How To: Tim Tam Stuffed Brownies

Hi Nibblers!

         It's Father's Day tomorrow and for those that need a last minute gift, I have you covered. This recipe brings a classic Aussie Tim Tam and smothers it in amazing brownie batter. This dish won't just have Dad feeling proud that he has such talented kids but have him asking for more chocolate heaven. But that's no problem to you because this recipe is so easy you won't even mind baking batch after batch. What I also love about these brownies is being able to customise the Tim Tams to whichever flavour you like best and adding extra bits for added texture.

How To: Tim Tam Stuffed Brownies

What you'll need:
Makes approx. 16 slices

1st half of the brownie mix

- 1 pack of 165g Arnott's Tim Tams - original

- 200g dark chocolate, broken into pieces

- 180g unsalted butter

- 100g brown sugar or 3/4 cup

- 110g all purpose flour or 3/4 cup

- 3 eggs

- 50g of white chocolate buttons (optional - for decorative purposes)

How To:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celcius / 350 degrees Farenheit

2. Line a slice tin with baking paper (I only had a 24cm x 24cm tin but use whatever you have at home)

3. Place butter and dark chocolate bits into a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water to create a double boiler to melt to a silky smooth texture then set aside

This decorative pattern didn't turn out
as well as the smaller white choc chips.
It looks great before baking though!

4. In another bowl, beat eggs and sugar until well combined

5. Add the butter chocolate melted mixture until we'll incorporated

6. Add flour and stir until smooth

7. Add half of the brownie batter into the baking dish and spread until even spread around the tin

8. Place Tim Tams in an even layer over the top of the brownie mix

9. Sprinkle white chocolate chips over the top - try to aim for any spaces that may not have have any Tim Tam action

10. Add remaining second half of the brownie mix and lightly spread until evenly dispersed

   Optional : add remaining white chocolate chips on top to brownie mix stack for decorative purposes

11. Pop brownie into the oven and bake for 30 minutes

12. Allow to cool in the tin for about 15 minutes before turning out then serve!

Ready to bake!

        These brownies have an oozing soft centre and crispy crust making them the ultimate guilty pleasure. Serve these brownies with some ice cream for an amazing hot and cold combo or with some simple tea to soothe the soul. These Tim Tam Brownies were so fun to make and cure any of those sugar cravings so do give these a try and let me know how you go. 

         For any Dad Nibblers out there, I hope you have a lovely Father's Day and enjoy being spoilt today! I know my Dad will be enjoying a relaxed Sunday with some brownies. :) I hope you are all well. I'm hoping that when I next blog, it won't be as a long break. It definitely is hard juggling blogging when I'm working now but, I'll try and put as many recipes as I can.

Fresh out of the oven

Until next time, 

Nibble away,

            Jo

How To: Mancakes (Father's Day Special)

Hey Nibblers!

           Father's Day is just around the corner for those of us in the land down under (Sunday September 7th to be exact). My Dad is so hard to buy for. He spoils himself with things he wants so I never have the chance to swoop in. I've also reached the age where handmade 'I Love Dad' cards are never completed due to time constraints so instead, I've turned to homemade breakfast instead.
           Pancakes are one of my favourite breakfast treats. They're easy to make and so versatile because you can enjoy them sweet or savoury. My inspiration for my 'Mancakes' came from my lovely cousin, Kelly. Back when we were in London together, she made me pancakes with bacon bits and a fried egg in the middle. It was the perfect combination of flavours and textures. So, with her in mind, I created my own version that would guarantee Dad's approval.

How To: Mancakes

Made some Mancakes with a side of Pancakes

yields 6-8 mancakes depending on the size of your frypan and preference Mancake size
What you'll need:
Cake batter:
- 1 cup or 150g of plain flour
- 1 cup or 250mL of milk
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. vanilla essence
- 1 Tbs. lemon juice
- 1 Tbs. sugar
- 1 egg
- 25g melted butter
Man batter:
- 200g of minced beef (or whatever you prefer)
- 100g of diced bacon (optional)
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 Tbs. mixed herbs
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional - for spice)

How To: Mancakes

Pancakes cooking away

1. Mix 'Man batter' i.e. minced beef, salt, mixed herbs, bacon and cayenne pepper then set aside
2. Sift baking powder, flour and sugar into a bowl, make a well in the centre then set aside
3. Mix lemon juice, milk, egg, melted butter and vanilla essence until well incorporated
4. Add wet mixture into the well of the dry ingredients bowl and stir until it becomes a runny paste with no lumps then set aside in a jug
5. Heat frypan to medium heat then fry off 'Man batter' mixture by constantly coating to ensure the minced beef breaks apart into small clusters then leave to cool for 10 minutes
6. Add cooked 'Man batter' into 'Cake batter' and stir
7. Re-heat saucepan to low to medium heat and pour Mancake batter into the centre
             Note: if you wanted to be more fancy, crack an egg into the frypan first before adding batter to make a complete breakfast. Just be wary that flipping the pancake is more challenging due to its weight. End process will taste great but it might not look as pretty and circular. It's the thought that counts though, right?
8. Cook one side for about 2 minutes or until golden brown before flipping to the other side and repeating the cooking process
9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 until you've finished the batter
10. Enjoy!

