My husband is quite a chocolate fanatic. If ever there's a bar of chocolate in our house and Tyson finds it, it's gone very quickly. These top deck stuffed bun are a chocoholics (like my husbands) dream.
I stuff my buns (that sounds so funny in my head) with top deck chocolate, because i like the white choc as well as the milk, but you can use your fav chocolate to. 

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups Plain Flour
2 Tablespoons Cocoa powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Sugar
2 x 7g Sachet Yeast
3/4 cup Milk, warmed
1 Egg, lightly beaten
50g Butter, melted
1 cup Choc Chips
12 peices Top Deck Chocolate
50g Milk chocolate, melted for decoration
Icing Sugar for decoration

Method:

Sift flour, cocoa and salt into a large mixing bowl. Stir in sugar and yeast. Make a well in the middle and gradually add combined milk, egg and butter, stir well until a rough dough is formed. On a well floured bench, knead in choc chips, keep kneading for 5mins until dough is smooth and elastic. Place into a greased bowl, cover and set aside in a warm place until it's doubled in size ( about 1hr). 
Punch dough down and divide into 12 equal balls. Using your thumb, make an indent in each ball and press a piece of chocolate into it, gather up and pinch the ball to in incase it. Place ball onto a lined baking tray. Set aside for 20mins to rise. Pre-heat your oven to 200'c. Bake rolls for 15-20 or until golden and hollow when the bottom is tapped. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

Thermocook - follow recipe using your thermocook with the kneading tool attached on a low speed.

Kitchenaid - follow recipe using your kitchenaid bowl with the dough hook.

Tip - Warm up rolls in the microwave and serve with a thick vanilla custard mmmm.

These little pizzettas (which means small pizzas) are so yummy! the dough itself is a refrigerated dough,you would think it wouldnt rise, but it's amazing watching the dough rise in the fridge. The dough is so fluffy and light! I top my pizzettes with a simple passata and slices of super thin pancetta or prosciutto. Great for kids, my 2 scoffed them down! I'd recommend making the dough the day before and leave it overnight in the fridge, i promise you the results are amazing!

Ingredients:

Pizza dough
270g Plain flour
7g Sachet Yeast
1 teaspoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
Topping
250ml Passata
8 Slices Pancetta or Prosciutto

Method:

To make the dough, combine flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a bowl ( i use my kitchenaid, but you can do it by hand if needed). Add 200ml cold water and using a dough hook, mix until a soft dough is formed. Cover dough in cling film and place into the fridge overnight (or at least 4hrs).

To make pizzettes preheat your oven to 200'c. Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper (or i use my silpat) and divide your dough into 8 pieces, roll each piece into a thin disc about 15cm in diameter. Place dough onto your lined oven trays. Spoon over enough passata for your liking and top each with pancetta or prosciutto. Cook in the oven for 15-20min or until puffed and golden.

This delicious pull apart loaf is filled with all goodies! Great with bbq meat, soup, pasta or as a tasty snack by itself. For a different taste any type of pesto would be suitable.

Ingredients:

3/4 Cup Warm Water
1/2 Cup Warm Milk
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 x 7g Yeast Sachets
4 Cups Plain Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
3 Rashes Bacon, chopped
10 Kalamata Olives, chopped
1/2 Carrot, grated
2 Cups Grated Cheese ( i used a combination of cheddar & parmesan)
2 Spring Onion, sliced finely
1/2 Cup Pesto

Method:

In a jug combine water, milk, and oil. Sprinkle yeast over, cover and set aside for 5mins or until foamy.
Sift flour and salt together in your kitchenaid bowl. Pour the yeast mixture into the flour and with a dough hook, knead for 10mins until elastic. Place into a lightly greased bowl, cover with cling film and a tea towel and leave in a warm place for 40mins to prove or until doubled in size.
In a separate bowl (i just used my clean kitchenaid bowl) mix together bacon, olives, grated carrot, cheese and spring onion until well combined.
Punch down dough to knock out the air. Knead until smooth.
Using a lightly floured rolling pin roll the dough into a large rectangle (around 35x50cm). 
Spread the pesto all over the dough evenly. Spread cheese mixture evenly over the pesto covering all over to the edges. Slice dough into small rectangles, fold each rectangle in half and arrange in a greased oven dish   (the more rectangles you make the more pull - apart you will have in your bread). 
Heat your oven to 160'c. Whilst your oven is heating up rest you prepared loaf on the stove to prove. Bake for 35-40mins until golden and cooked through. Turn onto a wire rack to cool slightly before eating.

Tip - Try a tomato and cashew pesto, or a kale pesto for a different flavr combo.

If you like subway cookies, then you will love my white choc chip cookies! they taste the same, just without the nuts! Perfect for school lunches!
​These cookies are super simple to make and taste like heaven. 

