These are my favorite cookies ever, the chunky chocolate in every bite and the soft vanilla dough is just divine. the dough can be rolled to make a slab or portioned into 12 balls. This is the same cookie dough base as my M&M cookies but I use chopped dark baking chocolate like Valrhona Guanaja 70% or something similar. If you have kids, you might want to use semi-sweet or milk chocolate just so it’s not too bitter. I find using white chocolate makes this too sweet for my liking, but you can also give that a try.

The cookie dough can be put together in less than 15 minutes, then chilling time is an 1 hour plus baking time of 12-15 minutes. If you’ve never made cookies before, watch the short video below as a guide. I find that a lot of beginners need a little bit of guidance when it comes to cookie baking, so make sure you follow the recipe to the T if you’re making this for the first time. Good luck & happy baking!

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CJFpoR-BkEg/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
 
Difficulty: Easy Prep Time: 15 Mins Cook Time: 18 Mins Total Time: 33 Mins

Chunky Chocolate Cookies

Makes 12

  I like to use chunks of dark chocolate for this recipe, and I prefer Valrhona Guanaja 70% but it’s not accessible to everyone. You can use any good quality chocolate, and if you have kids, use semi-sweet chocolate instead to give it a tad more sweetness.    

Ingredients

Instructions

0/5 Instructions
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream butter & sugar together on high until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, sift together dry ingredients.
  • Add egg and vanilla, mix until incorporated then bring the mixer down to low. Gradually spoon the dry ingredients into the batter, then add the chocolate chunks. Cover the dough and chill for at least 1 hour up to 1 day. (See notes)
  • Preheat oven to 170C. Divide the dough into 12 equal size balls (around 65-70g if you’re using a scale). Roll each portion into a ball then place cookies on a tray lined with baking paper.
  • Bake cookies at 170C for 15-18 mins. The edges will be light brown and the centre will be soft, pop out of the oven and let cool for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack and cool down completely in the fridge. (See notes)

Notes

  1. One reason for cookies spreading is if you over-cream your cookies. On the video above, you will be able to see the process clearly.
  2. This dough needs to be chilled otherwise the cookies will spread. You can make these cookies ahead and chill for 1 day. If you leave it in the fridge for more than one day, the cookies will not rise in the oven.
  3. This recipe is also freezer friendly. To freeze, follow the recipe up to stuffing the cookies with marshmallows then pop the balls on a plate lined with baking paper and freeze for 1 hour. Once the balls are frozen on the outside, they can be placed in freezer bags.
  4. To bake cookie dough from the freezer, take the dough out and place them on a tray line with baking paper, then preheat oven to 170C. The preheating time allows the cookie dough to thaw a little. When the oven is ready bake the cookies for 14 mins. Then cool as instructed.
  5. I like to let the cookies cool down and set in the fridge instead of room temperature. It takes less time and the cookies retain their softness in the centre.

 

I love a good cheesecake, and a lot of people I know do too. The only problem is, they say they get disappointed each time they order a cheesecake for dessert. To be honest, I agree… The cheesecake game is not strong in Sydney, however, I am hoping to change that! My cheesecakes are my most requested dishes to bring to family and friends’ events. I am not joking when I say that since I started selling cakes online, my cheesecakes combined make up 75% of the online orders, not including bespoke events and custom cakes. So if you’re not the bake it from scratch type, check out my kitchen to see my different cheesecakes by clicking the button above or order this cheesecake below!

 
 
 
 
 
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This recipe is perfect for summer because it doesn’t require an oven, it is also quite easy to make, but it’s essential to use good quality chocolate. I didn’t use any gelatine in this recipe, so the ganache helps set your cheesecake. The recipe is basically mix and chill. Chilling is at least 4 hours to give it ample time to set. This is definitely not gluten-free or dairy-free but since there are no eggs, this is safe for pregnant women.

I love this with seasonal fruit, but you can have it by itself. I you make this, let me know what you think via the comments section below. This is a crowd-pleaser without being too challenging to make, all you need to do is to make sure your ingredients are room temperature! Aside from that, you can keep your ovens off and smile at the fact that there is no chance that this cheesecake would crack. Good luck!