Ultimate Mancake. I forgot to take a picture of the end result
due to the state it was in. But man, was it delicious!

      I love how simple these were to make and took about half an hour all up. They tasted great and it's a nice twist on the classic pancake. If the 'Mancake' isn't your type of thing, simply ignore the 'Man batter' component and enjoy the pancakes on their own. It's quick and they tasted deliciously fluffy. You will definitely be in Dad's good books for the day.
     Hope you enjoyed this post and let me know in the comments below if you've given this a try!

Mancakes with maple syrup because why not? 

Happy (early) Father's Day to those Dads out there,
Nibble Away,

             Jo.

How to: Orange Coconut Cake

Hey Nibblers!

         I like oranges. I like eating them and juicing them. However, I hate the peeling process which is why I'm always put off eating them. When my parents went overseas a couple of weeks back, Mum had specifically told me to finish what was left of the box of oranges. There was about 10 medium sized naval oranges in there. 'It was do-able,' I said. I told myself to just cut one for my brother everyday and it'll be gone in no time. Problem was, we were both so busy with uni and work that most days we didn't even see each other. Fast forward a few weeks and Mum and Dad are due home. About a day before they came home, I did the whole extreme clean of all areas of the house. I changed their bed sheets, vacuumed/ mopped, laundry and cleaning out the fridge of things that needed to be used up and then stumbled on the oranges. I spent an hour googling orange recipes but nothing tickled my fancy or I was missing too many of the ingredients. I had a small get together with friends that night as well so as soon as I stumbled upon Rhonda's (Down to Earth) 'Orange Cake' recipe  I just had to try it!
          This recipe is amazing and so easy! The cake comes out so moist and since discovering this recipe, it has been successful every time. I made a few tweaks along the way though just to jazz it up to Nibble Nation style.

What you'll need 
- 1 x whole  medium to large orange (I used 2 small naval oranges)
- 1 1/2 cups of self-raising flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. of baking powder
- 1/2 cup of white sugar
- 1/4 cup of desiccated coconut
- 180g of melted unsalted butter
- 3 eggs
I usually don't include a utensils area but for this recipe, a food processor or powerful blender would be useful!

How to:

1. Pre-heat your oven (fan forced preferably) to 180 degrees Celcius

2. Line your loaf/ bar tin with some baking paper or a generous oil spray

3. Wash your oranges well. 

          You don't want to be eating the pesticides on the orange skin.

4. Remove the ends and pith in the middle of the orange to ensure the cake doesn't come out bitter.

5. Cut the orange into equal parts

           Quarters, eighths, whatever will help your blender/food processor blitz the oranges down

6. Sift your self-raising flour and baking powder and coconut into a large mixing bowl then, set aside

7. Add your oranges to your food processor/blender and blitz 

           I'm using the Braun CombiMax 600. It's been around for a while but any food processor will do as long as it'll give our desired texture (small chunky bits)

Blitz me!

You want the texture of say a chunky guacamole. I find the small chunks of orange skin make for amazing flavour in the end result

8. Add your melted butter and eggs to the food processor and miz until well combine.

           You can transfer to mushy orange to a clean mixing bowl and use a whisk to mix the egg, butter and oranges together

It'll look like banana milk once well combined

9. Add your well combined liquid mix into the large bowl of dry ingredients that was set aside earlier

10. Fold your wet and dry ingredients together until well combined 

11. Pop your mixture into your cake tin

12. Cook your cake for 40 minutes checking to see if it's cooked using the skewer test. Let it cool before serving

         This recipe is amazing for morning tea or even when you have a party to get to and don't know what to bring. Also, with Australia's Father's Day (This Sunday, September 1st) coming up, why not make your Dad feel special by baking him this orange and coconut cake! He will definitely love you for it if he's a massive orange/coconut fanatic! 

        Hope you're all having and amazing week and give this one a try!

  Nibble Away,

              Jo x.