Sweet Tooth Experiments

Tag Archives: peppermint

Orange Peppermint and Chocolate Slice

Posted on Posted in Slice .

Orange Peppermint and Chocolate Slice

Orange Peppermint and Chocolate Slice recipe

After making delicious but super easy and hardly challenging chocolate, orange and peppermint cookies I loved the flavour pairing so much I decided to take the flavour to a more layered and textural bake.

Therefore, as a follow up to see if I could replicate the same taste but in a more interesting bake format I decided to make a chocolate cake with orange filling and peppermint icing. Though the bake turned out well the peppermint was quite overpowering unlike the biscuits I had made previously therefore, that taste I was looking for was just not quite there.

Following this I felt if I made a slice that had one layer with all 3 flavours then championed the orange in the middle and topped it with the chocolate and peppermint that maybe the intenseness of the peppermint could work with and not overpower the orange.

Outcome success! It did take a few goes of peppermint and orange ratios to get it right but I think this recipe hits the flavour I was looking for on the head.

Ingredients:

Base:

  • 115g plain flour
  • 110g caster sugar
  • 75g butter, softened
  • 40g cocoa powder
  • ½ egg
  • 3 drops peppermint oil
  • 1/2 heaped tsn orange zest
  • 35g peppermint crisp bar, chopped

Filling:

  • 65g butter
  • 45g rice malt syrup
  • 80g caster sugar
  • 395g can condensed milk
  • 1 + 1/2 tsn orange zest

Top:

  • 80g dark choc
  • 10g butter
  • 4 drops peppermint oil

 

Method:

  1. Pre heat the oven to 180c degrees and line a 20 x 20cm slice tin with baking paper.
  2. Place the flour, sugar, butter, cocoa, egg, peppermint oil and zest base ingredients into a food processor and blitz until the mix clumps together like a dough.
  3. Fold in the peppermint crisp pieces with clean hands.
  4. Spread the mix into the slice tin and using the back of a spoon flatten out evenly.
  5. Place the tin in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until firm to touch.
  6. Place all the filling ingredients into a saucepan on a low heat, stirring until the mix is well combined and the sugar has dissolved.
  7. Turn the heat to medium and cook, stirring for 15 minutes or until the mix thickens and browns (110c degrees soft ball stage on a candy thermometer).
  8. Pour the mix on top of the base and place in the fridge for 2 hours to firm and set.
  9. Melt the chocolate, peppermint oil and butter in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water and stir until well combine and silky smooth.
  10. Pour the mix over the caramel filling and spread evenly with the back of a spoon.
  11. Place the slice in the fridge for 3 hours to set. Once set slice and enjoy.

Steps:

Orange Peppermint and Chocolate Slice recipe

Step 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orange Peppermint and Chocolate Slice recipe

Step 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orange Peppermint and Chocolate Slice recipe

Step 5

Orange Peppermint and Chocolate Slice recipe

Step 6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orange Peppermint and Chocolate Slice recipe

Step 7

Orange Peppermint and Chocolate Slice recipe

Step 8

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orange Peppermint and Chocolate Slice recipe

Step 9

Orange Peppermint and Chocolate Slice recipe

Step 10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orange Peppermint and Chocolate Slice recipe

Step 11

Orange Peppermint and Chocolate Slice recipe

Step 11

 

 

 

 

 

Email, RSS Follow
Print

Chocolate Peppermint and Orange Cookies

Posted on Posted in Biscuits .

Chocolate Peppermint and Orange Cookies

Chocolate Peppermint and Orange Cookies

 

A random but delicious flavour paring, I experimented with chocolate, orange and peppermint cookies recently and as I made the recipe up on the fly I didn’t write down the ingredients or ratios I used. Of course the cookies were absolutely to die for in crunch, texture, taste and satisfaction. Pretty much this recipe took me 5 goes to get the right base cookie dough I was after as well as the right chocolate, orange and peppermint ingredient types (oils, essence, zest, peppermint crisp bars, cocoa, chocolate nibs), then there was the right ratios.

A week of a different recipe each night after work and I finally got to what I think I had in the first place. Lesson learnt – write down recipes when making them up!

