Sweet Tooth Experiments

Tag Archives: cranberries

Festive Popcorn Honey Bark

Posted on Posted in Slice .

Festive Popcorn Honey Bark

This recipe was inspired by playing around with left over ingredients that I had in the cupboard from previous bakes that I wanted to turn into something. I hate wasting food and tend to buy quite a lot of ingredients in which I only use ¼ of for a recipe.

Therefore I decided to make my own version of ‘chocolate bark’, but instead of using chocolate as the base I would use caramel and instead of the usual nuts, seeds and dried fruits that go into ‘bark’, I opted for what I had in the cupboard.

I made 5 different varieties where this recipe I am posting was the star from the afternoon of experimenting.

Marshmallow, popcorn, coconut and white chocolate came close but it was the coconut, cranberry, orange, almond, popcorn and white chocolate recipe that was the tastiest.

Ingredients:

Popcorn mix:

  • 40g popcorn, pre-popped and lightly salted
  • 50g flaked coconut
  • 50g cranberries, diced
  • 1 tsn orange zest
  • 40g roasted almonds, finely diced

Caramel:

  • 40g butter
  • 120g honey
  • 160g sugar
  • 1 tsn bi carbonate soda

Extra:

  • 50g white chocolate

 

Method:

  1. Line a 25cmx25cm slice tin with baking paper.
  2. In a bowl place the popcorn, coconut, cranberries and zest, stir to combine.
  3. In a saucepan place the butter, honey and sugar on a medium heat, stir until combine.
  4. Turn heat to high until golden and thickened. You will know the caramel is done when you stir a spoon in the mix and place it in a cup of cold water, if the caramel is hard it’s ready.
  5. Take off the heat and add ½ tsn of the bicarbonate soda to the mix and stir.
  6. Add the almonds and stir.
  7. Pour the caramel mix into the prepared tin, ensuring even distribution.
  8. Working quickly sprinkle the popcorn mix over the caramel as evenly as possible and flatten with palms and fingertips to ensure the mix is in the caramel.
  9. Place slice in the fridge to set for 15 minutes.
  10. Meanwhile place the white chocolate over a double boiler and melt the chocolate.
  11. Drizzle the melted white chocolate on the bark and place back in the fridge for 30 minutes or until the white chocolate is set.
  12. Cut the bark into slices and enjoy.

 

 

Festive Popcorn Honey Bark recipe
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Marshmallow Popcorn Honey Bark recipe

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Marshmallow Popcorn Honey Bark recipe
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Festive Popcorn Honey Bark recipe
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Marshmallow Popcorn Honey Bark recipe
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Festive Popcorn Honey Bark recipe

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Sago and Dried Fruit Boiled Pudding

Posted on Posted in Australian, Pudding .

Sago and Dried Fruit Boiled Pudding

Sago and Dried Fruit Boiled Pudding recipe

If you visit my blog frequently you will recall I went on a baking journey of 15 recipes from the Australian Green & Gold cookery book published by New Holland, in which features 100’s and 100’s of traditional Australian recipes from ‘experienced housewife’s and cookery experts’.

From the 15 recipes I made 3 were key standouts that I couldn’t ignore and had to add to my Aussie traditional category on this blog.

Following the Bread Fritters, the Sago Plum Boiled Pudding was my next favorite.

The recipe I have posted follows exactly as per the traditional, apart from a few slight tweaks in the volumes of some ingredients to make it just that extra bit flavorsome and moist (it was originally fairly dry but delicious).

As 4 recipes I made were boiled puddings I was able to understand the optimal consistency of the Sago Plum Boiled Pudding.

Also, I did tweak the name to be a little more appropriate, technically the recipe doesn’t have any plum in it at all…..

It may take aaaggggeeesss to cook but this pudding is well well worth the wait.

