wpc goodie trays 2021

nailed it! i felt so uninspired making the goodie plates this christmas and honestly was at the point where i wondered if i should even bother, but of course i was not going to miss a year. heck no. this tradition will be carried on proudly year after year. 

for those who came in late - each year my mother would do christmas baking and then send all the boys that worked at western power a goodie plate to enjoy with their families. when doug started there when madeline was a baby, i felt like it was a good idea too and i've been baking every christmas since.

this years boxes included:

milk chocolate rocky road

caramilk rocky road

santé choc chip cookies

caramel fudge

melting moments

chocolate truffles

brownies

rice krispy squares

white chocolate gingerbread rocky road

salted caramilk squares

i was obsessed with how these turned out - melting moments done with christmas sprinkles in the icing used for the middle. it looked so cute!

and it was rocky road central, with all these pretty looking trays set and ready to cut

i mean seriously, how nice does this look?

the caramilk rocky road was a clear winner, i have the recipe saved to use again next year

and i loooved how these rice krispy treats turned out once i had thrown some snowflake sprinkles on top to make them christmassy

time to pack - this year made the easiest it's ever been thanks to my best friend jen sending some of her cookie boxes my way. they have their own closure tabs and all i had to do was tie some festive curling ribbon around the boxes.

so, merry christmas to our wpc boys and thanks for another year of power. 

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recipes:

MILK CHOCOLATE ROCKY ROAD

 

2 x bags milk chocolate melts

1 x packet broken up oreos

1 x packet broken up plain sweet biscuits

Bag assorted jelly lollies

2 x bags marshmallows cut into pieces

1 cup desiccated coconut

 

Melt chocolate on medium high in microwave checking every 30 secs until runny. Mixed all chopped ingredients through then leave in fridge to set. Bring to room temperature then chop into chunks.

 

CARAMILK ROCKY ROAD

 

Ingredients

2 x 180g pkts Cadbury Caramilk chocolate, broken into small pieces

150g pkt jersey caramels, chopped

140g bag Caramel Popcorn

3 x 50g Mars Twix chocolate bars, coarsely chopped (I actually used another 150g of jersey caramels as I couldn’t get these when I went shopping)

100g white marshmallows, halved

1/3 cup (45g) unsalted roasted peanuts (I left these out – as we are dealing with a bunch of nut allergies around us)

 

Method

1.      Grease a 19cm x 29cm (base measurement) slice pan and line the base and sides with baking paper, allowing the sides to overhang. Place chocolate pieces in a heat safe bowl and microwave, checking every 30 secs until melted and runny.

2.      Combine other ingredients in a large bowl. Add the melted chocolate and gently fold until just combined. Spoon into the prepared pan. Set aside for 1 hour to set. Cut into pieces to serve.

 

SANTÉ CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

 

125g softened butter

¼ cup brown sugar

3 Tbsp condensed milk

Few drops vanilla essence

¾ cup plain flour

¾ cup desiccated coconut

1 tsp baking powder

250g bag coles dark compound choc chips

 

1.      Preheat oven to 160C (fan forced)

2.      Cream butter and sugar until soft and fluffy, then add milk and vanilla and beat until combined.

3.      Stir in the flour, coconut and baking powder until combined, then add choc chips and combine a final time.

4.      Roll teaspoons of mixture into balls then place on prepared tray, flattening with a fork.

5.      Bake for 12 minutes, or until slightly golden on top. Leave on trays for 1-2 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool

 

CARAMEL FUDGE

 

125g butter

395g can condensed milk

2 tbsp golden syrup

1 cup brown sugar

110g white chocolate

 

1.      Grease and line slice tray

2.      Combine butter, condensed milk, golden syrup and sugar together in a saucepan, then bring to a simmer. Raise heat a little for bigger bubbles and stir constantly for 10 minutes until slightly thickened and golden brown.

3.      Remove from heat, add white chocolate pieces and stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

4.      Pour into prepared pan, then refrigerate until set (overnight is best). Use a hot knife to cut into squares.

 

MELTING MOMENTS

250 g butter (softened)
3/4 Cup Icing sugar
1/2 Cup Cornflour
3/4 Cup Custard powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 Cups plain flour
1 Cup of Icing sugar extra to join biscuits.

Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees celcius (fan forced)
Cream butter, icing sugar and cornflour until smooth and light.
Add custard powder and vanilla essence. Mix well. Add flour to make a soft dough .
If your mixture is too dry add a little water.
Line a baking tray with baking paper
Using a teaspoon roll teaspoon size balls of dough and place on the baking tray.
Press tops down with a fork.
Repeat until all the mixture is used.
Bake for 15-20 minutes.
Allow to cool on the tray.

To join together:
Mix icing sugar with a little water to form a thick paste.
Spoon a little onto the base of a biscuit the join to another.
Note: you can also join with jam

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

 

 

2 tbsp cocoa

395g can condensed milk

1 packet finely crushed milk arrowroot biscuits

2 cups desiccated coconut

 

1.      Combine biscuits, cocoa and condensed milk and mix well

2.      Roll small balls from mixture, then roll in coconut

3.      Place on a tray and refrigerate to firm up

 

BROWNIES

 

200g butter

2 cups packed brown sugar

½ cup cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 cup plain flour

2 eggs

 

1.      Grease and line a slice tin and preheat oven to 160C (fan forced)

2.      Melt butter and brown sugar together in a saucepan on low heat. DO NOT BOIL.

3.      Add cocoa and vanilla, stir well.

4.      Take off heat, stir in flour until completely combined.

5.      Add eggs and mix really well.

6.      Spread mixture evenly into prepared tin and bake for (20-25 mins – I find 22 is perfect!)

 

RICE KRISPIE TREATS

 

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter

280g Marshmallows (standard Pascal pack size)

6 cups Rice Bubbles

 

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add Rice Bubbles cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into A greased and lined tray. Cool. Cut into squares.

(I topped mine with a layer of melted chocolate and snowflake sprinkles)

 

WHITE CHOCOLATE GINGERBREAD ROCKY ROAD

 

2 x bags white chocolate melts

Pack broken gingernut biscuits

1 bag white marshmallows

Bag lolly bananas

Small bag jersey caramels

Melt chocolate on medium high in microwave checking every 30 secs until runny. Mixed all chopped ingredients through then leave in fridge to set. Bring to room temperature then chop into chunks.

 

SALED CARAMILK SQUARES

 

225g pkt plain savoury crackers (I used plain Jatz)

85g butter, melted

1 tbsp golden syrup

1/2 tsp cooking salt

 

CARAMEL FILLING

395g can condensed milk

2 tbsp golden syrup

60g butter, melted

 

CARAMILK TOPPING

180g block Caramilk chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil

 

1.      Preheat oven to 160C fan forced. Grease and line a slice pan.

2.      Break the crackers into a food processor. Process until fine crumbs form. Transfer to a bowl. Add butter, golden syrup and salt. Stir to combine. Evenly press the mixture over the base of the prepared pan. Place in the fridge until required.

3.      To make the filling, combine the condensed milk, golden syrup and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, whisking, for 8 minutes or until golden. Pour over base. Bake for 12 minutes or until firm. Cool completely. Place in the fridge for 4 hours or until set.

4.      To make the topping, place the Caramilk and oil in a heatproof bowl and melt in the microwave with 30 second bursts. Pour the chocolate mixture over the filling and smooth the surface. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes or until the chocolate mixture is set.

5.      Use a warmed knife to cut the slice into squares, to serve.

 

 

 

 

 

christmas day 2020

there is absolutely nothing better than having children in the house on christmas morning. the excitement is so contagious and i love seeing their little faces come into my room asking if they "can just open one thing?!" the three of them were so happy this morning, especially when grandma arrived with favz and josh and it was finally time for presents!

as you can see, i was correct and there was presents everywhere. so much love to be had.

alex loved ripping into his presents this year and knew exactly what was going on, he then wanted to open everyone elses too. 

the kidlets were thrilled that santa and the reindeer ate the treats they left out too.

alex loves books and constantly empties his entire shelf onto the floor, so we bought him some more to do the same thing with.

joseph got all the lego he'd had his eye on... i am not kidding when i say their grandmother will get them anything they want. she is the actual worst for it. if mum says no, ask grandma. and whenever mum growls at grandma, grandma answers with, i won''t be around forever, i need to enjoy them and spoil them while i can.

i bought this for alex, it's a sprinkler attachment and spouts the water up from each rainbow piece for the kids to run about in.

maddie had a dressing gown on her christmas list - her old one had gotten too small and she desperately wanted a new one... only it was december and hot and no one had a thing... until with days to spare i located an adorable one in soft pink thin waffle fabric on the cotton on kids website and cause it's summer, it was even on clearance. woo.

