How To: Pandan Swirl Lamingtons (Rubgy World Cup Special)

Hi Nibblers!

    Today I'm celebrating two loves of my life. Baking and Rugby. There's less than 12 hours until the Rugby World Cup. I'm screaming with excitement just thinking about it. It'll be the first time ever that Australia (Wallabies) and New Zealand (All Blacks) have versed each other in a World Cup Final.
     My love for Rugby Union has been steadily growing over the past 10 years. It was Richard who got me hooked. I put it down to wanting to fit in with Richard that made me stay but I've realised that the love is real. For the past month, Richard has been away in Europe. I still woke up at 3am, 2am etc. for the team even when I knew I had work the next day. There were some close games but The Wallabies powered through. So this recipe is dedicated to the boys in green and gold. An Aussie classic with a twist. Hope you enjoy!

How To: Pandan Swirl Lamingtons 
Makes approx. 35 lamingtons                                    Takes: 2 hours including cooling time

What you'll need:
Pandan / Vanilla Swirl component:
- 100g or 1/2 cup sugar
- 100g melted unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 200g or 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tsp. pandan aromatherapy
- 1 tsp. vanilla essence
Chocolate Icing component:
- 65g or 1/2 cup cocoa
- 75g unsalted butter
- 200g icing sugar
- 250mL of milk
- 200g desiccated coconut

How To:

Green and Gold!

For Pandan Swirl Lamingtons
1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celcius or 350 degrees Farenheit
2. Lightly spray a 20cm x 30cm tin then set aside
3. Beat eggs, sugar, vanilla essence and butter until well combined (for at least 3 minutes)
4. Fold in 1/2 baking powder and flour into the above mixture until well incorporated
5. Repeat step 4 until all flour is mixed in
6. Divide batter into two equal portions then set one bowl aside
7. Add pandan flavouring to one bowl and mix for approximately a minute
8. Alternatively spoon roughly even amounts of each colour batter into the tin going around the edges first before coming into the centre of the tin
9. Using a skewer or back of a spoon, swirl mixture in tin to create a marble effect
10. Pop into the oven and bake for approx. 20 minutes (checking at the end to see if skewer comes out clear)

Pandan Swirl

11. Leave in tin to cool for about 5 minutes before popping onto cooling rack and then place into the freezer for 15 minutes to cool (or leave to cool at room temperature for an hour)
For Chocolate Icing
1. In a saucepan, melt butter and then add milk until well combined
2. Slowly add sugar and cocoa and whisk until no visible lumps appear then set aside
Assemble
1. Cut Pandan Swirl sponge into equal bite size squares (about 4x5cm)
2. Dip Pandan Swirl squares into chocolate icing then let drip dry before transferring to bowl of desiccated coconut
3. Leave to set and dry for about 5 minutes before consuming!

       Hope you all loved the twist on this Aussie classic! Even if you aren't a Rugby Union fan, this recipe is still going to win you some brownie points. Leave a comment below if you give these beauties a try! They're so simple and still so perfect just like the Wallabies team ;)

   Thinking of you and wishing you all the best!

   GO THE WALLABIES!

Nibble Away,

           Jo

How To: Chocolate Orange Oreo Cupcakes

Hi Nibblers!

        I was flipping through the supermarket catalogues looking for a bargain when I stumbled across Oreo Orange Scream biscuits - a Halloween special. Recipe ideas came rushing through me and I thought I would do what I do best, cupcakes. These cupcakes turned out amazing. It had the perfect balance between chocolate and orange flavours at the base then paired with an Oreo orange buttercream gave the cherry on top. I love the look of these cupcakes and so happy with how they turned out. They tasted exactly how I had planned. It's a shame the Oreo Orange Scream are only around during Halloween (as far as I know) because these cupcakes would work all year around for those citrus lovers. Definitely a recipe to impress. So, if you're interested, keep reading on!

