Rice Bubble Slice with Mars Bars - The Cheating Mums Bring A Plate

4 cups of Rice Bubbles

1pk Mini Mars Bars

1-2 tbl spn butter

Place mini mars bars and butter in a microwave safe bowl

Melt in microwave stirring occasionally

Stir in rice bubbles, mixing well

Press into lined tin

Ice or press some sprinkles on top if you like (or not lol)

Leave to set for 5-10mins then cut into squares

Macaron Flavours and Fillings

See recipe for actual Macarons here

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AFTER DINNER MINT MACARONS

Add 2 tbl spn Cocoa Powder to the almond meal macaron mixture before sifting.

FILLING

90grm Dark Chocolate Chopped

2 tbl spn Thicken Cream

1/2 tea spn Peppermint Essence

Place chocolate and cream in a microwave safe bowl

Microwave on high for 1 minute or until chocolate melts

Stir with metal spoon to combine

Stir in peppermint essence

Refrigerate for 10 or so minutes until the mixture thickens and becomes spreadable

Pipe onto macaron

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LEMON MACARONS

Add a little yellow food colouring to the egg whites before beating when making the Macarons. I used Gel food colouring

FILLING

Buttercream Frosting

Lemon Juice

Yellow Food Colouring

Lemon Butter/Curd

Flavour and colour buttercream frosting with lemon juice and food colouring.

Pipe around the edge of 1 of the macarons leaving a space clear in the centre for the the lemon butter.

Spoon lemon butter into the centre.

Carefully place other 1/2 of the macaron on top

Recipe for Lemon Butter/Curd

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Macarons

115g blanched almonds or almond flour

230g powdered sugar* (icing sugar)
144g egg whites (temp and age not important!)
72g sugar
the scrapings of 1 vanilla bean or 2 tsp vanilla extract
2g salt

This recipe is for plain Macarons.

See Macarons Fillings and Flavours for ideas for your macarons

Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C)

Have ready a large (18”) pastry bag, fitted with a plain tip

Line three baking trays with parchment paper and draw 1 1/2” guide-circles (about an inch apart) by tracing around a cookie cutter or something similar, then flip the parchment paper over, ink side down

Sift the powdered sugar and almond meal twice, set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the egg whites, sugar, vanilla bean (not the extract), and salt and turn the mixer to medium (4 on a Kitchen Aid).

Whip for 3 minutes. They will not seem especially foamy at that point.

Increase the speed to medium-high (7 on a Kitchen Aid) and whip another 3 minutes

Then crank the speed to 8 for go another 4 minutes.

You should have a very stiff, dry meringue.

When you remove the whisk attachment, there will be a big clump of meringue in the center, just knock the whisk against the bowl to free it.If the meringue has not become stiff enough to clump inside the whisk, continue beating for another minute, or until it does so.

Now dump in the dry ingredients all at once and fold them in with a rubber spatula. Use both a folding motion (to incorporate the dry ingredients) and a pressing motion, to deflate the meringue against the side of the bowl.

The dry ingredients/meringue will look hopelessly incompatible.

After about 25 turns (or folds or however you want to call “a single stroke of mixing”) the mixture will still have a quite lumpy and stiff texture. Another 15 strokes will see you to “just about right.” Keep in mind that macaronage is about deflating the whites, so don’t feel like you have to treat them oh-so-carefully. You want to knock the air out of them.

Undermixed macaron batter: quite stiff. If you spoon some out and drop it back into the mix, it will just sit there and never incorporate. Do this test before bagging your batter and save yourself the trouble of baking of undermixed macarons!

Overmixed macaron batter: has a runny, pancake batter-like texture. It will ooze continuously, making it impossible to pipe into pretty circles. Um, try not to reach that point.

You can evaluate your batter one stroke at a time, no rush.

Essentially, the macaron batter needs enough thickness that it will mound up on itself, but enough fluidity that after 20 seconds, it will melt back down. I’ve heard people describe this consistency as lava-like, or molten

Transfer about half the batter to a piping bag. (When your bag is too full, the pressure causes the batter to rush out in a way that’s difficult to control, making for sloppy macarons.)

Pipe the batter into the pre-traced circles on the baking sheet. Stop piping just shy of the borders of the circle, as the batter will continue to spread just a bit.

