my friend elena had her birthday today so i told her i was baking her a treat. when i asked her what she wanted, her response was "surprise me" so i did...
with options.
first up, i made triple choc brownies. when i worked at chippers before madeline was born, one of the guys wives used to make these epic brownies like once a year. spoiler alert: it was the best day of the year. they were so good that i asked him if he could get me the recipe and he did!! amazingly madeline is now nine and this is the first time i have made them, only now i wonder why the heck i waited so long... this could be dangerous. they are just as good as i remember.
triple choc brownies
125g cold butter chopped
200g dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups (185g) plain flour
150g white chocolate, chopped
100g milk chocolate, chopped
grease deep 19cm square cake pan. line base and sides with baking paper.
preheat oven to 160 deg celcius (fan forced)
combine butter and dark chocolate in medium pan, stir over low heat until melted. cool 10 minutes. stir in sugar and eggs, then sifted flour, mix in remaining chocolate. spread mixture into prepared pan.
bake in moderate oven for 30 minutes, or until mixture is firm to touch. cool in pan. sprinkle with icing sugar to serve.
100% the best brownies i've ever had
next up, lemon pie bars. my friend lisa from america made these once and we were all obsessed with them afterwards... i love everything lemon and these are a winner! i've made them loads of times and they always deliver.
lemon pie bars
2 1/4 cups plain flour
1/2 cup icing sugar
225g softened butter
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
preheat oven to 160 deg celcius fan forced
mix 2 cups of flour and icing sugar together. cut in the butter. mix well until the dough resembles pie dough consistency. press the dough into a 9x13" baking pan
bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown
beat together eggs, sugar, remaining flour, lemon juice and lemon rind for at least one minute. pour the mixture over the baked crust.
bake the bars another 20 minutes, or until the lemon topping has set. sprinkle with icing sugar when cool
topped it off with a batch of caramel fudge and sliced away...
caramel fudge
125g chopped butter
395g can sweetened condensed milk
2 tbsp golden syrup
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup (110g) white chocolate chips
grease and line 20x30cm metal dish
in a saucepan, stir butter, condensed milk, golden syrup and sugar together over a very low heat until simmering and sugar is completely melted. stir constantly for 10 minutes until slightly thickened and golden brown
remove from heat, add white choc chips and until mixture is smooth and the chocolate is completely melted
pour into dish and refrigerate until set. slice with a hot knife into small squares.
it was quite the bake up and she was stoked... so it was all worth it!
happy birthday lanes ❤