How To: Chocolate Orange Oreo Cupcakes
Yields approximately 12-16 cupcakes                       Takes approx. 1 hour including cooling process

What you'll need:
For cupcake base:
- 1 cup or 180g self-raising flour 
- 2 tsp. of baking powder
- 1/2 cup or 80g of cocoa powder
- 50g butter (softened to room temperature)
- 3/4 cup or 150g of sugar
- 2 eggs
- 50ml of milk
- 3/4 tsp. Vanilla Essence
- 1 large orange - blitzed (skinned and pitted - try to remove as much of the white skin as possible otherwise your cupcakes may taste bitter) - keep 1/4 cup of orange juices aside for buttercream
- 1 Tbs. orange zest (finely chopped)
For Orange Oreo Buttercream:
- 250g unsalted butter softened
- 3 Tbs. of icing sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla essence
- 150g roughly crushed Oreo Orange Scream Biscuits - plus an extra 80g for cupcake toppers (optional)
- 1/4 cup of orange juice (set aside earlier on)
- 1 tsp. orange zest (finely chopped)
- 2 drops of orange food colouring or 2 drops of red and yellow food colouring each to form orange

How To:

Bake me!

Cupcake Component:
1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celcius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit

2. Line tin with cupcake paper

3. Beat  softened butter, vanilla essence and white sugar using hand mixer in a large mixing bowl until well combined and fluffy (approx. 3 minutes)
4. Add eggs in one at a time until mixed

5. Add flour and baking powder into the butter/sugar mixture and mix until well combined

6. Add milk, orange zest  and orange juice into the mix until well incorporated.

7. Spoon cupcake mixture evenly, filling it 1/2 of the way up the cupcake liners

8. Pop into the oven for 16 minutes checking with a skewer at the end to see if it's cooked

9. Rest the cakes for at least 15 minutes before decorating

Orange Oreo Buttercream:

1. Beat butter until it changes from a yellow to off-white colour - approximately 7 minutes

Ready to decorate!

2. Add icing sugar continuously mixing until well combined

3. Add vanilla essence, orange juice, crushed Oreos and orange zest until well combined

4. Add orange food colouring until desired shade then it's time to decorate!

                 Note: If you have leftover buttercream frosting, don't worry! You can pop it into the fridge for 3-5 days in an airtight container or up to 3 months in the freezer.

   Nom Nom! I hope you all enjoyed this recipe and re-create it for yourselves before the Orange Oreos go walking out of supermarket doors! Do let me know how they turned out and leave a comment below if you do. Hope you all have a spook-tacular Halloween!

Nibble Away,

              Jo

How To: Panda Cake - Maple Syrup Cake with Coffee Buttercream Icing

Hi Nibblers!

          Panda cake coming your way this week. My inspiration for this cake came from my brother, Richard who recently celebrated his 26th birthday. He's a lover of pandas and even has a painting to cement those feelings. I had so much fun making this cake. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing a Panda face come to life. The only problem I had with it was I totally forgot the fact that once I popped coffee into the buttercream, I ruined the white Panda fur. So, if you're attempting this at home and want to make sure that your cake is a more accurate interpretation on a Panda just omit the coffee flavouring until you're ready to decorate the ears / eyes / nose etc.

How To: Panda Cake - Maple Syrup Cake with Coffee Buttercream Icing

What you'll need:
Makes 3 x 20cm round layers - Takes approx. 4 hours including cooling time
Maple Cake component:
- 250g unsalted butter (softened)
- 250g brown sugar
- 300g self raising flour
- 150g self-raising flour
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 250mL milk
- 4 eggs
- 2 tsp. vanilla essence
- 2 Tbs. of maple syrup - extra for decorating
Maple Coffee Buttercream
- 420g of unsalted butter (softened)
- 150g icing sugar
- 5 tsp. instant coffee with 1Tbs. water
- 2 Tbs. maple syrup
- 3 drops of black food colouring

