Healthy-ish Chocolate Truffles

First and foremost these taste really good.  Its not one of those 'healthy alternatives' that people try and convince you taste just the same but actually taste like someone stirred in a little cow manure for authenticity.  I got the lads in the warehouse in work to taste one each and asked them all what they thought the secret ingredient was;  needless to say none of them guessed and many were appalled because they wouldn't have even tried an avocado in its normal state but they agreed that they were really nice except some of the lads didnt like the dark chocolate.  
It was a point of curiousity really that lead me to risk the chocolate on making truffles with a vegetable (well technically a fruit) even if it is one that I like.  These are incredibly easy to make, the hardest part mashing the avocodo down so that there are no lumps.  

Makes 12 Truffles

1 Small Ripe Avocado
140g Dark Chocolate
Cocoa for dusting

Method

1. Melt chocolate either in a bowl over a pot of simmering water or in a microwave for 30 seconds at a time stirring each time until its all melted.
2. Mash an avocado with a fork until its smooth like whipped cream.  Gradually add melted chocolate to the avocado.   Allow to cool and pop in the fridge for 20 mins.
3. Take teaspoons of the chilled chocolate mix and roll into a ball and toss in cocoa. Pop them back in the fridge for 5 mis to firm up or until ready to eat. 

Irish Soda Bread

So this is it.  I love soda bread and would happily eat a soda cake to myself with just butter.  Add a bit of homemade jam and my tastebuds are in ecstasy.

 I found it hard to get the recipe right but turns out I had just been over-complicating it.  The basic recipe comes from one of my co-workers Rob's Dad who makes bread every evening for 3 generations of the family.  

This will freeze well so you can make this in advance and defrost overnight. I double the recipe but make three loaves at a time because I add my own seed mix to it (see variations).

250g Stoneground Wholewheat Flour
250g Plain Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
500ml Buttermilk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190C (reduce to 175C when the bread goes in)
2. Stir together the dry ingredients and make a well in the middle pour in the buttermilk.  Mix until combined well but dont overmix.
3. Grease and Flour a loaf tin and empty the dough into it.  Cut a slit with a sharp knife down the length of it to let out the steam.
4. Bake for approx 1 hour.  If you're not sure test the bread to see if its done.
5. Take out the bread and wrap in a clean tea towel (this will prevent the crust from getting too hard)

Variations

I like nutty tasting bread so I mix together linseed pumpkin seed sunflower seed sesame seed and a fistful of oatmeal which makes it very rich in fibre

Kid friendly cupcakes for birthdays partys

These are really simple to make with a mixer or electric whisk. They are easy to make with very little help from a young age. They don't taste great, there is less butter in them than my usual fairy cakes and I miss the salty butteriness, so I would say that they need a little something added chocolate chips, dried fruit,  jam in the middle, or frosting on top, to add flavour.  Be warned though this does yield about 24 cupcakes but they can be frozen provided they are not iced/frosted.  And lets be honest buns are a staple of any kids birthday party.

Dry ingredients
3 cups self raising flour
1 cup sugar

Wet ingredients
4 eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk
6 tbsp melted butter

1. Preheat the oven to 175 c
2. Add dry ingredients to a mixing bowl.
3. Crack each egg separately into a bowl (like a soup bowl) before adding to a larger bowl (I use a batter bowl or Pyrex jug). This is so you can deal with egg shells, bad eggs and double yolks. Add the cup of milk and vanilla and whisk it with a fork.
4. Pop the butter in the microwave and let it melt it should take less than a minute. Allow to cool before adding to the wet mix and giving it a stir.
5. Add the wet mix to the dry mix and switch on the mixer to get it going until the batter is smooth 3mins or so but don't forget to scrape down the sides with a spatula and give it another quick mix.
6. To help measuring out evenly I use an ice cream scoop.
7. Bake in the oven for 10-15 mins until nice and brown and a cocktail stick or skewer comes out clean.

Post Birthday Party reward for the Mammies:
When you get the kids to bed after the party treat yourself to some Kahlua (or Tia Maria) and Baileys Cupcakes.
If you make chocolate buns hold back some of the batter and add a little Kahlua to the buns.  Make up some buttercream icing but instead of adding cream or milk but the frosting use Baileys lots of Baileys and this time of year you'll get Irish Cream Liquer chocolates in Lidl. Just saying you might be worth it.

A love song to the Chelsea Bun

So, for most things baking related I'm pretty much up for anything.  There are a few things that still give me the heeby-jeebyz and working with yeast is one of them.  This is a little ironic that in my youth I worked in a pizzeria making bin loads of dough from fresh yeast - happy as a clam sitting on a mixer while stretching and kneading dough until they fired my ass and, well, that's another story for another day!

