Peppermint Crisp Caramel Tart



Peppermint Crisp Caramel Tart



I have no idea of the origins of the recipe, all I know is that it is a South Africa recipe, and I haven't met a South African who doesn't know what it is. Back in 'the old days' when you couldn't buy ready made caramel in the can, you had to boil the tin of condensed milk for say about 2 hours, then let it cool down for about another 2 hours (maybe longer) - you can still do it this way if you like, but the ready made tin is just so much easier and quicker. The biscuit used in this recipe is a coconut, butter, syrup type biscuit.

If you don't like caramel - you will not like this, but if you do, well, you may decide not to share with anyone and just eat it all yourself.


First layer





Second layer



Ingredients

1 packet of tennis biscuits or equivalent (in Australia you can use Nice biscuits or you can bake your own)

250ml cream - Whipped
1 tin caramel or condensed milk (boiled for 2 hours to make caramel)
1 small (35g) peppermint crisp chocolate - Grated

Whip the cream and add about half the tin of caramel, whip together then fold in the rest of the caramel.
In a 20cm square glass dish place a layer of tennis biscuits, then spread a layer of the caramel cream mixture.
Repeat the layers of biscuits and caramel cream mixture.
Sprinkle the grated peppermint crisp evenly over the tart.
Place this in the fridge for a few hours (over night is best then it sets nicely).
This will last for quite some time in the fridge, that's if you don't like caramel.
 

TIPS

You really don't have to use a square glass dish - that's just the one I always use, but you could use anything you have that holds approximately those capacities. You can even make pretty little individual ones.

With regards to the biscuits, I have just tried this using my coconut sugar cookie recipe (I just added coconut and a bit of golden syrup to the recipe I usually use to make the vanilla cookies)

If you absolutely have to decorate this - then I'd recommend some chocolate curls, perhaps some piped whipped cream, but no one will really care what it looks like because it tastes so yum.

And lastly you can whip the cream and fold in the caramel and just eat that!

Portable individuals, just layer to the top, pop the lid on and you're ready to go!



Chocolate biscuits

Chocolate cookie dough

I have been wanting to make chocolate cookie dough for ages and finally have done it. These smell like brownies while baking, very rich chocolate flavour and make fantastic cutout cookies.

1 cup/230g butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups plain flour/all-purpose flour

2/3 cups unsweetened cocoa

1/2 spoon salt

Beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Add flour, cocoa and salt and blend well. Once the dough has formed, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour, or until it is firm.

Preheat oven to 160 deg Celsius. Roll out dough on parchment paper that has been lightly floured and cut out cookies. Bake cookies for 10 to 15 min. Baking time depends on the size of the cookies and because these are chocolate you can't see the 'edges browning', so they are ready when you gently touch  them and no indentation remains (gently!!). Once removed from the oven allow them to cool slightly on the baking tray before cooling completely on a baking rack, they will harden up once cooled completely.

Decorate as desired.

NOTE - This dough is very firm once cooled - see cookie tips for rolling dough.

Decorated using royal icing

Coconut chocolate balls



Before being covered in chocolate


This recipe happened by 'accident' - I was making cookie dough and I always have an egg white that I end up throwing away, I decided to try and make something with it. I belong to a Face Book cake group and threw the egg white at them and got bake a variety of suggestions - coconut was the one I went with and am so glad I did! So this is how this recipe transpired. I originally halved this recipe (I just had one egg white) - and just threw in coconut until it was thick enough to roll into balls, these are so delicious that I just had to make more.
1 cup caster sugar
1/3 cup water
2 egg whites
450ml to 500ml designated coconut
White and Milk chocolate

Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Boil without stirring, uncovered for about 5 minutes or until the syrup reaches 116degC on a sugar thermometer. Remove from heat (the syrup should be thick but not coloured).
Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, then while the mixer is on slowly pour in the hot syrup, beat on high speed for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and has cooled down.
At this stage this mixture can be used to ice cupcakes.
Mix coconut into the meringue mixture and then cook in the microwave for about 3 - 5 minutes (stirring each minute), the mixture will thicken and you will smell the coconut.
Allow this to cool down.
Now the fun begins - roll balls, using about a heaped teaspoon of the mixture, place balls on a baking paper lined tray, (the mixture should not be too sticky and is easy to work with).
These balls of coconut set quite firmly, you can pop them in the fridge for a while before dipping/coating them in the chocolate.
Optional - cover/decorate with chopped nuts or more coconut or pipe a squiggle of chocolate on top.
Store in the refrigerator. You can freeze the balls before covering in chocolate too.