and the only thing she really wanted - an ipod. this was an adventure in itself. i ordered this with weeks to spare, and the stupid courier the seller used delayed collection by almost a week then didn't know where it was. gah. so many emails later, they claimed it was still on schedule to arrive on time (which was december 28th now because of their delay in collecting...) and that they couldn't help me until it was late. no phone contact available, no offers to look into it. just absolutely shocking service, which i learned is normal from them. word to the wise, do not ever use sendle. they are bloody useless. 

anyway. at 3pm christmas eve, i receive a notification saying that my package has been delivered. just like that. lost to delivered. what the heck. but. she loves it. declared it her favourite gift ever and proceeded to dance about the house with her headphones on listening to the preloaded k-pop. mum win.

the kids favourite gift though, was the nintendo switch that grandma bought them. joseph nearly peed his pants with excitement and even more so when he realised there was five games on standby too. dad got plenty of love and cuddles once they finished screaming - while we waited for brunch to be ready

which was totally worth it. bacon, eggs, toast, croissants, fresh blueberry muffins and all the fresh fruits.

and christmas wouldn't be complete without these gorgeous cookies from my best friend at baked on benrua. her star puddings are my favourite thing in the world.

dinner was a scored and glazed ham from lite 'n easy, where oli works. each year the staff are given a ham or a fruit box, oli always goes for the ham and we enjoy it at christmas and for weeks after.

we also had lobster, which madeline was horrified about, but all our polynesian crew enjoyed immensely. 

then when we finally got around to dessert... we had banoffee, 

more fruit, mini pavlovas by oli's request (which i had to go to multiple shops to find at the last minute when she suddenly had a hankering for them hahah)

and mini treats from my goodie plates. that tim tam slice was to die for.

what a wonderful christmas. so grateful to have our family here with us. if for some reason this does end up being oli's last christmas here with us, we know it was a wonderful one, full of love. 

christmas tree brownies

i had my last appointment before christmas today, with my beautician, to have my waxing done. i have been going to rachel since we moved to aveley and i absolutely adore her, so i wanted to do something really cute for her. i had seen these brownie christmas trees online a few times, so i decided today was the day to make my own.

after finding this photo courtesy of google, which i used as a pattern to make sure i didn't waste too much when cutting, i baked my normal brownie recipe and threw them in the fridge to cool (i don't normally do this and probably wouldn't recommend it, they are a much better texture when they cool on their own) before cutting them up to decorate.

perfect brownie recipe 

(i call it this as they are literally perfect every single time and so so easy)

200g butter

2 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 cup plain flour

2 eggs

1. grease a 20 x 30cm tin, preheat oven to 180deg celcius (160 deg fan forced)

2. melt butter in a large saucepan on a very low heat, add brown sugar, mix until well combined, do not allow it to boil!

3. add cocoa and vanilla, stir well

4. take off heat, add flour and stir it in

5. add eggs and mix really well

6. spread mixture evenly in tin and bake for 22 minutes 

to make the trunks, break candy canes into pieces... (try for about an inch, but they are temperamental and you just need to work with where they break to be honest haha) and poke them into the base. for the icing, i combined icing sugar with a tiny bit of milk at a time and a few drops of green food colouring, until the icing was smooth enough to stir, but was starting to go stiff as it was left for a moment or two. i used a ziplock bag with the tip cut off to pipe it onto the trees into a zig zag, then added sprinkles to decorate.

honestly? they were delicious! but i will absolutely be adding a few drops of mint to the icing next year, cause the mint with the brownies was amaaaazing. so so yum. highly recommend you give them a go, they look nice, they are fun and delicious to boot! we are taking them to christmas eve dinner at the pinkers, so hopefully everyone else likes them too! 

 

wpc christmas goodie plates

it's that time again - and i have slaved away for countless hours in the kitchen in order to plate up the western power good trays for 2020.

this year i did a few new ones - including a licorice allsort slice, a white chocolate and cranberry slice, a timtam hedgehog slice and a caramilk rocky road - along with my standard chocolate truffles, choc chip (santé) cookies (this is the standard edmonds recipe, but mine are a little different as below), chocolate rocky road, brownies, caramel fudge, salted cracker toffee (and peanut butter pretzels and kisses to boot, but i can't take credit for those.)