 

Ingredients:

  • 100g butter
  • 110g caster sugar
  • 115g brown sugar
  • 1 vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 8 drops peppermint oil
  • 100g dark chocolate pieces
  • 1/2 tsn orange essence
  • 2 tsn orange zest
  • 150g plain flour
  • 1/3 tsn baking powder
  • ½ tsn salt

 

Method:

  1. Pre heat the oven to 180c degrees and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
  2. Place the butter, sugar and vanilla into a bowl and beat with electric beaters for 5 minutes or until pale and fluffy.
  3. Add the egg and beat until well combined.
  4. Add the orange essence, zest and oil, beat until combined.
  5. In a separate bowl place, the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and sieve.
  6. Beat in flour mix with electric beaters for 1 minute on slow.
  7. Use hands to fold in chocolate pieces evenly.
  8. Roll the dough into 20g balls and place onto the tray allowing for 5cm gaps between each biscuit.
  9. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits are golden brown.
  10. Leave the cookies on the tray to cool for 5 minutes then place on a cooling rack.
  11. Dust with icing sugar or drizzle with white chocolate for decoration, enjoy!

Note: I have used peppermint oil not peppermint essence. I find the oil is much stronger and richer in flavour with no artificial aftertaste.

Chocolate Peppermint and Orange Cookies

Step 6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chocolate Peppermint and Orange Cookies

Step 7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chocolate Peppermint and Orange Cookies

Step 8

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chocolate Peppermint and Orange Cookies

Step 10

Email, RSS Follow
Print

Mixed Bag Truffles

Posted on Posted in Truffles .

Mixed Bag Truffles

Mixed Bag Truffles recipe

I do love a good chocolate truffle and after eating some the other day I thought that the truffle base ingredients of chocolate and cream leave open a massive opportunity to play with different flavor combos into the plain chocolate mix.

As truffles are super easy to make and the variety of flavor combos and alternative ingredients to use are endless I went experimenting craziness.

Jelly crystals, oils, essences, lollies, candy, zest, dried fruit, jams, purees, cordial, spreads…basically anything I could think of that would add a unique flavor I tried and tested in a standard truffle recipe.

Out of the many many truffle recipes I made up, 3 were significant standouts. These being Peppermint, Mandarin and Pineapple Coconut flavors.

My easy, quick and super tasty recipes below 🙂

Mixed Bag Truffles recipe

 

Ingredients:

Peppermint Truffles:

  • 1/8 tsn peppermint oil
  • 30ml thickened cream
  • 125g white chocolate

Mandarin Truffles:

  • ½ tsn mandarin zest
  • 30ml thickened cream
  • 125g white chocolate

Tic-Tac Truffles:

  • 34g Tic-tac’s (pineapple coconut flavor)
  • 40ml thickened cream
  • 90g white chocolate

Extra:

  • 35g desiccated coconut
  • 35g orange sprinkles
  • 35g green sprinkles

 

Method:

  1. To make the peppermint truffles place the ingredients into a bowl and heat on medium in the microwave for 90 seconds or until the cream just starts to steam.
  2. Allow mix to sit for 2 minutes then stir until well combined and smooth, place in the fridge to set for 3 hours.
  3. To make the mandarin truffles zest a whole mandarin until you get ½ tsn in volume.
  4. Add the mandarin zest, cream and chocolate into a bowl and heat on medium in the microwave for 90 seconds or until the cream just starts to steam.
  5. Allow mix to sit for 2 minutes then stir until well combined and smooth, place in the fridge to set for 3 hours.
  6. To make the tic-tac truffles, place the box of tic-tacs into a saucepan on medium heat with the cream and using the back of a metal spoon squash and breakup the tic-tacs into the cream.
  7. Stir the tic-tac mix until all the tic-tacs have disintegrated and combine with the cream.
  8. Add the chocolate and stir until the mix is smooth and well combine.
  9. Place the mix into a small bowl and into the fridge for 3 hours to set.
  10. Meanwhile place the desiccated coconut into a bowl, the orange sprinkles into a 2nd bowl and the green sprinkles into a 3rd bowl.
  11. Once the mixes are firm scoop out a 15g piece of peppermint mix, rolling in your palms to create the truffle ball.
  12. Place the truffle ball in the green sprinkle bowl and shake the bowl to coat the ball in sprinkles completely. Place onto a clean plate.
  13. Continue with all the peppermint truffle mix and sprinkles.
  14. Scoop out a 15g piece of the mandarin mix rolling in your palms to create a truffle ball.
  15. Place the truffle ball in the orange sprinkle bowl and shake the bowl to coat the ball in sprinkles completely. Place onto a clean plate.
  16. Continue with all the mandarin truffle mix and sprinkles.
  17. Lastly, scoop out a 15g piece of the tic-tac mix rolling in your palms to create a truffle ball.
  18. Place the truffle ball in the coconut bowl and shake the bowl to coat the ball in coconut completely. Place onto a clean plate.
  19. Continue with all tic-tac truffle mix and coconut.
  20. Place the plates in the fridge until ready to serve by arranging neatly on a plate or as desired. Enjoy!