 
Difficulty: Medium

White Chocolate Cheesecake

makes 1 x 20cm (8’ springform)

Ingredients

    For the crust
    • For the filling

Instructions

0/5 Instructions
    First melt the chocolate:
  • Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small pot, bring cream to the boil then pour on top of the chocolate. Let it stand for a minute then whisk until smooth. Set aside to cool down.
    • Now make the crust:
  • In a large bowl, mix digestive biscuit crumbs and brown butter until it resembles wet sand. Take a 20cm (8in) round springform pan and press crumbs into the bottom and all the way up the sides with the back of a measuring cup. Chill until filling is done.*
    • For the filling:
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer, whisk cream cheese on medium speed until fluffy then add yogurt and vanilla then whisk for 1 minute. Turn up mixer to high speed then add sugar a spoonful at a time and mix until smooth.
  • Turn mixer down add the melted chocolate and cream. Then whisk on high until smooth. Pour filling into prepared pan, then with a hot offset spatula or spoon, flatten the top. Chill to set for at least 4 hours.
    • To serve:
  • Top with fresh mango slices, berries, passionfruit pulp, caramelised pineapple, the list is endless. Use a hot knife to cut a slice and wipe it after each time you cut into the cheesecake to get a clean slice.

Notes

  • Graham crackers is not readily available in Australian supermarkets, so I have now adjusted to using digestive biscuits and Oreo cookies for my cheesecake crusts. I use the Oreo cream too, so there’s no wastage. If you don’t like a chocolate crust or if chocolate doesn’t go with your filling, you may use golden Oreos instead, or digestive biscuits are really good. When using Oreos for the recipe, reduce the brown butter to 80g because the cream helps hold the crust together.
  • Measurement of brown butter is based on yield after unsalted butter has been cooked. Please watch this video on how to make brown butter or beurre noisette.
  • If yogurt is unavailable, you may substitute sour cream. I prefer yogurt because it’s texture is lighter than sour cream and cream cheese. 
  • Pressing the crumbs all the way up the springform pan takes practice and patience, so don’t give up on it too easily if you love having good cheesecake to crust ratio. Just take your time and you’ll get the hang of it. If you do not want the crust all the way around the sides of your cheesecake, use only 1/2 of the crust recipe above. This should be enough to cover the bottom plus a few spoonfuls extra for snacking.

 

It’s the week of Christmas and everyone is rushing around trying to get ready. Kids are on school holidays and parents are trying to find time between them and wrapping presents plus heading to the supermarkets to shop for their Christmas menus. Traffic is heavy and queues are long, but if you are super organised and aren’t running around like a headless chicken, you might actually have a few minutes to spare to put together a batch of cookies for the kids and Santa on Christmas Eve!

I have plenty of great, tried and tested cookie recipes in my collection but today, I’m sharing the colourful m&m cookie recipe. It’s perfect for Christmas because it looks so festive with the bright colours, plus everybody loves m&ms and they can be bought anywhere in the world. You can use the minis or the regular m&ms or mix them together, just make sure you use the same amount stated on the recipe. Don’t forget the glass of milk for Santa!

Watch how easy this dough is put together, if you’re new at baking cookies, it’s helpful to see what light and fluffy is like when creaming butter and sugar. Have fun and let me know how you go by tagging me on Instagram or Facebook or via the comment section below. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a much better 2021!!!

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CJFpoR-BkEg/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

 
Difficulty: Medium

M&M Cookies

Makes 1 dozen cookies

Ingredients

Instructions

0/4 Instructions
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream butter & sugar together on high until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, sift together dry ingredients.
  • Add egg and vanilla, mix until incorporated then bring the mixer down to low. Gradually spoon the dry ingredients into the batter, then add 3/4 of the m&ms and reserve the rest. Cover the dough and chill for at least 1 hour up to 1 day. (See notes)
  • Preheat oven to 170C. Divide the dough into 12 equal size balls (around 65-70g if you’re using a scale). Roll each portion into a ball then place cookies on a tray lined with baking paper. Press the rest of the m&ms on the cookie dough.
  • Bake cookies at 170C for 15-18 mins. The edges will be light brown and the centre will be soft, pop out of the oven and let cool for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack and cool down completely in the fridge. (See notes)