Licorice Allsort Slice 

Ingredients

125 grams Butter, diced

½ Cup Brown Sugar, Packed

½ Tin Sweetened Condensed Milk (180ml)

1 Cup Licorice Allsorts, sliced in half

1 x 250g Packet of Milk Arrowroot Biscuits (crushed) 

Icing

1 1/2 Cups Icing Sugar

1 Tablespoon Butter, Melted

1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence

2-4 teaspoons Water

(If making Lemon Icing, add zest of one lemon and use the lemon juice in place of the water.)

Instructions

Lightly grease a 25 x 25 cm slice tin, or prepare with baking paper, and set aside.

Using a food processor, crush the biscuits to a fine crumb and set aside.

Slice the licorice allsorts and set aside.

In a large sauce pan add the butter, brown sugar and condensed milk and heat gently until the butter has melted but do not boil, remove from the heat.

Add the crushed biscuits and licorice allsorts to the saucepan and combine well with a large wooden spoon.

Pour into the prepared tin, press mixture down firmly and smooth with the back of the spoon and then aside and prepare the icing

 

Icing

In a medium bowl add the icing sugar, melted butter and vanilla and stir to blend.

Add water a teaspoon at a time, stirring well, until you have a thick but pour-able consistency.

Spread this over the prepared slice, give it a jiggle to settle the icing.

Place in the fridge to set, or overnight, then slice and store in the fridge until needed.

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White Chocolate and Cranberry Slice

 

Ingredients

1x pkt 250g milk arrowroot biscuits, crushed

3/4 Cup (75g) Desiccated Coconut

½ Cup (75g) Dried Cranberries

155g White Chocolate

100g Butter, cubed

395g Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

 

Chocolate Topping

190g White Chocolate

1 tsp Vegetable Oil

 

Instructions

Prepare a 25cm square slice dish or baking tin with baking paper

Using a food processor crush the biscuits to a fine crumb

Add the biscuits to a large bowl and add the coconut and cranberries.

Use your fingers to mix to ensure no lumps of con-joined cranberries are in the mixture and set aside.

In a large saucepan slowly melt together the first measure of white chocolate, butter and condensed milk, stirring often to ensure it does not catch until butter completely melted and ingredients blended together.

Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then add to this the crushed biscuits, coconut, cranberries and mix thoroughly.

Pour mixture into the prepared pan and using the back of a large spoon or damp hands spread it around and flatten mixture until it is completely smooth and packed tight.

Put the biscuit base in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes while you prepare the topping

Place the chocolate in a medium sized microwave proof bowl. Heat for 30 second bursts, stirring in between until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Add the oil to the chocolate and combine well, then pour over the cooled biscuit base. (The Oil is to prevent the topping from cracking!)

Place back in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours or overnight until set

Bring the slice to almost room temperature before slicing to ensure it does not crack.

Slice using a sharp knife & store in an airtight container until ready to serve.

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 TimTam Hedgehog Slice

Ingredients

250 g milk arrowroot biscuits

2 x 200 g packs Tim Tam biscuits

200 g butter

3 tbsp cocoa powder

⅓ cup desiccated coconut

395 g tin sweetened condensed milk

200 g milk chocolate

Method

Line a 20cm x 20cm square baking tin (which has high sides) with baking paper.

Roughly chop 6 of the Tim Tams into large pieces and set aside until needed.

Place the plain biscuits into a food processor and blitz until they have just broken up. Add the remaining whole Tim Tams and blitz for 5 seconds or until they have broken into large chunks. Place the crushed biscuits into a large bowl and set aside.

Pour the condensed milk into a small saucepan and add the butter and cocoa. Cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted and the ingredients have combined.

Pour the condensed milk mixture into the bowl with the crushed biscuits and add the coconut. Working quickly, use a large metal spoon to mix the ingredients together.

Pour the mixture into your prepared tin and flatten the surface with the back of a spoon.

Break the milk chocolate into squares and place it into a microwave-safe bowl. Cook in the microwave on high for 30 second spurts (mixing in between), until it's just melted. Pour over the top of the slice and sprinkle the Tim Tams you set aside earlier over the top. Place the slice into the fridge for 6 hours (preferably overnight) to set.

Once set, remove the slice from the tin and cut into pieces.

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Caramilk Rocky Road

 

Ingredients

2 x 180g bars Caramilk chocolate

100g roasted almonds (I used the 190g chocolate coated almonds from Woolworths)

100g white marshmallows

100g Maltesers

 

Instructions

Melt the Caramilk chocolate in the microwave in a large glass bowl in 20 second bursts. 