This recipe is loosely based on the one that comes in the Kenwood cookbook; it's the wunderkind of a cinnamon bun and a Chelsea bun. It's simple to make, but takes time, it is worth it though.  I have included suggestions for making the drawn out process as lazy as possible.

There are variations where you use fruit soaked in tea or whiskey overnight and I'll update this after I make my Christmas cakes when I will be soaking the fruit in Jameson anyway. 

Equipment notes;

You will need to use your 8" tin (which I usually use for my Christmas cake) for putting the rolls in. I use a silicone brush for brushing the dough and the glaze.

Be warned this recipe makes twelve and they are that good warm that you may attempt to eat them all so make sure you have enough mouths.

Dry ingredients

500g Strong White Flour

1 tsp Salt

2 sachets of dried fast action yeast

75g sugar

50g butter

Wet ingredients

225g lukewarm milk*

1 egg

Filling

Light muscovado sugar

A fistful of sultanas or two

Mixed spice

Cinnamon

30g Butter melted

Glaze:

40g Sugar

4tbsp water

1. Dry ingredients into a stand mixer with a dough hook. Turn it onto it's lowest setting and let the butter mix in properly. 
2. Mix the wet ingredients together and pour into the dry ingredients and leave the machine to knead for 5 mins.
3. Take the dough off the hook and leave it in the bowl covered with clingfilm (saran wrap) that has been oiled on the inside. Put it in a warm place for an hour or until it has doubled in size. (Note: how I do this is put the bowl near a radiator turn on the heating and watch a couple of half hour shows on netflix when they're over move to step four.
4. Peel off the cling film carefully you'll be using it again shortly.  Knock the air out of the dough by putting the bowl back into the stand mixer with the dough hook and turning it on for 1 min.
5. Grease your 8" tin
6. Roll out the dough till its about a foot square.  Brush it generously with melted butter sprinkle a good fistful of muscovado sugar in an even layer and the sprinkle the spices on top about a level tsp of each for me works for me and then finally the dried fruit evenly over the dough.
7. Roll it up like a big old swiss roll.  Cut it in half, then cut those halves in half to make four even pieces which are finally each divided in three.  Place the rolls cut side up in the prepared tin and cover with the cling film again.  Place them in the warm place again for 30-40mins. (Note: This time you make yourself a cup of tea or coffee and turn on the oven to 200c before you sit down to watch another episode of something and when it's over pop the buns in the oven).
8. Bake for 20-25 mins.  Take them out of the oven but leave them in the tin. 
9. To make the glaze: put sugar and water in the pot and dissolve over a medium. Dont bother with a spoon just swirl it to mix. Once the sugar has been dissolved let the glaze boil for a minute or two until it becomes syrupy. Brush it on the buns and allow to cool.

*How to know if your milk is lukewarm (the right temperature)

Pop the milk in the microwave for 20 seconds, stick a washed finger knuckle in and ask yourself this does it feel nice and warm but you wouldn't describe it as warm enough to be hot. If you still feel I'm being a little wishy washy try this pour equal quantities of boiling water and tap water together and stick your finger in the cup. That's how it should feel but you needn't be too exacting.

I'm quite fond of marshmallow fondant icing

Ever thought that fondant tastes like pants - yeah me too! This is fondant icing that is easy to make and tastes good.  The recipe below specifies mini marshmallow but marshmallows chopped up to the same size works fine.  Cups refer to have a standard mug size.  You will need extra icing sugar for dusting and I would get a travel spray bottle with a little water in it to get rid of the dustiness (vodka works better but not always practical, especially with kids cakes)

White Marshmallow Fondant
4 Cups of White Mini Marshmallows
4 cups of Icing Sugar
2 Tbsp Water

Coloured Marshmallow Fondant
Gel food colouring (the more gel the stronger the colour
4 Cups of White Mini Marshmallows
4 cups of Icing Sugar
2 Tbsp Water

Brown or Black Marshmallow Fondant Icing
2 tubes of gel colour will give you dark brown with this recipe
4 Cups of Mini Marshmallows
1.5 cups of Cocoa
3.5 cups of icing sugar
2 Tbsp Water

Method

1. Measure out the marshmallows into a bowl.  Sprinkle the water on top and into the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until they are melted.
2. If you're adding colour, now's the time squeeze it on in there.
3. Sift the icing sugar and cocoa if you're using it.  It will seem like there's too much but I promise you'll need it all.
4. Start by working the marshmallow away from the edges of the bowl using plenty of the icing sugar to prevent your fingers from sticking.
5. Tip the contents of the bowl onto a surface and then knead for all your worth to encorporate all the icing sugar.  The final result should be smooth and elastic.  As it cools it becomes less malliable (great word) but a few seconds in the microwave will sort that out.