Sago and Dried Fruit Boiled Pudding recipe

Ingredients:

  • 40g sago
  • 120ml milk
  • 50g butter, melted
  • 50g breadcrumbs
  • 140g dried fruit (dates/sultanas/currents/cranberries/cherries/raisins)
  • 60g sugar
  • 1 tsn ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsn ground ginger
  • ½ tsn ground mixed spice
  • 1 tsn bicarb of soda

 

Method:

  1. Place the sago into a bowl and cover completely with the milk. Allow the sago to soak, absorbing the milk for at least 2 hours.
  2. Add the butter, breadcrumbs, dried fruit, sugar, spices and bi-carb of soda into the bowl of soaked sago and combine all the ingredients well with your hands.
  3. Wet a muslin pudding cloth and ring out to remove access water.
  4. Dust the cloth with flour (this will stop the pudding from sticking to the cloth when boiled).
  5. In the bowl shape the pudding mix into a circle shape and place in the center of the cloth on the flour.
  6. Pull the cloth around the pudding and tie into shape with an elastic band or cooking string.
  7. Steam the pudding in a large pot filled with water on a simmering heat for 2-2.5 hours, ensuring the pudding is completely immersed in the water the whole time (topping up the water level if need be as it steams).
  8. Once cooked let the pudding sit in a sieve for 20 minutes over a bowl (to catch any excess water) then remove the elastic band and cloth.
  9. Place the pudding onto a plate and serve with custard or double cream.

 

Sago and Dried Fruit Boiled Pudding recipe

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Sago and Dried Fruit Boiled Pudding recipe

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Sago and Dried Fruit Boiled Pudding recipe

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Sago Dried Fruit Boiled Pudding recipe

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Sago and Dried Fruit Boiled Pudding recipe

Sago and Dried Fruit Boiled Pudding recipe

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White Chocolate Golden Syrup Cranberry Florentines

Posted on Posted in Biscuits .

White Chocolate Golden Syrup Cranberry Florentines

White Chocolate Cherry Florentines recipe
There are many many many versions of Florentine recipes that exist in magazines, recipe books, online etc so it’s quite rare for me to post a recipe that has so many variations and is so well known. Though most florentine recipes use the same standard base ingredients of cornflakes, condensed milk, milk chocolate and glaze cherries the secondary ingredients can span wide.

 

So when I came across a florentine in a café that had no cornflakes and was completely addictive I decided to create my own version, though deliberately without the 4 base ingredients for a good challenge.
I made a thin biscuit batter instead of the cornflakes, golden syrup instead of the condensed milk, dried cranberries instead of the glaze fruit, 4 different nuts instead of just focusing on 1 and lastly white chocolate instead of the traditional milk.

 

I identified that the golden syrup provides a malty caramel flavour which with the nuts tastes absolutely delicious. The white chocolate allows the nuts, golden syrup and cranberries to shine as it’s not as overwhelming in flavour as milk chocolate.A warning, this biscuit is moreish-ly addictive!
White Chocolate Cherry Florentines recipe

 

Ingredients:

  • 50g brown sugar
  • 50g butter
  • 30ml golden syrup
  • 45g plain flour
  • 75g mixed roasted nuts (I used cashews, pecans, walnuts and almonds)
  • 40g cranberries
  • 90g white chocolate

 

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180c degrees and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
  2. Place the sugar, butter and golden syrup into a bowl and heat in the microwave until the mix bubbles.
  3. Using a hand whisk beat until the mix is well combine.
  4. Sieve the flour over the butter mix and beat until combine.
  5. Chop the nuts into small pieces and add to the sugar butter mix.
  6. Slightly dice up the cranberries and add to the butter mix.
  7. Stir the mix until all ingredients are combined.
  8. Roll the mix into balls, 15g each and place them onto the baking paper ensuring at least 5cm between each ball.
  9. Place the trays in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
  10. Allow the biscuits to cool and harden on the trays.
  11. Place the while chocolate into a bowl and on a low/medium level heat in the microwave in 1 minute intervals until the chocolate is melted.
  12. Use a bread knife or spatula spread the chocolate over the bottom of each cooled biscuits placing the biscuits chocolate side up onto a plate.
  13. Place the plate into the fridge until the chocolate has set hard.

 

Boozy Mocha Yoghurt Ice-Cream recipe

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White Chocolate Cherry Florentines recipe
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White Chocolate Cherry Florentines recipe
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White Chocolate Cherry Florentines recipe
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