They're not Terry's - They're MINE

Double Chocolate Orange Cookies

These cookies where inspired by the ever popular Terry's Chocolate Orange, which was half price in Tesco recently. I bought it on a whim with the intention of simply devouring with a cuppa, but upon contemplation, decided I could put it to better use in a recipe.

 

These cookies are an adaptation of the double chocolate chip cookies recipe, but with the chocolate being replaced by the whole chocolate orange. It is more chocolate than the recipe states, but it will not affect the cooking time, etc. It just gives you a whole lot more chocolate to enjoy!

You will need :

125g soft unsalted butter

125g caster sugar

2 tbsp condensed milk

125g self-raising flour, sifted

50g cocoa, sifted

1 whole Terry's chocolate orange - yep that's right, a whole one! Cut into small to medium sized chunks

50g white chocolate - optional, to decorate

1. Pre heat the oven to 150c, fan 130, gas 2. Using an electric hand whisk or mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.

2. Beat in the condensed milk, then add the flour, cocoa powder and a pinch of salt, and mix.

3. Stir in the yummy chocolate orange chunks, without eating any - I bet you can't.

(Miss B is just about the snaffle herself a handful here)

4. Roll into walnut sized balls and space approx. 5cm apart on lined baking trays. Gently squash down with the back of a spoon.

I usually manage around 20 cookies from one mix but I made these a little bit bigger therefore got around 15.

Bake in the oven for approximately 12 minutes, until just firm at the edges but still a little soft in the centre.

5. Allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool.

6. Melt the white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl for bursts of 30 seconds, until runny and smooth.

Give it a good stir and pop into a piping bag and drizzle over the top of the biscuits. I used a zig-zag pattern but you can really go to town on this and do what ever takes your fancy.

And as usual these tasty treats lasted all of 36 hours in the tin!

Enjoy your day!

B x

Death by Chocolate Brownie......

After a very hectic few weeks at home, things have finally started to calm down again.

There was Little B's christening, which entailed what felt like a mammoth amount of organisation and cooking, and then Miss. B's school summer fayre to bake something for too.

All of this activity culminated in my oven giving up on me, with a tray of bownies in there- arghhhhhhh

The element had burnt out. So, with a visit from my lovely handy man to repair it, and £55 the worse for wear, I was able to make some more of these delightful treats, ready for the summer fayre.

My quest for the 'perfect brownie' has gone on for many years (and probably will continue forever), and this one comes pretty darn close!The recipe is very straight forward and credit for the recipe must go to theboywhobakes.co.uk 

I have used different types of brown sugar in the recpie at times, depending upon what I have to hand, and the mix has always given that lovely deep fudge flavour.

You will need :

180g plain flour

3 tbsp cocoa powder

Generous pinch of salt

300g dark chocolate ( at least 60% cocoa solids)

200g unsalted butter

150g caster sugar

220g light brown sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Pre heat your oven to 180c / 160c fan / gas mark 4. Grease and line a 23 x 33 cm tray. I used these foil trays from Lakeland .Great for transporting in afterwards if necessary, and saves on the washing up.

2. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt together into a bowl and set aside.

3. In a medium pan set over a medium heat melt the chocolate and butter togerther, whisk in the sugars and then remove from the heat.

4. Firmly whisk in the eggs and vanilla until nice and fluffy and well combined. The batter should have slightly thickened by now.

5, Fold in the flour until just combined. Take care not to overwork the mixture. Pour the batter into your prepared tin and level the mix over with a spatula.

(Do you like my Teddy Bear Cookie Jar? I've had him for years and I never tire of his friendly, inviting smile!)

6. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or so. The batter should have a delicate crust over the top and a skewer inserted into the centre should have a few moist crumbs on it.

(You are not seeing double here - I baked two trays - one for school and one for home)

Allow to cool in the pan completely before removing. Slice up into whatever size squares you like. I vary my slices depending on my mood. Small bite size are good because you can wolf down half a dozen and not feel too guilty. The larger squares are perhaps for the more discerning of guests that like to savour each mouthful. Either way they taste delicious!!

I hope you enjoy baking these brownies, and enjoy eating them even more!

Enjoy your day.

B x