Ingredients:

125g Butter, softened
100g White Sugar
100g Brown Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Essence
1 Egg
260g Self Raising Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
150g White Chocolate Chips

Method:

Preeat oven to 160'c. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. 
In your thermocook add butter, sugars and vanilla for 1min on speed 4 (alternatively you can use a kitchenaid or hand mixer to do this) add egg and mix for a further 30secs. add flour and salt and mix on speed 3 for 30secs. Add white chocolate chips and mix on speed 1 for 30-40sec until all the mixture is well combined ( you can lift the mixture out and hand mix to make sure everything is well combined if you wish). Place heaped tablespoons of mixture onto your lined baking trays (leave room for them to spread).
Bake in the oven for 15mins or until biscuits are slightly golden and flat. Let the biscuits cool on the tray for 15mins as they harden up when they cool.

Today 21st July is international Lamington Day!

An old school favorite. Lamingtons resonate with Australians as it's named after a Queensland governor. For those who aren't Australian and are wondering what the heck is a lamington., its sponge cake filled with cream and jam, covered in a chocolate icing and rolled in desiccated coconut.

When my husband tried this cake he instantly reminisced about being in primary school and that made all the hard work i do worth it, to take someone back to their childhood and bring back the joy they had when eating such a simple cake, is such a heartwarming feeling.... enjoy!

 Ingredients:

Cake
4 Eggs
150g Caster Sugar
150g Self Raising Flour
35g Cornflour
25g Butter, softened
80ml Boiling Water
Icing
500g Icing Sugar
50g Cocoa Powder
20g Butter, softened
180ml Milk
Decoration
250g Desiccated Coconut
Whipped Cream
Strawberry Jam

Method:

Preheat oven to 180'c. Grease and line a 18cm x 18cm x 8cm cake tin with baking paper (or you can use a lamington tin).
Beat eggs in a kitchenaid with whisk attachment until light in colour. Gradually add in the sugar, beat for 5mins or until you have thick ribbons when you lift the beater.
Meanwhile sift together the flour and cornflour together a few times. Combine boiling water and butter in a separate bowl. Add the flours to the egg mixture and using a metal whisk mix gently, then add butter mixture and fold into mixture is combined.
Pour mixture into your prepared cake tin and bake for 45mins or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Once baked remove from the oven and turn cake onto a wire rack, remove baking paper, let cool and cut cake in half horizontally.
To make the icing, combine the icing sugar and cocoa together. Add milk and butter and mix to combine, place into the microwave for 30sec bursts until icing is thick and glossy and coats the back of your spoon.
Place cake halves onto a wire rack crumb side down ( i put a tray under the wire rack to catch the excess chocolate) and coat  completely with icing. Evenly cover chocolate with desiccated coconut. Sandwich halves together with whipped cream and strawberry jam. 

Delicious!

Pokemon GO is such a massive sensation atm so it only seems fitting Lelah and I make something pokemon related! We have created these awesome pokeball Macarons. Crispy on the outside, chewy in the middle these macarons are simple to make (even though they have a stigma for being hard) and great for any occasion. 

Ingredients:

120g Almond meal
200g Icing sugar
3 Egg Whites
50g Sugar
Red gel colouring
Black icing for decoration
White icing for decoration

Method:

Sift icing sugar and almond meal together 3 times in a bowl, discarding any large lumps. In a kitchenaid bowl (or in a bowl with an electric whisk) with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites until soft peaks, add sugar gradually and whisk until firm peaks. Fold egg whites into the flour mixture until just combined. Separate mixture into 2 equal lots. Add 2-3 red food gel drops into one mixture and mix until mixture flows back into the bowl and is glossy. Mix the other mixture together so it's the same consistency as the red. Place mixtures into 2 separate piping bags ( i use plastic ones that you have to cut the end with scissors, as this helps me control what size nozzle i cut ( see pic below)
On a large baking tray line with baking paper and trace 4cm diameter circles using a round cookie cutter ( you can use a small glass base, or anything round for the size macaron you want). Pipe a semi circle of the red batter onto your traced circle and fill it in, then use the white batter to complete the other side of the circle ( see pic below) the end result you should have a full circle with half red and half white batter. Continue until all batter is used up ( i got a few extra little ones with the leftover batter)
Let macarons sit on the kitchen bench for 30mins to create a film over the top, once macarons are dry to touch bake in a preheated 160'c oven for 20mins. Remove  from oven and let them cool before removing from the baking paper.
To decorate on half of the macarons place a line through the middle of the shells (the joining line is a great guide!) Put a dot of white icing in the middle to create the middle white ball, then using the black icing trace around the white ball. 

There you have it! A pokemon pokeball!

