re-roll the trimmings to make more doughnuts.
Put the doughnuts to one side and make the coating.
Mix the cinnamon into the sugar in a small bowl.
Now fry the doughnut. Place the rings carefully into the hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes, until golden on the bottom, then turn them over and fry for a further 2-3 minutes, until they are an even golden colour and cooked through.
Lift on to kitchen paper to drain briefly and, while they’re still hot, toss them in the cinnamon sugar until evenly coated. Shake off any excess and place on a wire rack to cool. (Not suitable for freezing).
Cook’s tip
GLAZE
1 cup of icing sugar
1 tablespoon of vanilla essence or a drop of food colouring
Whisk in enough boiling water to make a thin glaze, drizzle over donuts.
Cover with sprinkles.
Kids love these different coloured doughnuts!!
Or
Spread the doughnuts with chocolate spread
ORANGE CAKE
This delicious cake is rich and full of flavours. Perfect snack or afternoon treat!
Orange Cake, a deliciously moist cake!
Ingredients
Serves: 12
250g cake (plain) flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
200g caster sugar
125ml milk
125ml orange juice
125ml vegetable oil
3 eggs, beaten
1 ½ teaspoons grated orange zest
Orange butter icing:
6 tablespoons butter, softened
250g icing sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
Method:
Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and flour two 20cm round cake tins.
In a measuring jug, combine milk, 125ml orange juice, oil, beaten eggs and
1½ teaspoons orange zest. Set aside.
Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Mix in sugar. Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk mixture. Stir until thoroughly combined.
Divide cake mixture between the two prepared tins. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool.
To make Orange Butter Icing:
Cream butter until smooth. Gradually beat in icing sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Beat in 2 tablespoons orange juice to bring to spreading consistency. Stir in vanilla and 1 teaspoon orange zest. Spread over cooled cakes.
ENJOY!!
Orange cakes are especially delicious in winter when citrus is in season
COOK’s TIP FOR BAKING A PERFECT CAKE:
When making a cake it is important to follow the recipe exactly. If you try to skip a step you may have less than desirable results. Skip the sifting step and your flour will be heavier than it should, creating a heavy, dry cake. Over-mix and your cake will be tough and chewy, more like a good bread.
First, use the right ingredients and measure carefully.
Beat the liquid ingredients well before combining with the dry ingredients. Once the dry ingredients are added, the cake should be stirred gently, unless the directions tell you otherwise. If your cake is course and dry, or has tunnels, you have probably over-mixed.
Preheat the oven as directed. Starting in a cold oven, or too hot an oven will affect the rising and browning of the cake. A cake started in a cool oven will not allow the cake to rise sufficiently before the crust forms and the cake may fall. Too hot an oven may cause a crack to develop, and the crust to harden and overbrown. The cake should be placed in the center of the oven for best heat distribution. Be aware of your oven, if there are hot spots in your oven you may need to adjust.
The cake is done when it is lightly browned and it springs back when lightly pressed with the fingertip in the center or when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and dry. The cake will have begun to shrink away from the sides of the pan.
Ensure your ingredients are room temperature before starting your cake.
BANANA LOAF
Banana Loaf
Ingredients:
125g butter
Extra butter for greasing the tins
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
500g selfraising flour
4 bananas, mashed
Method:
Preheat oven to 180C. Grease 1 large loaf tin or 2 small loaf tins with the extra butter.
In a mixing bowl cream together butter, sugar and eggs.
Mix in mashed bananas. Add flour, bicarb and milk and mix to a thick batter. Pour into the prepared tins. Bake in preheated oven for 30 – 40 minutes. To test if the cake is done insert a skewer in the middle of the cake, if it comes out dry the cake is done.
BANANA LOAF
Cape Malay Cooking & Other Delights - Salwaa Smith 
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