After piping your macarons, take hold of the sheet pan and it hard against your counter. Rotate the pan ninety

degrees and rap two more times. This will dislodge any large air bubbles that might cause your macarons to crack

Set aside for up to 1/2 hour or so

Bake for about 18 minutes, or until you can cleanly peel the parchment paper away from a macaron. If, when you try to pick up a macaron, the top comes off in your hand, it’s not done.

Once the macarons have baked, cool thoroughly on the pans, before peeling the cooled macarons from the parchment. Use a metal spatula if necessary.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with the filling of your choice and pipe a quarter sized mound of filling into half of the shells, then sandwich them with their naked halves.

Macarons, against all pastry traditions, actually get better with age. The shells soften and become more chewy, mingling with the flavor of the filling too. So, while of course you can eat them right away, don’t hesitate to store them refrigerated for up to a week. If at all possible, set them out at room temperature for a few hours before consuming.

For more detailed instructions please read bravetart's blog (links below) which is where I got the recipe from.

Macaron Mythbusters

Macoron 10 Commandments

Macron Recipe

Thanks Kristy for the links

Muffins

Extras I have used
- frozen blue berries
- frozen raspberries and white choc drops
- normal choc drops
- strawberry and cream lollies
- stewed fresh apples, added cinnamon to the mixture & sprinkled tops with a cinnamon and sugar before baking

DRY INGREDIENTS
303g (606g) all purpose flour
7g (14g) baking powder
6g (12g) baking soda
pinch salt

WET INGREDIENTS
105g (210g) sugar*
1/2 cup (1 cup) vegetable oil (I use canola)
1 egg (2 eggs)
1 egg yolk (2 yolks)
1 cup (2 cups) plain yogurt**


* SUGAR I never use this much cause I a mean and it also depends on what extras I add, if its choc I usually do about 170g give or take but if apple or something I do a bit more

**YOGURT I use easiyo plain, a double batch of muffins uses 1/2 of what you make and I just store in fridge and make a double batch the next week with what is left.

Combine dry ingredients and I usually mix in my kenwood for a few seconds or you could use a electric hand mixer or do by hand with a whisk. This is to combine ingredients well and air rate the flour ect.

Combine wet ingredients in separate bowl and mix.

Add wet to dry with your extras (berries or whatever) and the trick is not to over mix I just fold roughly with a spatula until is 'just' combined so it all still looks lumpy and NOT smooth and creamy.
Then you spoon mixture into muffin cases placed in tins by digging the spoon, getting a heap and then scraping it into the cases with another spoon. Handle mixture as little as possible and leave all rough on top, just as it put in the cases, does not matter if its uneven. Do not add more on top, do it in one scoop.

Bake at 190 (I do about 180) for 18-20, just take out of oven when they are a nice colour and spring back when you touch the centre.

The recipe is from Alton Brown, he is the food network guy that uses a lot of science in cooking and is very specific on the instructions for making muffins as above.

They sound a bit complicated but they are really quite easy once you get the hang of it and have all the ingredients in you cupboard.

I just make sure I always have heaps of flour, a large bottle of oil and easiyo yogurt and they are my fall back on food for the kids when the cupboard in bare.

I put into freezer within a few hours of cooking, then reheat in microwave to thaw or just pop into the kids lunches frozen. This way they stay really fresh.

Thanks Alton Brown

Chocolate Cake

125g butter
125g caster sugar
40g sifted icing sugar
2 eggs
1 t spoon vanilla
80g jam

155g s r flour
60g cocoa
1 t spoon bicarb soda
250ml milk

Oven on 180c
Beat butter sugar & icing
Add eggs 1 at a time and add vanilla and jam
Add sifted flour,bicarb,cocoa and milk
Bake in oven for 45 minutes.

Be very nice with a good chocolate icing - is very rich erring on the dark chocolate side but I think it's the jam that makes a difference - is very light but moist

Thanks Sarah

Chicken Pie

Diced Chicken Breast

Chopped Onion

Diced Potato

Diced Pumpkin

2 table spn flour

Sliced Mushrooms

Peas

Flour

Chicken Stock (I use powder mixed with water)

Chicken Oxo Cube optional

Cream

Frozen Sheets of Flaky Pastry

Brown onion and then chicken breast in a pan

Add potato and pumpkin and cook for approx 5 mins stirring so it does not stick to pan

Add flour to pan, stir to coat all ingredients for a minute or two.