Notes

  1. One reason for cookies spreading is if you over-cream your cookies. On the video above, you will be able to see the process clearly.
  2. This dough needs to be chilled otherwise the cookies will spread. You can make these cookies ahead and chill for 1 day. If you leave it in the fridge for more than one day, the cookies will not rise in the oven.
  3. This recipe is also freezer friendly. To freeze, follow the recipe up to stuffing the cookies with marshmallows then pop the balls on a plate lined with baking paper and freeze for 1 hour. Once the balls are frozen on the outside, they can be placed in freezer bags.
  4. To bake cookie dough from the freezer, take the dough out and place them on a tray line with baking paper, then preheat oven to 170C. The preheating time allows the cookie dough to thaw a little. When the oven is ready bake the cookies for 14 mins. Then cool as instructed.
  5. I like to let the cookies cool down and set in the fridge instead of room temperature. It takes less time and the cookies retain their softness in the centre.

 

 

 

School holidays are coming and a lot of parents are looking for fun things to do with their kids. If you can’t order my Christmas Cookie Tree Kit, you don’t have to miss out on all the fun! I am sharing the recipe and the video for assembly so you can make this at home too.

Growing up, I never really associated gingerbread house with Christmas because in the Philippines they’re not really popular, however, everybody associates Christmas trees with Christmas, so I thought making a Christmas Tree made of cookies would be so cool! I use vanilla sugar cookies for the base and icing sugar and food colouring for the icing. You can use a small star nozzle for some fancy piping, or just leave it as is for something more straight forward. I made 2 trees to shoot this video and I used different styles in each so you can see and decide how you want to decorate yours.

In the end, this is all about getting your creative juices running and having some fun. The best part is, this makes a great centrepiece for your Christmas table and everyone can have a piece after the feast! Nom nom nom.

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
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I suggest you watch the video before you start assembling the tree. The important thing is to get the correct consistency of the icing. Now, if you are in Sydney, then you’re lucky! You can still order my kit from Mrs.Fancypants Kitchen. I only have a few delivery slots left for Christmas, so make sure you put your Christmas order in soon. There are so many goodies available in the kitchen, so don’t hold back. They’re only available for a limited time.

 

 

Have fun making this! It will keep the little ones busy for sure. Don’t forget to let me know how you fared via the comments below or by tagging me on social media. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a brighter 2021 with your loved ones!

 

 

 
Difficulty: Medium

Christmas Cookie Tree

Makes 2 Christmas Trees

 

Ingredients

Instructions

0/9 Instructions
  • In the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla & egg and beat on high until combined.
  • Meanwhile sift cornflour, salt and flour together. Turn beater down to low and spoon the dry ingredients until combined.
  • Dust a bench top with flour then roll out the dough to 3mm thickness. If its too soft put it in the fridge for 15 minutes.
  • Using an 8pc star cutter set, cut-out one of each size then the same number of the smaller sizes. You will use the smaller stars in between each layer to give your tree height and make piping the leaves easier later.
  • Finally cut-out one more smallest star for your topper. You should have at least 17 stars for 1 tree. This recipe makes enough dough for 2 trees. Place them carefully on a lined baking tray and chill for 30 minutes while you preheat your oven to 180C.
  • Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes or until the bottoms are light brown but the tops should still be quite light. Set aside until cookies are completely cooled down.
  • Get a piping bag ready. In a small bowl mix icing sugar, food colour and liquid flavouring if using. Start by adding 5ml of water then stir. Your icing should look like a thick paste so that it doesn't run and drip down your tree. Watch the video to see the consistency of my icing. If the mix is too thick, add 1/2 tsp of water at a time until you get a good paste-y consistency.
  • Transfer icing to a piping bag and nip a the tip. Pipe some icing to cover your star topper then cover it with gold sprinkles and let dry, if you don't want to use gold sprinkles, use the Christmas sprinkles or just dust the cookie with icing sugar without any icing.
  • Using the icing as glue, build your tree one cookie after another just like the video. When you reach the top, use some more icing as glue to stick the star topper on the tree. Dust with icing sugar for snowy effect.