As you all know my daughter loves to cook and these Vovo biscuits were here request! Anything pink Leeds is into so this marshmallow icing and strawberry jam treats fit the brief. 

Ingredients:

Biscuits
60g Butter, softened
125g Caster Sugar
1 egg, beaten
65g Plain Flour
65g Self Raising Flour
Decoration
100g Marshmallows
40g Butter
25g Icing Sugar
40g Coconut, dessicated
125g Strawberry Jam

Method:

Preheat oven to 180'c. Line two large baking trays with baking paper.
Cream together butter and sugar and then add egg and beat until combined. Add both flours and gently fold to form a dough. Knead for 1 min until smooth.
Place the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll it out until it is about 5mm thick. Remove the top sheet of baking paper and cut into rectangle sized biscuits (about 5 x 6 cm). Reroll the trimmings and cut out more rectangles. Repeat until the dough is used up. Place biscuits on the baking trays and bake for 10mins until lightly golden. Leave to cool on the baking trays.
To make the icing, place the marshmallows and butter in a small saucepan and stir over a low heat until melted and smooth. Stir in the icing sugar and mix until combined. Working quickly spread a narrow strip of icing along each side of the biscuit (be careful the mixture is VERY HOT!) Dip the biscuit in coconut and set aside to firm up. Repeat with all biscuits.
Heat the jam up in the microwave till it thinned and warmed and spread jam in the middle of the biscuit. Leave to cool and set.
​
Tip     - You can use any flavor jam for the centre, i used strawberry because i know both of my kids love it.
           - The biscuits can become quite hard to handle if the butter is too melted, place in the fridge for a few mins to harden the butter back up and firm up the mixture.
           - To get the perfect rectangle, trim the biscuits as soon as they get out of the oven.

A simple vanilla buttercake, great by itself topped with lashings of whipped cream or for use in other recipes like Nanny sues Trifle.

Ingredients:

125g Butter, softened
1 cup Caster Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla Essence
3 Eggs
1 1/2 cups Self Raising Flour
1/2 cup Milk

Method:

Preheat oven to 180'c. Grease and flour a 22cm cake tin and line the bottom with baking paper. 
Using a kitchenaid with the mixer attachment beat butter, sugar and vanilla together until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time until just combined after each addition. Add flour and milk, in batches beating until just combined. Pour mixture into prepared baking tin and bake in the oven for 45-50mins or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Stand in pan for 10mins. Turn out onto a wired rack lined with baking paper. Cool before serving.
​

This delightful pull apart loaf is so easy to make and is super delicious! Layers of soft dough which is kinda like a scone bread dough, soft and melting in your mouth, filled with vegemite and meltingly scrumptious cheese, perfect for the kids. This bread would also be great with diced capsicum or ham was added. 

Ingredients:

2 cups Self Raising Flour
50g Cold Butter, chopped
1 cup Milk
2 Tablespoons Vegemite
1 1/2 cups Cheese (i used normal cheddar)

Method:

Grease a loaf tin with butter and stand it up right. Preheat oven to 200'c.
Sift flour into a large bowl, rub butter in with your fingertips until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre and add enough milk in to create a soft sticky dough.
Turn dough onto lightly floured surface, gently knead into a 20cm log. Cut into 16 even slices. Press each slice into a 10cm oval and spread vegemite on one side each slice. Place one oval on the short side of the tin sprinkle with cheese. Repeat layering the dough and cheese ending in dough. (leave gaps so you fill the tin). Bake in the oven for 25mins or until lightly golden. Stand in the pan for 5mins before removing and putting onto a wire rack to cool. Can be served hot or cold.

Poppy pete's orange, almond and caramel slice is divine! Great for picnics or that something special to surprise your loved ones.

Ingredients:

Base
1 cup Plain Flour
1/2 cup Coconut
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 1/2 cup Rolled Oats
1/4 cup Golden Syrup
1 Egg
150g Butter, melted
Juice of 1 orange
Caramel
1 can Condensed Milk
2 Tablespoons Golden Syrup
100g Butter
Topping
50g Almonds, toasted and chopped roughly
50g Milk Chocolate, melted

Method:

Preheat oven to 180'c. Line a slice tin with baking paper.
Combine flour, coconut, brown sugar and oats in a bowl. In a separate jug add golden syrup, melted butter, orange juice and egg and mix to combine. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Press into slice tray.
For the caramel place the condensed milk, golden syrup and butter in a small saucepan, stir until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture over the base and place into the oven for 25mins or until golden and bubbly.
Remove from the oven but keep oven on. Place almonds on a tray int the oven until just golden brown. Sprinkle the almonds over the caramel and drizzle the slice with melted chocolate. Place in fridge to cool and set.

Note: For extra zing of orange grate the zest of orange over the top.