How To: 
Maple Syrup Cake
1. Pre-heat oven to 150 degrees Celcius or 300 degrees Farenheit (fan-forced - if possible)
2. Line round cake tins with baking paper
3. Beat butter and sugar until well combined
4. Add eggs, vanilla essence, cinnamon and maple syrup and continue mixing
5. Add flour and milk in 2-3 portions and beat until all incorporated
6. Spoon cake batter evenly into three cake tins - lightly tapping so that batter spreads to the edges
7. Pop into the oven and bake cakes for 25 minutes - testing cakes with a skewer to ensure it's cooked. It should come out clean at the end of the bake time. If not, leave in the oven for an extra 5 minutes
8. Leave cakes to cool for 5 minutes in tin then pop onto cooling rack
Note: If you're short on time, pop cake layers straight into the freezer to cool quicker before decorating - Needs at least 30 minutes

Maple Coffee Buttercream
1. Beat butter on high for approx. 10 minutes until butter turns from an egg yellow to an off white colour
2. Add icing sugar and beat until well combined
3. Add maple syrup and beat
Note: Stop now if you want your panda to have white fur. If that doesn't phase you, continue on with the steps
4. Add coffee / water mix and beat well then seperate one heaped cup of buttercream into another mixing bowl
5. Add black food colouring to separated buttercream component then set aside for decorating
Note: If you want your cream a deeper black, just keep adding food colouring a drip at a time until your desired shade

Now it's time to assemble!

Maple Syrup drizzle

1. Level two layers of the cake until they're almost identical then set aside
2. Cut two 9-10cm diameter circles from leftover 3rd baked cake layer - for the ears
3. From the two 9-10cm circles you just cut, slice the circles evenly to form semi circles then set aside
4. For the Panda's snout, cut a small circle with a diameter of 3 cm from leftover 3rd cake tier then set aside
Note: With the leftover cake scraps, they'll be perfect with a cup of tea OR crumbed and made into cake pops. Don't waste the edible bits!
5. Place first cake layer onto cake board / plate
6. Drizzle on a few swirls of maple syrup on top the the first layer then apply and even coating of maple coffee buttercream
7. Add 2nd cake layer directly on the first layer and repeat the drizzling of maple syrup and application on maple coffee buttercream
8. Apply the maple coffee buttercream around the whole cake covering the edges - no need to be perfect as you're trying to represent fur
9. Place the 3cm circle about 3cm south of centre of the cake then cover the snout in buttercream
10. Repeat the drizzle of maple syrup and application of buttercream to the semi circle pieces so that you have 2 ears that are also 2 tiered to match the cake
11. Place ears on a 45 degree angle on either side of the top of Panda's head then apply buttercream
12. Using an open star tip - or whatever you have at home to resemble fur like pattern - pipe black buttercream to cover both ears
13. Proceed to piping/drawing eye patches starting from the snout piece leaving an oval like shape in the middle for the panda's eyes
14. Continue onto drawing a triangle button nose on the snout and a smile as per my picture displayed

Richie with his cake :)

15. Smooth out eye patches and nose with toothpick or an end of a spoon to eliminate the harsh edges created from the piping tip
16. Enjoy!

         I definitely loved doing some arts and crafts with this cake! It's a dense type of cake but the maple coffee buttercream adds a creamy rich texture that seals the deal. If you do give this one a try, make sure to leave a comment down below! I can already see a panda cake tradition happening in the years to come so I guess stay tuned for Panda cake 2.0 one day. Hope you're all having a lovely week.




Nibble Away,
               Jo

How To: Red Bean Cake with Matcha (Green Tea) Buttercream Frosting

Hi Nibblers!

            Have you ever had something where you just couldn't understand what the fuss was all about? I did. And it was anything Matcha (green tea) flavoured. I couldn't get into it no matter how hard I tried. I was all about that black sesame craze. Until one day, Kevin bought me a Starbucks Matcha Latte while we were on a holiday in the Gold Coast and something just clicked. I was in love. 

    I couldn't stop thinking about it. I wanted more Matcha flavoured things. As soon as we came back to Sydney, I wanted to dedicate specific days to have Matcha adventures. I stumbled in Chanoma - a Japanese style cafe which did all kinds of Matcha goodness. It became a weekly ritual back in uni where Tree and I would visit just because. It's been a while since I've gone back. 

    So I've decided to celebrate my love for Matcha by making a cake. I paired the Matcha butter cream frosting with a Red Bean cake - one of the best flavour pairings in this sweet world. Hope you love this little creation!