 

 

Growing up, my mom loved watching The Food Network and there was an episode about making scones. After watching the episode, she was obsessed with them. She then went on repeating one of the baker’s lines, “scones are eaten with hot tea!” for the whole weekend. Until now when we have tea with scones, we would still all say “scones are eaten with hot tea!” Anyway, I was again missing my family and had numerous morning tea box orders to finish when I realised that a lot of my friends have been saying how much they love a good scone but can’t find a recipe that doesn’t produce rocks! So here it is my friends, complete with tips for a fluffy and tall result, my recipe for traditional English scones.

A few tips for fluffy and tall scones:

  1. Do not overwork your dough. I like to bring my dough together in the bowl then just knead it until it comes together. It doesn’t have to be as smooth as a baby’s bottom.
  2. Cut with the sharper edge of the cutter. This may seem obvious but a cookie cutter normally has a rolled and a sharp edge, use the sharp edge to get a sharp cut for a good rise.
  3. Rest before baking. Just like tart shells, you need to rest the scones before you put them in the oven to let the proteins relax, otherwise they will not rise as much.
  4. Be patient with baking. I get it, you want the scones right here, right now, but pulling them out too early can lead to a floury tasting scone that’s dense inside. I suggest waiting until you see the sides pulling up and breaking a bit and the colour turning nice and golden.

  • Needs more baking…
  • All done!

So there you have it, now you can try making you’re own scones at home. Make sure you don’t skip on the cream and jam! You can also have a DIY High Tea at home like the one below by getting in touch with me by email. I have been doing boxed catering for morning and afternoon tea that includes all the delicious items in the photo. Other than that I have also been doing Events by Mrs.Fancypants. So if you want to work with me, send me an email!

13 days before Christmas now, are you ready??? Why not try serving these for tea? Let me know what you think about this recipe if you do try it. Would love to hear your feedback and see your finished scones on social media.

 
Difficulty: Easy

Traditional English Scones

Makes 1 dozen

Ingredients

    • Egg wash:

Instructions

0/7 Instructions
  • Preheat oven to 200C. Sift the flour and baking powder together.
  • Using a food processor, a pastry cutter (aka dough blender), or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour mix until it resembles sand. The food processor will be the quickest way to do this, but I find using my fingers therapeutic. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
  • Make a well in the centre then add egg and the milk. Combine in the bowl until it comes together as a dough.
  • Lightly dust a bench top with flour for kneading. Turn the dough over, sprinkle a touch of flour if the dough is too wet then knead until you get a smooth dough that is not sticky. Do not overwork the dough or your scones will not rise as much.
  • Line 2 trays with baking paper. Roll the dough out to 2cm thickness and using a 5cm round cutter, cut the scones. Place the scones at least 2cm apart on the tray. Re-roll and cut until you use up all the dough.
  • Let the scones rest for 20 minutes. Make the egg wash by combining egg yolk and water. Brush the top of the scones with the egg wash and bake for 15 minutes or until the tops and bottoms are golden and you see the sides cracking from the scones rising.
  • Serve with clotted cream or double cream and jam.

 

Oh hello! How was your week??? Here in Sydney, everything is starting to feel more relaxed, and as we approach Christmas, restaurants and hospitality venues have increasingly become busy. Hence, the scarcity of my posts. As a professional chef, I find I get exhausted at the end of the week to the point that I can’t think of what to say on my posts. My job can be physically demanding and time-consuming, but I suppose most jobs are, and I just need to make time by being more efficient with handling my free-time. How do you organise your free-time? Do you have a passion project just like me and are finding it a challenge to stay on top of it because of work and life in general? Or have you gotten it down pat and have some tips for me? I would appreciate any thoughts.

Anyway, today’s recipe is my glazed meatloaf. I’ve been meaning to share this for months but couldn’t get the right photo. I just think photos are so important for a food blog like mine, you see, we eat with our eyes, and if the photo doesn’t look good enough, then you guys wouldn’t want to make it right?

Why should you try this recipe? Meatloaf is such a simple dish, but when done right, it’s such a comfort food. This recipe is moist and flavourful and that’s why I think you’ll love it.

