Embossed spiced butter Christmas biscuits

Years of working in magazines meant that, thanks to print deadlines, Christmas was celebrated in September (if you're lucky) so by the time December arrived (and the magazine world has just put it's Easter issue to bed) I was in no mood for Christmas. Go away, gammon! Thankfully, the television industry has once again restored my intense love of the festive season and I can finally celebrate Christmas when it's actually Christmas. If you're struggling to get into the spirit, then baking a batch of cookies should sort you out. Filling up your home with the smell of spices will definitely put you in the mood. And your family will thank you for the nibbles! 

I spotted the cute idea of embossing cookies on Pinterest (isn't this where all great ideas come from?!) and thought it would make some beautiful edible tree trinkets. Such a beautifully simple idea and so easy to do. 

Spiced butter Christmas cookies

Makes 25

140g butter, softened

1 egg

500g Sasko Quick Treats cookie mix

60ml cornflour

1 tsp mixed spiced

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla extract

Royal icing

1 egg white, beaten

2 cups icing sugar, sifted

squeeze of lemon juice

Cream the butter until fluffy then beat in the egg until combined.

Mix the Sasko Quick Treats cookie mix, cornflour and spices and add it to the butter mix with the vanilla.

Beat until combined and a soft dough forms.

Roll the dough out on a floured surface to 1/2cm thick and cut out with cookie cutters.

Place on a lined baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 180C until golden brown.

Allow to cool before icing with royal icing.

To make the royal icing, whisk the egg white gently then add the icing sugar until a stiff paste forms. Add the lemon juice and stir before placing in a piping bag.

TIP: To make the embossing, dab a clean sponge in black gel colouring then lightly dab onto a clean rubber stamp (be careful not to apply too much). Gently press the stamp onto the cookie and lift. Allow to dry thoroughly. 

Peppermint crisp tart milkshake

You may have noticed that I LOVE taking traditional South African recipes and giving them a fresh new twist. There isn't a South African worth their slip slops that will refuse a scoop of peppermint crisp tart at a braai and when I tried to explain this to Italian boyfriend his reaction was 'What is peppermint crisp?' All of my outrage aside, I had not realised until this moment, that the rest of the earth lives in a world without this glorious confection! Can you just imagine? Shame. 

But don't sympathise too long because what this means, is that there's more for us. Yay. 

 I was given this sexy-looking Zoku Slush & Shake maker in September and have been patiently waiting for the perfect scorcher of a day to take it for a spin. This weekend, it finally happened. Thirty degree heat and I was happy, 'cos I could make my decadent milkshake (which is my take on the peppermint crisp tart) and has been in the back of my mind all along. 

The best part of this milkshake, is that it takes forever to melt because it's made in this clever little gadget. You freeze the core of the Zoku (I just keep it in my freezer so when the urge arises, I can whip up a slushie or milkshake) then just pore in your milk mixture or fruit juice and in minutes, it freezes in front of your eyes. You can even add a little bit of booze... I'll just let that sink in while your mind whirls with all the delicious icy possibilities it can create. Magic stuff. And such a great Christmas gift *hint hint*.

Peppermint crisp tart shakes

Serves 2

1 cup vanilla ice cream

180ml milk

1-2 tbsp caramel

1 peppermint crisp bar, crushed plus extra for garnish

Crushed coconut biscuits, to garnish

Blend the ice cream, milk and caramel until smooth then stir in the crushed peppermint crisp. Pour into the Zoku Slush & Shake and stir until thick. Serve garnished with peppermint crisp pieces and coconut biscuits.

*This post has been sponsored by the awesome people at Zoku who make an array of gadgets to whip up icy delights! Visit their website here or like the Facebook page for more yummy recipes. You can find the Slush & Shake makers at Boardmans, @Home and CNA stores or at Yuppiechef.com

Chocolate millionaire shortbread cake

This is one of those 'I've had a horrific week and I need to eat my body weight in copious amounts of chocolate and sugar to make it better' cakes. The cake itself is my absolute favourite and ticks all the boxes of the perfect chocolate cake: moist, not too sweet and easy. It has an absurd amount of water in the batter but rest assured, this is the secret to a deliciously moist cake as the flour absorbs all the liquid when you give it a chance and that's exactly what stops the batter from being dry. It's perfect for tray-bakes for church bazaars or even as cupcakes. 

As if the cake wasn't good enough on it's own, I've piled it with layers of chocolate, caramel and shortbread, inspired by my favourite millionaire treat. If this cake doesn't have the wow factor then I dunno. 

Chocolate millionaire shortbread cake

Recipe created for October issue of Food and Home Entertaining Magazine

Serves 8-10

Chocolate cake

1/2L water

240g vegetable oil

450g brown sugar

200g dark chocolate, chopped

115g cocoa powder

4 large eggs

325g cake flour

5g baking powder

2g salt

10g bicarbonate of soda

Shortbread

500g butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup castor sugar

200ml maizena or cornstarch

2 cups cake flour

Chocolate topping

450g dark chocolate

1 cup cream

Salted caramel sauce, for drizzling

Chocolate shortbread biscuits, to garnish

Preheat oven to 160C.