Pour in the almonds, marshmallows and Maltesers then mix together with the chocolate. 

Line a 20 x 20 cm tray with baking paper and pour in the chocolate mixture.

Push the mixture right to the edges.

Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours or until set. 

Remove from the fridge 20 minutes before you want to cut into bite sized pieces.

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Chocolate truffles

 

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoons cocoa

1 pkt (250g) milk arrowroot biscuits

2 cups desiccated coconut

 

1. Crush biscuits finely in a food processor

2. Add to milk and cocoa and mix well

3. Take teaspoon sized amounts and roll into balls

4. Roll in coconut

5. Place on baking paper in fridge to set

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Santé cookies

 

​125g butter, softened

¼ cup brown sugar

3 Tbsp sweetened condensed milk

¾ cup desiccated coconut

¾ cup plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Few drops of vanilla essence

 

Method

Preheat the oven to 160ºC (Fan Forced). Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Cream together the butter, sugar, condensed milk and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add flour and baking powder and mix into the creamed mixture, followed by the chocolate chips.

Roll tablespoonfuls of the mixture into balls, place on the prepared tray and flatten with a fork.

Bake for 12 minutes until golden. Leave on the tray for 1–2 minutes then place on a wire rack to cool. 

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Milk chocolate rocky road

 

500g melted milk chocolate

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup chopped peanuts

1 bag pink and white marshmallows (halved)

1pkt coles honeycomb squiggle biscuits (chopped)

1 pkt party mix lollies

 

1. Melt chocolate on a low heat in microwave for short intervals until completely melted and smooth.

2. Mix all ingredients into melted chocolate and pour into prepared tray, refrigerate until just set and then cut into bite sized pieces. 

(really the sky is the limit, you can add pretty much anything you want... glace cherries, any kind of nuts, honeycomb, biscuit chunks... let your imagination run wild!)

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Brownies

 

200g butter

2 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 cup plain flour

2 eggs

 

1. grease a 20 x 30cm tin, pre-heat oven to 180 deg cel

2. melt butter in a big saucepan on a very low heat, add brown sugar, allow to melt a bit and mix together. do not boil!!

3. add cocoa and vanilla, stir very well

4. take off heat, sift in flour, stir it in

5. add eggs, beat in really well

6. spread mixture evenly in tin, bake for 20 - 25 mins

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Caramel fudge

 

125g chopped butter

395g can sweetened condensed milk

2 tbsp golden syrup

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup white choc chips

1. grease and line metal dish

2. in a saucepan, stir butter, condensed milk, golden syrup and sugar together over a low heat until simmering (and sugar is melted!) stir constantly for 10 minutes until slightly thickened and golden brown

3. remove from heat, add choc chips and until mixture is smooth and chocolate is completely melted

4. pour into dish and refrigerate until set. slice with a hot knife into small squares.

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Salted cracker toffee slice

 

1 cup salted butter

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 cups choc chips

premium crackers

unsalted peanuts

 

1. Preheat oven to 180 deg celcius, line a baking dish (I used a lasagne sized one...) with baking paper then grease the inside of the paper well.

2. Lay a flat layer of crackers on the paper

3. Melt sugar and butter in a saucepan until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes, until it thickens and sugar is dissolved. Pour this mixture over the crackers and spread to coat evenly.

4. Bake for 8-10 mins, until toffee is bubbly, then remove pan from oven and allow to sit for 3-5 minutes.

5. Sprinkle choc chips over, allow them to soften and melt and then spread them into an even layer. Sprinkle peanuts (optional!) over top and top with ground salt to create a sweet salty flavour.

6. Set in fridge then cut into slices.

top - salted caramel cracker slice (with christmas sprinkles this year haha)

and brownies below.

white chocolate and cranberry slice

i got photos of these two newbies when they were cooling, but forgot to get one with the topping on, which is probably better anyway, considering they would have just been white then, they look much better when you can see the fillings.

licorice allsort slice

edmonds sante biscuits

chocolate truffles

caramilk rocky road (omgosh, this was amazing, i will absolutely be making this again and i may eat the whole lot on my own!)

milk chocolate rocky road

plating/ packaging in process... 

and ready for delivery!

my first one went to clackline and was plastered on the internet by a very grateful bestie who was busy making her christmas cookies.

we had so many this year (totally becoming famous) that we filled up the esky and worked out the shortest route through ellenbrook to drop them all off. worth the effort though, we are always met with so much love... i'll keep going just for that!