I love it because I get to use up my old bread. But if you don’t have old bread, then feel free to use crushed crackers, or breadcrumbs. Old bread soaks a lot of the juices and leaves the meatloaf moist, if you prefer using breadcrumbs, use panko crumbs because they soak up more liquid.

I also love it because I can cook it and freeze half. People find it ironic, but I don’t always have time to cook fresh dinners at home despite cooking being my main job. So having some frozen meals keep me and my husband fed when we don’t feel like eating out or takeaway. I prefer making meals ahead so I’m sure I know exactly what I’m feeding my family. So you see, if you’re meal prepping, or have children, this recipe is great for you too!

Oh and the thing I love most about this aside from the taste, is that I don’t have to chop the onion and carrot. I just use coarse side of my grater and I’m all set! I grate directly into the bowl so the juices don’t get wasted, remember more juice=more flavour!

I always say that when you make something simple you have to make sure the quality of the ingredients are very good. So I like using Cape Grim beef mince from Tasmania, but any good quality mince from the butcher should give you good results. I like using regular mince not lean mince because fat gives this dish good flavour and moisture. So what do you think? Would you give this recipe a shot? And if you do, don’t forget to comment below and tag me in the photos!

https://youtu.be/HPW3_ZUmTrI

 

Glazed Meatloaf

serves 5

Ingredients

    For the meatloaf
    • For the glaze

Instructions

0/4 Instructions
  • Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a loaf pan well. In a bowl, mix all the meatloaf ingredients except for grated parmesan. Mix well and pack into the prepared loaf pan.
  • Cook at 180C for 45mins. Take out of the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile make the glaze by combining all the glaze ingredients except the parmesan.
  • Strain off excess liquid from the loaf pan then run a knife along the sides of the pan to loosen the meatloaf. Transfer meatloaf onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Brush the meatloaf with prepared glaze and cover with grated parmesan. Put back in the oven for another 30 minutes when the cheese is melted and glaze is darker in colour.
  • Serve with my velvety mash potatoes and a salad.

 

Keep your ovens off with this most-loved classic dessert. It’s the dessert I can’t say no to when I go to an Italian restaurant. It’s also the one I use as a criteria to decide if I will come back. With my easy recipe, you don’t have to go out to enjoy a good classic tiramisu, you can wow your friends and family by making it for them at home!

A lot of people think that tiramisu contains raw eggs, but this recipe cooks the egg yolks with the sugar then whips the mixture to a thick sabayon. I’ve made it really easy to follow, and the ingredients called for are available in most supermarkets if you don’t already have them in your pantry.

Can’t find mascarpone? Well, I don’t normally use this because it’s never really the same, but it’s a passable substitute. You can mix 1 cup cream cheese and 1/4 cup natural yogurt or sour cream if you really can’t get your hands on mascarpone. If you try this substitute, let me know what you think, I tested this recipe using the cream cheese and yogurt and cream cheese and sour cream combo and nobody even tasted the difference. Maybe the coffee flavour masks it in the end.

So yeah, this is perfect for your next potluck. For sure you have at least one coming up, with Christmas just around the corner. It’s easy to make, you don’t need an oven, everybody loves a good tiramisu and you’ll impress your friends! You might have to double the recipe because people normally come back for seconds–and thirds–whenever I make this.

 
 
 
 
 
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Finally, if you’re not a purist, and you like a little crunch to your desserts, sprinkle a little bit of crunchy chocolate pearls on top before serving. As I did in my video above. I love Valrhona Caramel pearls but they also have Dark Chocolate pearls if you want to stick to the classic Tiramisu flavours. Callebaut also have crunchy pearls available if you can’t get a hold of Valrhona ones. These are normally available from specialty baking stores.

Let me know how you go with this recipe, and if you have any questions or feedback, feel free to comment below or shoot me an email! I love hearing from you guys and I will try my best to answer all questions. Also, don’t be a stranger and connect with me on Instagram and Facebook.

 

Click on the photos to shop for the products. Most products ship internationally.

I get a lot of questions about stand mixers, and these are my recommendations. It comes with a caveat though, I only recommend you get one if you bake a lot because they are not cheap. Otherwise, a hand mixer is the more practical option.