 

Step 2

Mixed Bag Truffles

Step 6

Mixed Bag Truffles recipe

Step 6

Mixed Bag Truffles recipe

Step 9

Mixed Bag Truffles recipe

Step 17

Mixed Bag Truffles recipe

Step 18

Mixed Bag Truffles recipe

Step 20

Mixed Bag Truffles recipe

NOTE: If you don’t have green sprinkles you can blitz icing sugar and green food coloring in a food processor and roll the balls into the mix.

Mixed Bag Truffles recipe

 

Like this recipe? Subscribe via RSS or email to get my new entries and more scrumptious recipes with reviews

 

Email, RSS Follow
Print

Chocolate Avocado Peppermint Slice

Posted on Posted in Slice .

  Chocolate Avocado Peppermint Slice

Chocolate Avocado Peppermint Slice recipe

You may notice that I bake every few months with avocado as an ingredient, where it’s not generally the hero ingredient but a substitute for naughty ingredients (think butter, oil, thickener etc). This is mind, I decided that I would make a common flavour pairing slice (peppermint and chocolate) and turn this into a less guilty version.

If I added in avocado and used cocoa powder instead of adding in chocolate I could cut out primary refined processed elements and make the recipe more wholesome-friendly.

Of course it did take quite a few tweaks along the way to get to this final recipe but I am actually really happy with this one. It’s super simple, doesn’t need to be cooked, not too sweet but still tasty and does the 3pm treat trick.

How I see this recipe – think mint slice biscuits but a much nutritious version.

Ingredients:

Base:

  • 120g flour
  • 45g cocoa powder
  • 75g brown sugar
  • 90g butter

Filling:

  • 280g avocado (2 avocado equivalent)
  • 100g butter
  • 100g brown sugar
  • ¾ tsn peppermint oil (1 tsn if using essence)

Topping:

  • 60g cocoa powder
  • 60g butter
  • 85g sugar

 

Method:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180c degrees and line a 20x20cm cake tin with baking paper.
  2. Place all the base ingredients into a food processor and blitz until the texture resembles fine crumbs.
  3. Spoon mix into the prepared cake tin and flatten with finger tips.
  4. Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes until cooked then set aside to cool.
  5. Place all the filling ingredients into the food processor and blitz until smooth and creamy.
  6. Spoon the mix over the chocolate base, smooth with the back on a spoon and place into the freezer for 20 minutes.
  7. To make the topping place all 3 ingredients into a saucepan on a medium heat on the stove and stir until the mix boils and the sugar has melted. You should have a glossy consistency.
  8. Allow mix to cool slightly then pour over the avocado filling. Using the back of a spoon spread and smooth for a flat top.
  9. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes, cut with a hot knife and enjoy.

 

Jaffa Spice Balls recipe

Step 2

Chocolate Avocado Peppermint Slice recipe.

Step 3

Chocolate Avocado Peppermint Slice recipe

Step 5

Chocolate Avocado Peppermint Slice recipe

Step 6

Chocolate Avocado Peppermint Slice recipe

Step 8

 

Like this recipe? Subscribe via RSS or email to get my new entries and more scrumptious recipes with reviews.

Email, RSS Follow
Print