Finished



Chocolate Cake adapted from Cakes to inspire and desire by Lindy Smith

The finished cake that I made using this recipe.

This is a lovely recipe, the cake is lighter than a mud cake but denser than a sponge cake, it is moist and rich. It is great to make tiered cakes as well as carved cakes. Delicious on its own or with a filling.

Chocolate cake
This recipe will make a 20cm/8in round cake (3in high).

275g/10oz plain chocolate (good quality with a cocoa solids content  of around 50%)
225g/8oz unsalted butter
150g/5oz caster sugar
8 large eggs - separated
50g/2oz icing sugar
215g self-raising flour and 10g cocoa OR(recipe stated 225g/8oz self-raising flour)

Preheat oven 160 deg C (recipe stated 180 deg C but I found that this was too high)
Prepare baking tin - grease and line tin with baking paper (the baking paper should extend about 2cm above the tin). Wrap a double layer of newspaper or brown paper tightly around the tin and secure with string. (This slows the baking down so that the outer layer of cake doesn't over cook)

Melt the chocolate in the microwave (being careful not to burn it).
Cream the butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the egg yolks gradually to the creamed butter, then add the melted chocolate to this mixture.
In a separate bowl whisk the egg  whites until they form soft peaks, then gradually whisk in the icing sugar.
Sift the flour and cocoa and using a large metal spoon fold the flour alternatively with the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.
Pour the mixture into the lined baking tin and bake for 1hour - check the cake - it should be well risen, firm and a skewer inserted into the center should come out clean - bake for an additional 15 - 30 minutes if it is not ready.
TIP - During baking cover the top of the cake once the crust has formed with a double piece of baking paper to prevent the top from over cooking. Depending on how your oven bakes, you can place a double piece of newspaper under the tin before baking.

Leave cake to cool completely in the tin, remove and wrap in plastic wrap or foil and leave for about 12 hours to allow the cake to settle.

This cake will last for about two weeks (only if it is hidden well)
Decorate and fill cake as desired.

I made a chocolate buttercream and mixed in some crushed Tim Tam biscuits, filled the cake and then covered it in a chocolate ganache, before decorating it.



Cakes to Inspire and Desire by Lindy Smith

Cakes to Inspire and Desire by Lindy Smith, my latest addition to my growing sweet reads collection, and to my delight I got it for $10 less than the marked price, so how could I say no, I didn't - it was my valentine gift to myself (I seem to be doing this gift buying a lot lately).
Anyway it's a great inspirational creative guide. Besides the normal instructions it is filled with beautiful instructional photos, a few recipes and lots of interesting cake projects. What I love about this book is the great creative ideas, quite different from the books I already own, there is of course the 'how to carve and cover wonky cakes', for something different there's cake jewellery (using wires and beads) and my all time favorite (as I love the mini version of everything) mini cakes. Each project has the 'big' cake, then she has added love the look (tips), simple shortcuts (create quicker) and small wonders (mini versions of the cake). This book contains some lovely varied creative ideas, so nice that you barely have to use your imagination.
This is certainly an inspirational read and I look forward to creating some edible art!
Find Lindy on face book or have a look at her website http://www.lindyscakes.co.uk

Cookie dough spacers

Make cookie dough spacers
As previously mentioned (in cookie dough recipe) I use spacers when rolling my dough. This is like the very first ones I used and thought that I should explain them for anyone who may not know exactly what I was talking about. Using these (or other spacers) when rolling dough will keep your cut out cookies an even thickness.

What to do - tape 3 or 4 Popsicle sticks (wooden craft sticks) together, make two. Walla - you are done!

These are good to use with small quantities of dough and great to experiment with until you find the thickness that you prefer. Once you know the thickness that you prefer you can get two longer strips of wood to use as your spacers.

Valentines Day Cookies

So this is what I used my sugar cookie dough to create - gifts of sweetness and made with love for men.

Made by me for my husband - a little bit naughty made with lots of love

Special personal order - spreading the love

Another special order - spreading the love