Mrs.Fancypants earns a small commission from affiliate links, when you buy the products above. If you’re in Australia, feel free to check the availability on advertised sites.

ENDS TOMORROW!!! 14% Off Samsung 82″ TU8000 4K UHD SMART LED TV $2,995.00

 
Yields: 12 Servings Difficulty: Easy

Tiramisu

Makes 1 deep 8×8 inch dish

Prep time: 25 minutes

Chill time: 4 hours

Ingredients

0/8 Ingredients

Instructions

0/8 Instructions
  • Make your sabayon by combining egg yolks, half the liqueur and sugar in a bowl and placing that on top of a pot with simmering water. Make sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl.
  • Reduce heat to low, and cook mixture until 65C, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and whisk yolks until thick and light-coloured. This will take about 5-10 minutes depending on your mixer. Sabayon is thick enough when it forms ribbons that don't quickly disappear on the surface. Cool down to room temperature.
  • Mix in the mascarpone until fully incorporated. Meanwhile, in the bowl of your stand mixer or with a hand mixer, start whipping the cream to medium.
  • Gently fold the sabayon mix into the whipped cream, mixing in half of the sabayon until incorporated then the rest of the sabayon. Set aside in the fridge.
  • Mix the coffee and liqueur together. Line the bottom of a deep 8x8 inch baking dish with half the biscuits. Make sure they are quite tight you can push them together once they are soaked.
  • Pour a third to half the coffee mix onto the biscuits and let the biscuits soak all the liquid. Depending on your biscuits, this may take a few minutes. Press the biscuits together and add more biscuits if there's space for more, making sure you dip the additional biscuits in the coffee mix. Spoon half the sabayon on top.
  • Dip and soak the rest of the biscuits in the coffee mix then make another layer on top of the sabayon. Spoon the rest of the sabayon then level with a spoon or offset spatula. Chill for at least 4 hours to set, or overnight to let the flavours develop.
  • Dust with cocoa powder before serving.

Notes

  1. You may or may not use all the liquid depending on how much you soak your biscuits. I like to soak them a lot in the coffee because tiramisu is coffee-flavoured after all. You can make your own strong coffee by mixing 2 tbsp of instant coffee with 1 cup of hot water.

Tags

#classic desserts  #coffee dessert  #coffee recipes  #Italian food  #Italian recipes  #tiramisu  

 

Oh I love holiday posts, and I’m lucky that I’m in Sydney so I feel like I have more time to post my holiday baking because even if it’s now the 1st of November here, it’s still Halloween in the US! So bookmark this for next year, guys, because these are so good, you’s want to individually wrap them for trick or treat!

When you make these you’ll need your gingerbread man cutout. I like getting multi uses out of cookie cutters, to get the most out of my tools, and so I try to come up with creative things to use them for. Besides, Christmas is just around the corner, and it’s good to get these cutters out now.

Click on the photos to shop for the products. Most products ship internationally.

Mrs.Fancypants earns a small commission from affiliate links, when you buy the products above. If you’re in Australia, feel free to check the availability on advertised sites.

I was inspired to make these cookies because I was looking at Halloween movies to watch and saw The Mummy series, and remembered how we used to love the original version as kids. We found Brandon Fraser so funny, too bad they stuffed up the remake.

The Mummy isn’t a horror movie though, so I quickly passed it and settled on Insidious: The Final Key. Now this one, it’s definitely spine tingling. Or at least for screwy-cats like me. I have a love-hate relationship with horror movies, I’m the person who will shriek in the cinema and cover her eyes half the time. How about you? Do you like horror movies? Which ones do you like best?

I get a lot of questions about stand mixers, and these are my recommendations. It comes with a caveat though, I only recommend you get one if you bake a lot because they are not cheap. Otherwise, a hand mixer is the more practical option.

Click on the photos to shop for the products. Most products ship internationally.

Mrs.Fancypants earns a small commission from affiliate links, when you buy the products above. If you’re in Australia, feel free to check the availability on advertised sites.

Again, bookmark this for next year, and also get your Gingerbread man cutouts ready for Christmas! Because I have plenty of treat recipe coming your way. Happy Halloween! Don’t get spooked!

