Baked amaretto custard stuffed apples

I actually made these a few months ago but neglected to post about them, however we're in the tail end of winter so last chance to enjoy all those delightful winter baked puddings before it's heading into summer swimsuit weather.

I love baked stuffed apples as they're delicious, easy and comforting in winter. I love using all sorts of weird and wacky things to stuff them but these are a winner for a dinner party as they're just so cute and really easy to do!

Baked amaretto custard stuffed apples

Ingredients:

4 apples
Lemon juice
250gm custard
Short sweet pastry(ready rolled)
15ml Amaretto
Sugar for sprinkling

 Method:

1. Pre heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Using a paring knife, remove the stalk end of the bottom of the apple and scoop out a hollow removing the core (saving the stalk), making sure that you don't cut all the way through as you ideally want the apple to be water tight. Squeeze a little lemon into the inside to stop the apple browning. Put to one side 
3. Mix custard and amaretto to taste. Scoop amaretto custard into the hollowed out apples
4. Use a round cookie cutter to cut circles from the ready rolled pastry. Cover the top of the apples creating a seal. If desired, add little apple leaves and the stalk. Sprinkle with a little sugar
5. Bake for approx. 30 mins in oven. Serve hot with more custard!

Birthday biscuits

Today's my Birthday, so I've got the day off and hanging out in a cafe and decided it was the perfect time to finally get around to updating my blog!

Birthday's to me are all about the food. Cake, a delicious dinner out and just generally spoiling yourself with all the things that you don't have every day. For instance last year for my 30th, 7 of us rented a cottage in the Bordeaux countryside and spent four days wine tasting and eating different varieties of melted cheese and bread. I'd never had Raclette before, but omg it's amazing (I strongly recommend trying it the next time you're in France)

We also have a birthday tradition at work around Birthdays which is that the Birthday person has to bring in baked goods for everyone. It's fantastic but also dangerous for the waistline when the treat table is right within your eyeline and if you're like me and lack self-control. Always makes me glad when it's chocolate cake cos I'm super weird and don't actually like chocolate cake.

I've actually been quite disappointed in the fact that pretty much everyone buys the biscuits, cake etc that they bring in so I decided that for my birthday I would make them. So I've made 3 different varieties of biscuit. (or to be precise, 2 different recipes but different variations of chocolate chip) It's also easter hence the micro easter egg variety of the chocolate chips.


Chocolate chip/ Easter egg biscuits 

• 125g butter 
• 1 cup   Brown Sugar (lightly packed) 
• ½ tsp vanilla essence 
• 1 egg 
• 1¾ cups flour 
• 2 tsp baking Powder
  ½ cup chocolate chunks or chips OR 1 bag/ 100gm Micro easter eggs (I got mine from Sainsbury's)

1. Preheat oven to 180°C conventional or 160ºC fan forced
2. Beat butter, sugars and vanilla until pale and creamy, add egg and beat until mixed.
3. Sift in flour and baking power, mix until combined before stirring in the chocolate chunks or micro easter eggs. Don't over mix.
4. Roll heaped teaspoon sized balls of mixture and place on tray, press down lightly with a floured fork. Bake for approx. 12 minutes. Serve warm with milk for deliciousness

The second choice of biscuit is an old standard with a slight twist. I always thought these were English until I moved over here and found out they were actually invented in New Zealand. The original recipe has white sugar and corn flakes but I find the brown sugar and bran flakes add more complexity and almost a caramel chocolate level to the flavour.

Afghan biscuits: 

• 200g butter, softened
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
•  1 ½ cups plain flour
• ¼ cup cocoa
• 2 cups Bran flakes, lightly crushed

Icing:
• 1 ½ cups Icing sugar
• ¼ cup cocoa
• 1 Tbsp butter (softened)
• 1-2 Tbsp boiling water

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. In a large bowl beat butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Sift in flour and cocoa, stir thoroughly with the butter mixture until combined before stirring in the bran flakes.
3. Place heaped teaspoonfuls onto baking tray, squeeze mixture together gently if necessary then press lightly with a fork.
4.  Bake for 15-20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before icing.

Icing: 

Mix cocoa, icing sugar, butter and 1 Tbsp boiling water at a time until combined, adding more hot water if necessary until icing is a spreadable consistency. Ice biscuits