Gordon's Chocolate and Coffee Mousse

I have found one of the quickest and easiest desserts to whip up!  This is great for an adult dessert or for a dinner party and is very easy to double if you need more.

This is a great dessert to make if you are pushed for time as you can put it in the fridge for as little as 2 hours before serving.

The Kitchen will be closed over Christmas for a 3 week period.  From my family to yours we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.

100 gm dark chocolate, melted and cooled

4 tablespoons of strong coffee, cooled

125 gm mascarpone cheese

2 tablespoons icing sugar

150 gm cream, whipped

Melt your chocolate in either the microwave or over a double boiler and allow to cool to room temperature.  Also allow the coffee to cool to room temperature.

Whisk your mascarpone and icing sugar together until smooth.

Whisk in the cool coffee.

Whisk in the melted and cool chocolate.

Whisk through whipped cream until combined.

Either spoon or pipe the mousse into glasses, it looks neater piped, I tried both.

See.

Decorate with whipped cream and shavings of white and milk chocolate.

Chocolate Spritz Cookies

Now this DID make a six of dozen cookies, however between taking some to work myself, Scott taking a bunch to work and well my boys eating them!  There are only a couple left 5 days later, well less now as I sit writing this post I happen to be dunking mine in a fresh Latte!

These are a fantastic gift at this time of the year.  So easy to make and great to have on hand when you want a small treat.  A couple of these in a cellophane plastic bag, tied with a little Christmas ribbon and a candy cane, great gift for your co workers or for guests at a Christmas party.

Andddddddddddd there all gone!

I have just been informed that these will become a staple for the biscuit barrel!

280 gm butter, room temperature

1 cup caster sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 1/2  cups plain flour

2/3 cup cocoa

1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Beat together butter and both sugars until lighter in colour.

Beat in your eggs, separately, beating well between each addition.

Sift your dry ingredients.

This is why I always sift cocoa, you need to push the lumps though.

Add your dry ingredients to your butter mix gradually, beat well.

This is a 1970's era cookie press, LOVE IT!!!!!  Thank you to both my Mother In Law and her sister Aunty Marg for this wonderful press.  You can buy newer versions in baking shops.

I used this plate for these cookies, you could use any shape though.

This was me testing how many times to crank it to get the perfect size.  You basically fill the tube and sit the plate end flush with the baking sheet and crank the handle, then lift away and voila  you have cookie!

Bake in a 180C pre heated oven for 10 to 12 minutes.  Allow to cool.... if you can..... remember to hide some for yourself.

Gingerbread Roll with Lime Cream Filling

Nothing makes the house smell more like Christmas than the smell of Gingerbread cooking!  I love this Gingerbread roll recipe as its not as heavy in this Summer climate and with the Lime Cream it is very refreshing.

3/4 cup plain flour

1/4 cup self raising flour

1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda

1 teaspoon each of ground ginger and mixed spice

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

65 gm butter

1/2 cup golden syrup

1 egg lightly beaten

1/2 cup milk

zest of one lime

300 ml cream

In a saucepan heat the butter and golden syrup until the butter is melted.

In the bowl of your mixer combined flours, spices, bicarb and sugar.

In a measuring jug beat together egg and milk.  Beat on low all the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  Scrape the sides of the mixing bowl down to ensure everything is mixed together.

Pour batter into a lined slice tray.  Bake for 10 minutes in a 180C pre heated oven.

Remove from the oven and straight away sprinkle with caster sugar.  Turn the cake onto a clean Tea towel.

While still hot you need to roll up the cake, this ensures it doesn't just fall apart once filled and rolled.

Flip the end of the tea towel over the cake and length ways roll up tightly with the tea towel between the layers, set aside and allow to cool until cold.

When ready whip your cream and zest together along with 1 tablespoon of caster sugar, until whipped.

Unroll the cake, it's ok for a couple of breaks.

Generously fill the cake with the cream.

Roll the cake with the aid of the Tea Towel.

Serve on your best serving plate!

Speclaas Cookies (Dutch Spice Cookies)

These cookies remind me of my childhood!  We had a Dutch couple who lived across the road when I grew up, Auntie Ruth and Uncle Bill.  Auntie Ruth always had treats for us and my bestie growing up Gary and I would always be over there after school eating those treats!

The best thing was the whole house smelt of these cookies coming up to Christmas!  Now i don't think Auntie Ruth actually cooked them, more she opened the packet and laid them out for us.

If she made them herself or opened the packet, I really don't mind, this to me is one of those Christmas smells that I love, right along with the fresh cut Christmas Tree!

These cookies are traditionally put into wooden molds in the shape of windmills however I A. don't have one and B. Got this fantastic 1970's swedish cookie press with a tree plate on it that I wanted to try.

250 gm plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

150 gm brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon each of ground cinnamon and cloves

1/4 teaspoon each of ground nutmeg, ginger and cardamom

150 gm butter

Combine all ingredients in your mixer and beat slowly until combined then turn up, you may need to add a couple of tablespoons of ice water until everything comes to a soft dough.

If using a cookie press, fill the chamber and using your desired pattern, press out onto a baking tray lined with baking paper.  Bake in 170C pre heated oven for 20 minutes.

If these last a week you have a very restrained household!

Apple and Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

The crash test dummy No 1 loves cinnamon donuts, I love them too, however I find they are mostly way to heavy, doughy and tend to sit in a lump in my stomach.

These donuts are light and full of apple and cinnamon flavour.  Apple and Cinnamon are a paring I love and could eat any time.  I do use my own Roasted Apple Sauce for this recipe which I make in batches and bottle.

1/2 cup Apple Sauce

1/4 cup Greek Yoghurt

1/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 cup plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon bicarb soda

Apple Sauce.

In your mixing bowl place your apple sauce, milk, yoghurt, sugar and melted butter.

Mix together.  It won't be smooth if your using a chunky sauce.

Stir through your flour, baking powder and bicarb until just combined.

Pipe into your prepared donut tin.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in a pre heated 180C oven.

In a baking dish place 1 cup caster sugar with 3 tablespoons of cinnamon.

Stir together with a folk or whisk.

Take your donuts out of the oven and while hot 

 ...

Turn out into the prepared sugar mix.  With a couple of skewers or a folk turn them over in the sugar.

You do need to do this while the donuts are hot out of the pan.

These should be served hot with a coffee.  Enjoy!