 
Difficulty: Easy

Mummified Sugar Cookies

Makes 18-20 cookies

Prep Time: 20 mins

Chill Time: 1 hour

Bake time: 12-15 minutes

Ingredients

    For the sugar cookies:
    • For the ganache:

Instructions

0/6 Instructions
  • Start by making the ganache for mummy wrapping. Place white chocolate, cream, and butter in a medium microwaveable bowl and melt together for 30 second increments. Stir after each 30 seconds so as to prevent the chocolate from seizing. Set aside to cool down.
  • Make the cookie dough: In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream butter & sugar together on high until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, sift together dry ingredients.
  • Add egg and vanilla, turn mixer down then add milk. Gradually spoon the dry ingredients into the batter. Divide into 2 and flatten into discs to make rolling easier later. Cover the dough and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.
  • Preheat oven to 170C. Sprinkle flour on your work bench then roll dough out to 3-5mm thickness. Using a gingerbread man cut out, cut out 18-20 cookies. Save the trimmings then roll them altogether so the dough doesn't get too floury.
  • Place cookie on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the sides are light brown and cookie feels set on top but still soft. Cool down for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool down completely.
  • To assemble: Place the ganache in a piping bag. Pipe the ganache on the cookie to make it look like mummy wrapping. Then using your black writing gel, dot the eyes/eye of the mummies. Leave to set in the fridge for 1 hour then serve.

I wasn’t going to do a Halloween post because there’s so much going on. However, it was just too tempting not to post! So I decided to mummify my cookie recipes and below you’ll find step-by-step instructions on how to make my monster horror cookies. They are yummy, and looks bloody and is filled with green goo!

What are you doing this halloween??? My favorite thing to do is to watch spooky movies. When we were growing up my sisters and I would watch the “Magandang Gabi, Bayan” Halloween special. Every year! It’s a weekly Filipino magazine show aired on Saturdays and they have the best Halloween specials because of the spooky ghost stories. Tell me about your halloween traditions.

Also, if you can get your hands on Valrhona Inspiration Chocolate, do try them. They are the bomb! There are fruit flavours that you can treat like chocolate. It totally blew my mind when I first tried it. I used raspberry for the blood and I only had to add a touch of red gel colour in the end. I hope you can try it too!

The coffee intensifies the chocolate flavor and the white chocolate gives it a good balance of sweetness, but I would love to know your thoughts, so please, if you try making these tomorrow, share your comments below, I would love to hear them. Also post and tag on Instagram for Halloween tomorrow!!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE! Have a spooky time!

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I get a lot of questions about stand mixers, and these are my recommendations. It comes with a caveat though, I only recommend you get one if you bake a lot because they are not cheap. Otherwise, a hand mixer is the more practical option.

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Difficulty: Easy

Halloween Horror Cookies

Makes 16 cookies

 

Ingredients

    For the Green Goo and Mummy Wrapping
    • Cookie dough
    • For the Blood

Instructions

0/9 Instructions
  • Start by making the ganache for mummy wrapping and green goo. Place white chocolate, cream, and butter in a medium microwaveable bowl and melt together for 30 second increments. Stir after each 30 seconds so as to prevent the chocolate from seizing.
  • Divide ganache in half then colour half with green food colouring. Set aside to cool down. When it's set but still pliable, scoop 16 small balls of green ganache using a teaspoon or a Parisienne scoop.
  • Make the cookie dough: In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream butter & sugar together on high until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, sift together dry ingredients.
  • Add eggs one by one, turn mixer down then add coffee. Gradually spoon the dry ingredients into the batter, then add the chocolate chunks. Cover the dough and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.
  • Preheat oven to 170C. Divide the dough into 16 equal size balls (around 85g if you’re using a scale). Break in half then make an indent in the centre place a portion of green goo in the indent then seal with the other half by rolling each portion into a ball then place cookies on a tray lined with baking paper.
  • Bake cookies at 170C for 12-15 mins. The edges will be light brown and the centre will be soft, pop out of the oven and cool down completely before frosting.
  • Place the white chocolate ganache in a piping bag then pipe ribbons of mummy wrapping on half of the cookies. Place 1 or 2 candy eyes and let set.
  • Meanwhile make the blood by melting Valrhona inspiration raspberry chocolate then mixing in the canola oil and red food colouring. If you don't have raspberry chocolate, simply use white chocolate and add another drop of red food colouring.
  • Use the red chocolate to splatter blood on the other half of the cookies, then attach one or two eye balls. Leave to set then enjoy!