Boil water then add oil and sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and then pour over the chopped chocolate. Stir until smooth. Whisk eggs lightly then stir in the chocolate mixture. Fold in the combined dry ingredients. Let mix stand covered for 1 hour. Place the batter into 2 x 24cm springform cake tins lined with baking paper and bake at 160C for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

For the shortbread, cream the butter or margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.  Gradually add the combined dry ingredients to form a soft dough.  Roll out the dough and cut into a 24cm disc. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes or until crisp and golden. 

Assemble the cake by starting with a shortbread layer, spread some salted caramel on the bottom then place the chocolate cake on top followed by the chocolate topping. Repeat this process finishing with chocolate and a drizzling of salted caramel. Decorate with the leftover crushed shortbread.

TIP: Take a shortcut by buying ready-made caramel and chocolate spread instead of making your own!

Double stuffed chocolate chip cookies

What's better than a chocolate chip cookie? A chocolate chip cookie 

with another cookie inside. Duh. 

The moment my little cousin posted a pic of this concoction that she 
created on Facebook, I fell in love. 
Why has no one thought of this before I ask?! It's just genius. 

A cookie inside of a cookie? Get out. 

Photograph by Gunther Schubert of Vorsprung Studio

To fast-forward to the eating part, I used a super easy chocolate chip cookie mix 'cos incase you needed permission, it doesn't matter how you get there, people. I'm here to tell you that sometimes, cheating is okay. Especially when there is eating involved. Now, excuse me while I go figure out what else I can stuff into the middle of a chocolate chip cookie...

Double stuffed chocolate chip cookies
Makes 24

1 x 500g Sasko Quick Treats Cookie Mix
140g butter
1 extra large egg
1 cup chocolate chips
24 chocolate sandwich cookies

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line 2 baking trays.Place the cookie mix into a mixing bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.Whisk the egg then mix into the flour to form a soft dough. Stir in the chocolate chips.Form the dough into golf-sized balls then press flat in your hand, insert a cookie into the middle and wrap the dough around it. Place on the lined baking trays and bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

TIP: For chewy cookies, remove them from the oven before they turn golden brown then cool on a cooling rack. If you prefer your cookies crunchy then bake a little longer and cool them on the baking tray.

Caramel macarons with chocolate sea salt

I've made no secret of my love of the flavour and have been on a serious caramel kick lately but when I heard about chocolate sea salt, my heart skipped a beat and I instantly knew that it would be to caramel what strawberries are to cream. Having had some time to master the macaron since I last openly confessed that they make me crazy - and a little bit religious (you can read more about that here), I think I have finally cracked these babies.  

This chocolate sea salt is also a keeper. I can imagine it sprinkled on really rich decadent brownies, or on top of an uber sweet caramel tart, or liberally scattered over a beautiful piece of ribeye steak (swoon!). Hmm, pretty jars filled with chocolate sea salt could make for awesome Christmas gifts, but then again, that would involve sharing it... 

Caramel macarons with chocolate sea salt

Makes 12

120g sifted ground almonds
200g icing sugar
100g egg whites (about 3 large eggs)
35g castor sugar

1/4tsp cream of tartar

Caramel colouring or sucre brûlée*

Chocolate sea salt

¼ cup good-quality sea salt

1 tbsp cocoa nibs, ground

1 tbsp grated 95% dark chocolate

Caramelised white chocolate, for sandwiching

Line 2-3 baking sheets with silicone baking sheets. Preheat the oven to 130C (fan-forced) or 150C (no-fan).

Sift together the ground almonds and icing sugar to remove any clumps. Blend any leftover mixture then sift again until nothing remains. Begin beating the egg whites and cream of tartar on low speed. Once the egg whites are very foamy, begin sprinkling in the sugar as you beat. Increase the speed to medium, if necessary, and beat the meringue to stiff glossy peaks. Add about 1/4 of the almond/sugar mixture and fold until no streaks remain. Continue to add the almond mixture in quarters, folding until incorporated. Pour the batter into a piping bag fitted with a fluted nozzle and pipe rows of batter onto the baking sheets, giving them space to spread. Tap the pan on the counter to bring up any air bubbles and quickly pop them with a toothpick. Allow the cookies to rest on a level surface for 30-60 minutes until they are no longer tacky to a light touch.  While they rest, place an oven rack in the lower 3rd of your oven and preheat to 150C.  Bake the cookies for 16-20 minutes. (I always make a small tray with one or two on so I can do a test batch first). Allow to cool. 

To make the chocolate sea salt combine the salt, nibs and dark chocolate and mix well. 

Spread a little of the caramel white chocolate onto the tops of half the macarons and sprinkle with the salt before sandwiching together. Store the leftover salt in an airtight container and use to flavour steak, desserts etc. 

*Italian boyfriend/pastry chef extraordinaire tells me that sucre brûlée is an old-fashioned method for caramel colouring. To make, place a tablespoonful of sugar in a pan and allow to caramelise until a deep almost burnt colour. Add 2-3 tablespoonfuls of water and simmer to incorporate the caramel. Allow to cool then use a few drops to achieve the desired colour.