Brownies, quick to make with no fancy methods to follow. I mean whats not to love about a good sticky chocolatey brownie with a tall glass of milk, or a double scoop of home made vanilla bean ice cream? 

This is what I like to bake on my days of in large amount and just store them in big air tight glass jars. So when I come home after a long day of work I just grab one ( sometimes 2 or 3) and pour myself a glass of milk and just sit back and relax while enjoying a bit of heaven. 

Ingredients 

• 462g sugar 
• 5 eggs 
• 90g cocoa powder 
• 115ml oil 
• 225g cake flour 
• 2g salt 
• 150g chocolate chips (melt over bain marie)
• 4g  baking powder 
• 60g mixed nuts 

Method: Preheat oven to 160C/320C

1. Start by placing your eggs, sugar and oil into a mixing bowl and whisking till well aerated and sugar is properly de-solved.
2. Now sift all your dry ingredients into mixing bowl and turn the mixer to medium speed till well incorporated.
3. Now you can add in the melted chocolate and the assorted nuts. Mix one last time till you have a lovely thick batter. 
4. Grease your baking tin and then line with baking paper/silicone paper and grease as well. 
5. Pour the batter into baking tray, smooth out the top lightly and place into the oven for 20-25 minutes. (the batter should not be thicker than 3 cm)  
6. Once brownie is ready, remove from oven and allow to rest  for 1 hour, and then another 20 minutes in the fridge before cutting. 
7. Once its been in the fridge for 20 minute, cut into pieces and remove from baking tray. Dust with icing sugar. 

Chocolate truffles

550 g Dark Chocolate 
500 ml Cream
125 g Butter





Method

• Bring the cream to the boil, chop the chocolate add the chocolate to the cream and stir until it is melted, chop the butter and stir it into the cream.
• Leave it to cool and then either pipe it in or roll it into balls.
• Can be left plain or enrobe in chocolate.

White Chocolate & Cardamom Truffles

900 g White Chocolate 
270 g Cream 
1⁄4 Vanilla Pod
3 Cardamom Pods
50 g Soft Butter

Method

• Bring the cream, cardamom and the vanilla pod to the boil

• Add the white chocolate and soft butter
  
  
• stir to form a creamy paste.
  
  
• Place in cool place to set, once firm start to form truffles with your hand.
  
  
• You can enrobe truffles with melted chocolate and nuts or cocoa powder 
  
  

Almond Sweet pastry

1. 200.0g plain flour
   
   
2. 175.0g ground almonds
   
   
3. 175.0g golden caster sugar
   
   
4. 200.0g cold butter , diced
   
   
5. 1 egg yolk
   
   

Place all ingredients into a food processor and pulse till you get a sand texture, remove and kneed for 5-7 minutes.

Wrap in plastic and rest in fridge for 5 minutes
Remove from fridge, line shells and blind bake at 160C for 12 minute

Clafouti

1. 85.0g flaked almonds , lightly toasted
   
   
2. 25.0g plain flour
   
   
3. Good pinch salt
   
   
4. 140.0g caster sugar
   
   
5. 3 large eggs
   
   
6. 4 large egg yolks
   
   
7. 375.0ml cream
   
   
8. 375.0g blueberries
   
   
9. sifted icing sugar , to dust
   
   

Grind the almonds to a very fine powder in a small food processor then blend in the flour and salt. Add the sugar, whole eggs, yolks and Whizz until creamy smooth. (If you're making ahead, tip the batter into a jug at this point and store in the fridge for up to 24 hours.)

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 180C, scatter the blueberries in the bottom of pastry shells and pour mixture over them finish with a few over the top as well.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until risen and lightly firm. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm. 

Taftoon
Ingredients 
• 500g plain flour 
• 1tsp baking powder
• 5g dry yeast
• ½ tsp ground cardamom 
• Salt
• 1 ½ tsp sugar
• 175ml milk
• 1 egg
• 150g ghee
• 2g saffron
• 75ml cream

Method


• Sift the flour, add the yeast cardamom and salt into a bowl
• Make stock syrup with 75ml of water and the sugar
• Add in the milk to the sugar stock syrup and allow to cool
• Once cooled add eggs and whisk well
• Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and knead till you have a soft ball of dough
• Rest dough under damp cloth for 30 minutes
• Melt 100g ghee and then knead it into the dough 
• Rest in the fridge for one hour under a damp cloth once again
• Place saffron with the cream and heat up to a simmer then remove from heat and allow to 
rest
• Once dough has rested divide into 8 even balls and roll out into 5-8 cm disks 
• Rest once more in the fridge for 15 minutes 
• Once rested dock the disks and place into a 180C oven for 20-25 minute or till golden brown
• Remove and brush with remaining ghee and saffron cream