How To: Red Bean Cake with Matcha (Green Tea) Buttercream Frosting

What you'll need:

Makes a 3 tired cake - Takes approximately 4 hours including cooling / decorating time

Red Bean Cake Component:

- 12 eggs (separated into whites and yolk)

- 1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

- 275g of sugar

- 360g self-raising flour

- 180mL of vegetable oil

- 180mL of milk

- 2 tsp. vanilla sugar

- 75g cooked Adzuki - Red Beans * see 'Red Bean Paste' section

- 3 drops of red food colouring - optional

Red Bean Paste:

- 200g Adzuki - Red Beans - soaked for at least an hour before cooking

- 150g white sugar

Matcha (Green Tea) Buttercream Frosting:

- 200g icing sugar

- 500g butter (softened to room temperature)

- 30g Matcha Green Tea Latte Mix

- 2 Tbs. milk

- 1 drop of Green colouring - optional

How To:

Red Bean Paste: 

Ready to be made into a paste!

1. Boil 500mL of water then add soaked Adzuki Beans into the pot and leave to simmer for approx. 40 minutes with the lid on - stirring occasionally - until beans a soft all the way through

2. Drain beans in a colander and set aside approx 75g of cooked Azuki beans for cake mixture

3. Return the rest of the beans to pot on a low heat then add sugar

4. Stir until well incorporated

5. Pop mixture into a blender and blend until it forms a consistency of peanut butter - takes about a minute in the blender

6. Pour red bean paste into a mixing bowl then set aside to cool to room temperature 

Red Bean Cake Component:

1. Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees Celcius/ 320 degrees Farenheit fan forced

2. Line three circular 20cm cake tins with baking paper or lightly spray with cooking oil to prevent cake from sticking to the pan

Mixing in the Adzuki beans

3. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form then add sugar and continue beating until it forms a bloody stiff peak finish - approx. 10 minutes of a high beat setting

4. In a separate mixing bowl, beat egg yolks until it changes from a deep orange to a light beige colour - takes approx. 5 minutes

5. Add oil and milk to egg yolk mixture and beat until well incorporated

6. Add vanilla sugar and cream of tartar to the mix and beat

7. Using a spatula, gently fold flour and egg white/ sugar folds in small little increments - it takes time but allows for mixture to stay aerated and soft

8. Continue step 7 until all flour and egg white/ sugar mix is well incorporated

9. Add cooked Adzuki beans and red food colouring to the cake batter and fold until well combined

10. Evenly divide batter into cake tins ensuring all batter is spread evenly along the edges of the cake tin - lightly tap tins on a flat surface if you need that extra push

11. Place tins in pre heated oven for approximately 35-45 minutes - swapping cake tin positions at around 25 minutes to ensure all layers are baked evenly 

12. At 35 minutes check if cakes are cooked by placing skewer into each cake layer and skewer comes out clean - if no, leave cakes to cook for a further 5 minutes then check again

13. Allow cakes to rest in tins for 5 minutes then transfer onto cooling rack and set aside until cooked - spread up the process by placing cakes in the freezer for up to an hour

Matcha Green Tea Buttercream frosting:

1. Beat softened butter until  it turns from a yellow butter colour to and off white colour - Takes approx. 7 minutes in high

2. Add icing sugar to the mix and beat until well incorporated

3. Add Matcha Latter mix to frosting and well for a further 5 minutes

4. Add milk and green food colouring and beat for a further 5 minutes until well combined

Note: if you feel the frosting is too dense, just add a Tbs. of milk and mix until desired texture

          If it's too soft, add a heaped Tbs. of icing sugar to thicken the frosting

Cake scraps to be eaten, nom

Once all cakes and pastes are cooked, it's decorating time! Feel free to decorate however you like but if you liked how mine turned out, here's how:

1. Level cakes as identical and flat as possible

2. Place one tier on a cake board then even spread a layer of red bean paste

3. Place 2nd tier on top and spread an even layer of red bean

4. Place 3rd layer of cake then using the Matcha buttercream, evenly coat cake to create a crumb coat layer

5. Place in freezer for 15 minutes to set

Building my layers

6. Add more Matcha buttercream to the cake until evenly coated around cake

7. For the top of the cake, place red bean paste in one piping bag and Matcha buttercream in another then pipe a small blob around the edges of the cake alternating between the two colours

Note:  If you ever find yourself with left over red bean paste or buttercream frosting, pop them in seperate air tight containers and freeze for up to two months or a week in the fridge! Just defrost and use for your next batch :)

      

       This cake was moist and delicious. I love the sweetness creaminess of Matcha buttercream teamed with the dense sweetness of the red bean paste. I loved this cake and it definitely put me back into the Matcha craze. If you do give this recipe a try, make sure to comment below and let me know how you do!

P.s. I have more cakes coming your way so stay tuned!

Inside snap!

Nibble Away,

Jo

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: Bánh Bao (Vietnamese Steamed Pork Buns)

Hi Nibblers!

         I have been craving all things buns this month. With my parents away on yet another holiday, it meant that I was now free to roam the kitchen and do experiment with whatever I pleased.
          Buns have been the talk of the town lately with more 'Bao' establishments popping up all over Sydney. Each restaurant bringing together it's own flare and showcasing some of the best flavour combinations. But in all its hype and glory, it's had me thinking about the classic 'Bao.' The one that I remember eating for breakkie all those years ago. The one that kept my tummy satisfied and my brain fuelled for the start of the day. So, I thought I would take up the challenge and give these buns a go. And boy, was it worth it! They were extremely easy to make and with a bit of patience, you can have a whole week's worth of snacks sorted. Or simply pop the un-steamed buns into the freezer and keep them for when you need to woo your guests.

How To: Bánh Bao (Vietnamese Steamed Pork Buns)
           Makes 15 Banh Baos

What you'll need:

Mince ready to go!

For the bun dough
- 660g of all purpose flour + about 50g for dusting of the bench
- 150g granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cup of milk
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 1/2 Tbs. vegetable oil
- 3/4 Tbs. salt
For the filling (You can make this the day before and leave overnight to ensure all the flavours infuse together)
- 4 hard boiled eggs (quartered)
- 2 Chinese sausages (thinly sliced)
- 500g pork mince (or any mince you prefer)
- 250g water chestnuts (diced)
- 4 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 2 medium sized onions (diced)
- 4 Tbs. soy sauce
- 2 Tbs. sesame oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3 Tbs. oyster sauce
For steaming of buns
- 1 Tbs. vinegar - optional - used to help the buns stay white
- 4-5L of water (Depending on your steamer, fill water half way up the pot)

How To:
1. Marinate filling by combining pork mince, water chestnuts, garlic cloves, onion, soy sauce,sesame oil, salt and oyster sauce until well combined then set aside
2. In a heat proof bowl, heat milk and sugar for 30-45seconds and mix until most of the sugar dissolves then set aside
3. Pop flour, salt and baking powder in a large mixing bowl and mix together
4. Create a well in the centre of the bowl of flour then add milk/sugar and oil then mix until it forms a dough
Note: If you feel the dough is too dry, add a tsp. of milk until it desired texture
5. Knead bun dough for 20 minutes until dough feels smooth and the dough indents when you press your finger into it
6. Roll dough into a 35-45cm long and 5cm diameter log (may be a bit hard due to the consistency of the dough but try and it as close as possible to that)

A rough idea of the dough log

7. Wrap the dough in cling wrap then set aside in a warm area (i.e. microwave or oven) with a wet tea towel to cover and leave for an hour
Note: While waiting for the dough to settle, prepare baking paper squares that will help the Bao(s) from sticking to the steamer. Do this by cutting 15 10x10cm squares from baking paper then set aside
8. After resting for an hour the dough should now be quite smooth and pliable. Cut the log into 15 roughly even pieces. That's about 2-3cm in height for each cylinder piece and cover with wet tea towel to prevent the pieces from drying

Ready to evolve into Baos!

