Chocolate Mint Truffles

If I had all the time in the world to cook or bake at leisure I wouldn't mind if whatever I was cooking required a gazzilion ingredients. Unfortunately I don't so I do love making things that don't require too many ingredients but still delivers maximum flavours and also very pretty to look at. When I saw this recipe online I must be honest, I was incredibly sceptical about how tasty it would actually be. I am so very happy to say my fears were ridiculous. These chocolate balls are ... amazeballs!!

The actual truffle itself only requires 2 ingredients, the 3rd is optional. For the chocolate coating that is completely up to you how you want to decorate. I chose to coat the balls in chocolate and drizzled some with a different coloured chocolate and some I sprinkled with crushed Peppermint Crisp bars.

It's easy, it's fun and incredibly delicious. Make them as big or as small as you want. I made 2 dozen little ones for the kids plus a bakers dozen of Mummy size ones. Happy faces all round!!

Chocolate Mint Truffles

2 x 200g Arnott's Mint Slice biscuits
250g cream cheese
1 teaspoon peppermint essense (optional)

For the coating/decoration
white chocolate melts
dark chocolate melts
Peppermint Crisp bars crushed for sprinkling

1. Blitz the biscuits in a food processor. Then add cream cheese and peppermint essense (optional) and blitz until well combine.

2. Roll into desired size balls and pop in freezer for 20-30 minutes. The harder the balls get the easier it is to work with it when you're dipping it in chocolate.

3. Meanwhile melt the chocolate for coating over a double boiler or in the microwave. Dip chocolate balls in and decorate to your hearts content.

** I chose to coat some with white chocolate, some with dark chocolate, drizzled green chocolate and also sprinkled some with crushed Peppermint**

Mini Nutella Cheesecakes

Feels like the Xmas season and New Year wasn't that long over yet as I write it's February. I must have blinked and the month of January disappeared without a trace. Slow down time!! What's the rush????

My oldest child has started her final year of high school, the troublesome twins are in Kindy, the hubby is back to lots of work travel and work for me has begun with gusto. It's been go go go since returning from our holidays. I won't have as much time to bake at will but when I do I will try to make it count.

My poor neglected blog needs some loving so I'm kick starting my 2014 entries with almost everyone's favourite spread... Nutella!! This recipe had me hooked at Nutella and the deal was sealed at no baking required. It's not an original recipe but I have adapted it a little to suit. I believe it was Goddess Nigella's recipe. I saw it on the Rasa Malaysia  Facebook page.

This recipe is perfect for one good size cheesecake but I was baking for a group of little people at our twin playgroup so smaller versions were a better option for us. I made 48 mini cakes as I used mini cupcake moulds. Mini cakes are great, little bite size pleasures, perfect for that instant fix or keeping a craving at bay. Perfect if all you need is 1 or 2 to satisfy the urges and also perfect if you had, errr say maybe 8 because they were all minis.

Nutella Cheesecake

280g Digestive biscuits
100g soft butter
400g jar of Nutella (or whatever hazelnut spread you like)
150g hazelnuts
500g soft room temperature cream cheese
1/2 cup icing sugar (sifted)
whipped cream for serving

1. Dry roast the hazelnuts and set them aside.

2. In a food processor add biscuits, 1 tablespoon Nutella and butter and blitz to a nice wet crumble. Then add 1/3 of the hazelnuts and blitz a little more. You want the hazelnuts to add texture to the crumble.

3. Press the biscuit mix in the moulds you have chosen to use. I used mini cupcake moulds so 1 teaspoon of mix was all I needed but adjust accordingly to your mould. The back of a spoon is the perfect tool to use as a press. Then chill the base to harden.

4. Beat cream cheese and add sifted icing sugar and mix well. Then add the rest of the Nutella and mix until well combined.
*** if a tablespoon of Nutella happen to jump out of jar into your mouth, and it can happen, it's quite ok and completely understandable! ***

5. Add the Nutella mix to the base, about 2/3 Nutella mix to 1/3 biscuit base. You can either add to mould and remove when set or remove chilled biscuit base from mould and pipe Nutella mix on top and then chill to set.

6. Chill for as many hours as possible. 3-4 is fine but overnight is better.

7. I find adding a dollop of whipped cream on top just before serving lightens the rich dessert. Top with hazelnuts too for that extra crunch.

Pie pops - stick it on a stick

I have learnt judging from the my kid's and their friend's expressions that anything you stick on a stick is instantly agreeable and extra delicious. When I decided to try my hand at pie pops I took inspiration from the very creative and clever people at Luxirare and Bakerella.

