Coconut Macaroons

My recipe post for these came about purely out of  finding myself very bored one evening as the kids were fast asleep in bed and the husband was working. So there i was riding my cupboards thinking what to make and found quite a bit of packed dessicated coconut tucked away so coconut macaroons came to mind and my GBBO Book came to the rescue.

This recipe uses cream patisserie and before you think, ' no way can i make creme pat '  honestly its a very little amount so its very quick and easy - a great way to practice for any recipes that require larger amounts of cream patisserie. 

To make about 20 macaroons you will need 

For the cream patisserie :
5 tbsp milk
3 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp cornflour
1 medium egg yolk

For the coconut mixture:
3 medium egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
100g caster sugar 
200g desiccated coconut

For the chocolate glaze (optional)
100g good quality dark chocolate
2 tbsp sunflower / vegetable oil 

• Start by making the creme patisserie, heat the milk in a small pan until it just comes to boil and remove from the heat. In a bowl, beat together the caster sugar, egg yolk and cornflour until pale and fluffy. 
• Gradually stir in the milk and whisk together. Pour the mixture back into the pan, and over a low-medium heat, whisk together until it boils and begins to thicken. You should end up with a smooth paste- it shouldn't be thick and lumpy. Scrape the mixture out into a small plate or bowl, press and seal it with a piece of cling film directly on to it - this stops a skin forming whilst it cools.
• Whilst the creme pat is cooling, Preheat your oven to 170c/gas mark 3. Add your egg whites to a bowl with the vanilla extract and beat till the egg whites become frothy. Add in the caster sugar and whisk together till the sugar has dissolved.
• Stir in the coconut until completely coated in mixture, then add in the creme pat and again stirring through till all the coconut is evenly coated and there are no lumps 
• Line a large baking sheet with greaseproof paper and using a teaspoon, scoop up the coconut mixture, making sure it's packed up tightly and place on to the baking tray and shape into a mound with your hands if you wish to. Repeat this with the rest of the mixture and you should end up with 20 macaroons.
• Bake in the oven for 20 minutes and they should be golden in colour with slightly darker edges.
• One they have completely cooled, melt the chocolate with the oil in a small heatproof bowl/plate in the microwave in 30 second bursts or in a bowl over a pan of hot water. Taking one macaroon at a time , dip the base into the chocolate, evenly coating it with the chocolate slightly coming up the sides. Place the coated macaroons on a clean sheet of baking paper and leave to set completely before serving.*

*alternatively you can drizzle the chocolate over the top of the macaroons using a teaspoon or leave them as they are without any chocolate at all.

Raffello fudge

Ferrero Rocher are definitely in my top ten of the yummiest chocolates ever and I think I love the white coconut version even more than the classic chocolate hazelnut version. Trawling pinterest the last few days for recipe inspiration and there seems to be a craze for fudge, from the classic vanilla fudge to new twists such as salted caramel.. The thought of making fudge with rafello pieces in it sounded absolute scrumptious so I gave it a go 




To make about 15-20 pieces of raffello fudge you will need:

1 x 379g carnation condensed milk
300g white chocolate
300g bounty spread*
25g butter
125g icing sugar 
Broke up pieces of coconut and white chocolate rochers 

• Line a square 8 inch tin with greaseproof paper, I've found it helps if the paper comes out over the sides of the tin as it makes it easier to lift the fudge out once its set.
• Pour the condensed milk, bounty spread and all the chocolate into a saucepan and melt on a low heat till all the mixture has combined. Make sure to stir continuously to stop the mixture sticking and burning.
• Once its all melted, pour into a bowl, add the icing sugar and mix together well - it will take a bit of effort to get it all together but it will come together. 
• Pour the mixture into the tin and sprinkle over the broken pieces of white ferrero rocher and gently squash into the mixture.
• Place into the fridge for at least 5 hours and cut up into squares and place back into the fridge for another couple of hours or even overnight if possible ... and devour 

*Bounty spread is divine and you'll find it in most of the large supermarkets 

 

Nuts about jam sponge

For me school dinners were always about one thing and one thing only .. what's for pudding ??  My favourites were either cornflake tart or the classic jam & coconut sponge with a load of custard. Ive already blogged my recipe for cornflake tart here, so today it's the turn of my other favourite. It's one of the easiest and quickest desserts going and definite crowd pleaser 

To serve 6-8 people you will need :

6oz margarine (softened ) *

6 oz self raising flour

6 oz caster sugar

3 medium eggs*

for the sugar syrup

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons hot water ( preferably freshly boiled )

for the topping:

3-4 tablespoons  raspberry jam

desiccated coconut 

• Start by preheating your oven at 180c ( fan assisted ) and grease and line a 7 inch square tin
• Place all the ingredients for the cake in a bowl and with an electric hand whisk or in a freestanding mixer if you have one. Whisk the ingredients together at a slow speed till everything is well combined, speed up the whisk a little and whisk for a further 2-3 minutes. The mixture should be smooth and lighter in colour.
• Pour the mixture into the greased tin and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the cake springs back when lightly touched and the sides are slightly coming away from the tin or inserted skewer comes out clean.
• Put the cake to the side and leave to cool slightly 
• While the cake cools, make the sugar syrup by simply mixing the sugar and water together in a cup or small bowl. If you find that there are a few stubborn grains that just won't mix in, pop the mixture in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds- don't let it come to the boil as you don't want it to crystallise 
• When the cake is cool to the touch, remove the cake and place onto a suitable plate. With a pastry brush, brush the sugar syrup all over the top and sides. You won't need all the syrup, just use enough to give the cake an even coat.
• Finally warm the jam for a few seconds in a plate in the microwave, ( just to make it easier to spread) and spread all over the top of the cake with a knife. Finish off with a sprinkling of desiccated coconut & serve with lashings of custard 

* ensure that the eggs and margarine are at room temperature, as this helps in getting a lighter and fluffier cake batter and a better rise all over.