Add chicken stock and oxo cube stirring constantly until mixture thickens

Add peas and mushrooms

Cook for approx 5mins adding more water if necessary

Stir in cream

Get 1 sheet of flaky pastry (per pie dish) brush with water and place another on top, roll with rolling pin so now you have a double sheet of pastry for the top of the pie.

Place mixture into either a large pie dish or individual pie dishes and top with flaky pastry, cutting to fit and cutting a 1-2cm hole in the centre of pie to release steam while cooking.

Brush with milk and bake in oven following pastry packet instructions

(approx 200deg for 25mins)

Weetbix Slice

‎125g butter
1 cup sugar (I use less)
1 egg
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup crushed Weetbix (3)
1 cup coconut

Grease tin

Put sugar, flour, BP, Weetbix, coconut in bowl.

Mix well.

Add egg and mix.

Add melted butter.
Press into tin.
Bake 150-170'c 12-15 mins

Ice with lemon icing. I don't usually ice though - is fine without icing.

Thanks Bec (Renz) :D

Chocolate Pie

pastry:
175g butter
120g icing sugar
1 egg
1 tsp lemon juice (i used lime as i had none)
300g plain flour

place butter and icing sugar in food processor and cream (i used cold butter and i think it would have helped had i used softer butter? i had to use a second egg to hold it together but it was all good). add egg and lemon juice and process til well combined, add flour and process until just combined (i found that step a PITA, i ended up tipping into a bowl and mixing it). tip pastry out on to lightly floured surface, knead quickly until it forms a soft dough, wrap in plastic wrap and chill 30 mins. heat oven to 180 degrees.

after 30 mins, grease and flour tart tin with removable base, recipe calls for a 22cm tin with high sides - adjust as needed. roll out pastry to about 3mm thick and ease into tin, use a ball of leftover pastry to push dough into corners (heat from hands can wreck pastry). trim some pastry from edges but leave about 5cm around the side to allow for shrinkage. place tart case on tray, chill 20 mins.

remove from fridge, line with baking paper, fill with blind baking material of your choice (i use tapioca or sago, bugger shelling out for proper baking beans). bake for 10 mins or until edges start to colour. remove from oven, remove baking beans and paper and trim edges, return to oven for additional 10-15 mins (until base is cooked). remove from oven and set aside.

Filling:
600g decent dark choc (i used energy, it tastes good without being bitter like the 70% stuff that not everyone likes, i dunno about you but i am not going to drop a bomb on chocolate unless the queen is coming for tea :P)
675ml cream

225ml milk
100g sugar
2 eggs

lower oven temp to 110 degrees.
chop chocolate finely, place in bowl, heat cream and milk until boiling, pour over chocolate and whisk until smooth. mix eggs together in separate bowl, add to chocolate along with sugar. pour into tart case through finest sieve you have.

this is the tricky bit - bake for 40 mins until edges are set but middle still wobbles like jelly. remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 2 hours (i chilled mine overnight). my cooking time was more like 90 mins but i got bubbles on top so maybe i cooked it a little long? would be interesting to see what it set like after only 40 mins.

to serve, dust with cocoa/serve with whipped cream or ice cream/have with berries/whatever ;)

Thanks Kristy (teacup)

Apple Shortcake Squares - made in the food processor

3 apples peeled and sliced
1 tbl spn sugar
1 to 2 tbl spn water

2 cups plain flour
1 tea spn baking powder
125g butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg beaten
1 to 2 tbl spn milk

UPDATE : used the food processor for mixing the dough and it turned out great!

Put apples, first measure of sugar and water in saucepan and cook slowly until apples are soft.

Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl.

Cut in butter until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

Mix 1/4 cup of sugar and the egg.

Add sufficient milk to form a firm dough.

Knead until smooth.

Divide dough in half and roll out each piece to fit a 22cm square cake tin.

Place one piece of dough in tin and spread apple over it.

Lightly press remaining dough on top.

Bake at 180c for 25 min.

When cold sprinkle with sifted icing sugar and cut into squares.

Makes 16

Edmonds Cook Book