I must admit that I my first attempt was rather dismal. I made pecanamel (pecan and caramel for those of you who use real English) pie pops. The filling was really delicious but my crimping abilities to seal the pies left a lot to be desired for as all the caramel oozed out of the pies and left me with little cushiony pastry with dry nuts in it. Big apologies to my dear friend Jo who was my taste tester, I sent her home with a few samples for the family. Sorry!!

The next day I was adamant that I was going to do better and make pie pops that would not ooze filling at all and I am so please to say that I succeeded. I realised where I went wrong and rectified the problem. I was not sealing the edges well enough and making them in too much of a hurry so I slowed down and paid more attention and it worked a charm. This time I made 2 more fillings for variety. I made some bananamel (banana and caramel) pies and also some Nutella ones. I made them for our fortnightly gathering of twins at playgroup and I can happily say the children enjoyed the Nutella ones and the Mum's the banana ones as I had a bowl of caramel sauce for extra drizzle.

Pie Pops

6 sheets of puff or shortcrust pastry - I used store bought
about 30 lollipop sticks ( 6 inches )
1 egg beaten with a little water or milk (for egg wash)

Pecan caramel filling
3 handfuls of pecan nuts chopped
4-5 tablespoons of caramel sauce





Banana caramel filling
1 large banana mashed
3-4 tablespoons of caramel sauce





Nutella filling

4 tablespoons Nutella
3 tablespoons icing sugar






1. To make pecan filling simple chop pecans and stir caramel sauce through.

2. To make banana filling is just as easy, just mix banana and caramel.

3. Nutella filling not as easy, still easy though. Mix Nutella and icing sugar. Rolled into a log and wrap in plastic and freeze for about half hour. Then cut disc of Nutella when ready for pies as it's easier to work with when it's cold and hard.

4. Use cookie cutter and punch out circles. A sheet of pastry should yield about 9-10 circles.

5. Place circles on parchment paper and place lollipop sticks on to about middle of circle. Spoon filling on but do not overfill.

6. Dip finger in water and run along the edge of circle and place another circle on top and seal. (this is where I went wrong the first time, did not seal with water and overfilled pies)

To make life easier I would cut all circles out, then do each step in bulk instead of making one complete pie as it takes up more time I think.





7. Once sealed properly use the end on a lollipop stick and press down along the edge to form a nice pattern. You could use a fork if you prefer. Brush with egg wash.

8. Bake in 180 degrees oven for about 15 minutes or until pies are puffy and golden brown.

Popping fun

I'm a mother to twin boys who are 2 and half years old. Very sweet and very naughty, and very everything else in between. Once a fortnight we attend a playgroup for multiple kids. It's an amazing circle of warm and welcoming ladies and their twins who have made my transition into a Multiple Mum a breeze. These wonderful ladies I am so very proud to say I can call friends now.

Whenever twingroup rolls around I'm always trying to think of what yummy treat I can make and bring as I love making and sharing anything scrumptious with this lot of superwomen. What I bake really does depend greatly on how much time I have to spare and that depends entirely on how well behaved the boys have been which in turn depends entirely on how well the planets are aligned, which direction the wind is blowing, if my tongue is held a certain way .... some days I can bake to my hearts content and other days I barely have time to scratch myself.

This particular day I wanted to make something fun and appealing to the kids but I just couldn't be bothered to do any actual baking. So I went on the internet and started looking at photos for things that had that instant wow factor but more importantly was easy to do. I found this blog and this no bake recipe for cookie pops and that was it, I was going to make my version of Mrs A In The Cove Cookie Pops.


Tim Tam Cookie pops

1 packet Original Tim Tams
100g cream cheese (softened)
1 packet white chocolate melts
1 packet of lollipop sticks (I only had 6 inches ones so I cut them in half)
whatever you want to sprinkle on cookie pops - I used coloured sugar and shredded coconut

1. In a food processor blitz the pack of Tim Tams andthen add cream cheese and blitz until all incorporated.

2. Use you hands and roll balls of chocolate mixture. Use lollipop stick and insert little holes in each ball in preparation for later. Freeze for an hour.

3. Melt the white chocolate over a double boiler. Take lollipop stick, dip end in melted chocolate and insert into hole of ball mixture. Then freeze again but only for a few minutes, enough to set the stick in the ball.

4. Dip whole ball into melted chocolate and place on lines tray. Whilst still wet add sprinkles of whatever you like but do it before chocolate sets so it stays in place or you'll be having coloured sugar and sprinkles and whatever else falling off the cookie pops.

Thank you Mrs A In The Cove