Notes

  1. you can use instant coffee by mixing 1 tsp with 1tbsp hot water. cool down before using.

There are a few versions of custard desserts cooked in a bain-marie (water bath) with caramel. To name a few, there’s creme caramel, creme brûlée and flan. I would have simply said this is a recipe for leche flan which is a Filipino dessert, but I bake mine and traditionally leche flan is steamed in oval aluminium flan moulds called llanera. If you live overseas and can’t find a llanera, I use 2 of the round 950mL Pyrex glass dishes and it works very well. Or you can make a big one using a large white ramekin but that would take longer to cook. In the photos below, I use the ones on the left and traditionally, leche flan is cooked in the moulds on the right. If you want a rich & creamy dessert, read through my post to get the best tips before trying the recipe at home. Then you’ll have the best chance of getting the recipe right!

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Why should you use a bain-marie? A water bath or a bain-marie ensures even distribution of heat and prevents the custard from becoming sweet scrambled eggs. Make sure there’s plenty of water because if the water dries out then you’ll also end up with scrambled eggs. I like my water level to be the same as the custard just to be safe.

The caramel is straight up sugar and is relatively easy to make. Just have everything ready to go so you don’t get flustered when the caramel starts to turn amber, because it happens very quickly from then. I like mine deep amber, but not dark brown which means the caramel has burnt and will be bitter. When you’ve achieved the colour you like, add the vanilla, be careful because the sugar will start to bubble. Swirl the pan then pour into the cooking dishes.

The custard itself is easy as well, if you follow the instructions in the recipe, you will end up with a rich and creamy leche flan. I use a wooden spoon instead of a whisk to avoid making air bubbles, and I also strain the mix into the baking dishes. Another good thing to remember is to use hot water for the water bath because that will also affect the cooking time, if you use cold water, the custard will not start cooking until the water reaches a certain temperature.

Photo c/o Australian Eggs

Now for my last tip, make sure you use good quality eggs. I use Australian extra large eggs which is US large, the total egg weight is about 55g. I also use good quality vanilla. This dessert only has a few ingredients, and it’s fairly simple, so using great quality ingredients really is key to make this outstanding.

Now it’s time for you to give this a try! If you do, feel free to let me know how you like this recipe in the comments section below. Also, don’t be shy and connect with me on social media so I can see your yummy creations.

 
Difficulty: Easy Prep Time: 5 Mins Cook Time: 1 Hr 30 Mins Total Time: 1 Hr 35 Mins

Baked Creamy (Leche) Flan

Ingredients

    • For the caramel

Instructions

0/7 Instructions
  • Spray 2 flan tins or 2 round 4 cup baking dishes. Place the sugar in a small clean sauce pot, then put over medium/low heat. The sugar will start melting and turning to caramel, swirl occasionally to distribute heat.
  • Once all the sugar is melted and amber, take off the heat. Add the vanilla and water, being careful because it will sputter. Pour the caramel into prepared dishes. Set in fridge.
  • Preheat oven to 130C. In a medium bowl, using a wooden spoon beat the eggs and egg yolks until smooth being careful not to create air bubbles. Add the vanilla, condensed milk and milk. keep stirring until everything is incorporated.
  • Take the baking dishes out and place in a roasting pan big enough to hold both. strain the egg mixture into each dish making sure you distribute the mix evenly.
  • Pour hot water into the roasting pan to create a water bath. The water should be the same level or just below the egg mix in the dishes. Cover tightly with aluminium foil.
  • Bake for 1 hour or until the sides are set but the centre is still a touch wobbly. Take out of the oven, take the dishes out of the water bath and cool down in you fridge for at least 4 hours.
  • To serve, loosen the sides of the flan and turn over onto a shallow bowl. The caramel side will be on top with the rest drizzling down the side.