9. Lightly dust clean working space with some flour and roll out first dough piece until you have a circle with a diameter of about 10cm and a thickness of 5mm
10. Spoon about 2 heaped Tbs. of your minced filling and place it in the centre of your circle


11. Add 1-2 slices of the Chinese sausage on top of the mince

12. Add an egg quarter on top of the Chinese sausage to finish the tower
13. While holding one side of the circle with one hand, pull the remaining sides of the circle outwards and upwards gathering it all with your starting side and into the centre
14. Firmly press the gathered sides together then twist clockwise one and push down to secure and form the bun and pop onto a baking paper square prepared earlier
15. Repeat steps 9-14 until all buns have been assembled

In the steamer! - Excuse my uneven squares

Note: Bao(s) can be kept in a sealed bag or container in the freezer for up to a month. Simply pop your steamed Bao(s) into the freezer leave to thaw and heat when ready to consume!
16. To steam the buns, fill your steamer pot until half full and add vinegar. Bring to the boil

I'm ready for steaming!

17. Once boiled, reduce heat to medium/low then add level with un-steamed buns and cover with lid
18. Steam buns for 15-20 minutes or until bun skin is slightly sticky to touch and bun skin is all one even colour without any dull areas
19. Remove buns from heat, leave to cool for 5 minutes then enjoy!

           I know it does seem a bit overwhelming but, once you've actually made these buns once you'll know how easy they actually are! I hope you love this recipe and do leave a comment if you try these out. I'm so happy with how they turned out and definitely want to explore for Vietnamese dishes in the future. As always, free free to leave any request down below.

Until next time,
Nibble Away,
              Jo

How To: Red Velvet Coconut Chop Chip Cookies

Hi Nibblers,

         It's been a busy month. There's been a few changes here and there with life. It hasn't all been easy to adapt but in the month that has passed, I've made a few batches of some of the most amazing red velvet cookies ever. I'm so happy with how they turned out. A light crunch on the outside and soft, gooey insides. I've had great feedback with these cookies which encouraged me to make another batch so I could take pictures for you all! Here goes!

How To: Red Velvet Coconut Choc Chip Cookies
Yields approx. 40 medium sized cookies             Cooking time: approx 1hr 20 minutes (with cooling)

What you'll need:
- 250g unsalted butter (softened to room temp)
- 2 eggs
- 4 tsp. vanilla essence
- 2 Tbs. milk
- 400g flour (sifted)

Red Cookie Dough

- 40g cocoa powder (sifted)
- 200g brown sugar
- 50g white sugar
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 2 tsp. red food colouring (or until desired colour - I used gel)
- 2/3 cups desiccated coconut
- 1/3 cup dark choc chips (plus approx. extra 20g for decoration - optional)
- 1/3 cup white choc chips (plus approx. extra 20g for decoration - optional)

Cookie balls

How To: 
1. Beat butter until smooth and creamy
2. Add white and brown sugar and beat until well incorporated
3. Add vanilla, eggs, milk and red food colouring
4. Mix in baking soda, flour and cocoa
5. Add desiccated coconut and choc chips and stir until mixed
6. Pop cookie dough into the fridge for at least an hour
        Note:  This step is essential if you want soft,  pillowy, risen cookies. It allows the cookie dough to be easier to work with and less sticky
7. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celcius or 350 degrees Farenheit
8. Roll about 2 Tbs. of cookie dough into a ball and place onto lined baking tray about 5cm apart from one another
9. Pop into the oven for 10-11 minutes
10. Take cookies out of the oven and using a spatula press down on the warm cookies to create a lovely cracked cookie effect
11. Decorate cookies with white and dark choc chips (great for visual and taste purposes)
12. Allow cookies to cool on baking tray for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack then devour!
        Note:  Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 7 days. Cookie dough and cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months and thawed (for eating) or baked frozen (but need an extra 2 minutes in the oven)

         This recipe has definitely taken me out of my cupcake comfort zone. But, I'm so glad with how every batch has turned out. They're so easy to make and perfect for any party. Kevin is a happy camper. He's been asking me to make cookies for years and now I've finally delivered. Hope you all love this recipe! Let me know if you give this a go in the comment section below.

Nibble Away,
               Jo