Mini Rolo Tarts - Too Simple ?

Thank you to the girl I was chatting to in Lakeland the other week for this recipe.... I met you next to all the baking equipment as I looked for a pastry tamper. I'm sorry I couldn't stay - but when a toddler wants fed ... it's URGENT.

For the rest of you - I think you are starting to get the picture. Oliver had been SO good but was starting to get rather hungry for his lunch. Toddlers are not keen on shopping of any description. The pastry tamper shown above did not come from Lakeland - they did not have such a beast. Instead, it came from Looses Cook Shop in Norwich.

The girl I spoke to who was also shopping in Lakeland suggested I give this recipe a go and waxed lyrical about it. She swore Oliver would love it - and I really think he will.... (IF there are any left in the morning !)

These little Rolo tarts are so easy to make. Get your pen and paper ready - you may want to write down the ingredients incase you forget.

1 pack of sweet shortcrust pastry (I used Sainsbury's)

3 packets of Rolos (there are 10 in a pack)

1 packet of white chocolate buttons

THAT'S IT !!

You'll need a 24 hole mini muffin silicone mould, or equivalent in traditional tin.

Divide pastry into 24 balls and place each ball in the cell of a mini muffin tin. There is absolutely NO need to grease or line the cells. Press down with a tamper and mini cases miraculously appear.

I then put my whole tray in the freezer for an hour or so as this helps the cases stay in a nice shape. I never bother blind baking anything these days - and cases this small would be a real fiddle otherwise.

Remove from fridge / freezer and pop a Rolo into each pastry case.

Then put the mould on a tray into the oven at 200deg C fan for approx 12 mins.

When you take it out, put a white chocolate button on top.

That's it.... but believe me - they are little mouthfulls of yumminess. Somebody's been at them already - there are 4 empty ones in the tray. Wonder where they went to :whistlesinthewind: -  Who me ????

Sarah-Jane Nash, http://www.siliconemoulds.com/ -the silicone cook shop. Cookware and bakeware. May 2010

Chocolate & Ginger Frosted Brownies

I'm a bit late with this one - it was last Saturday's bake-up for taking to work. However, just as I'd finished frosting it, Oliver gave me a real scare and it resulted in a hospital trip to A&E. The brownies therefore never made for a tea-time treat for customers .... I did however give some to our next door neighbours.

Oliver had about 1/4 of one after his tea and polished the whole lot off !

The "lads" - (or should I say lad and old man :-P) at work helped polish the rest off today. Given the fact that one wasn't enough, I think these turned out a good success.

The recipe for the brownie bit is adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe. The frosting is something I've been tweaking for a while. I'll warn you now - the combination is subtle but rich.

INGREDIENTS

120 grams SALTED butter
100 grams chopped plain / bitter chocolate
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup plain flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder

2 large eggs

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt (Maldon)

Preheat fan oven to 170deg C. Cook for 25mins approx

Line an 8 x 8 tin with buttered parchment - or use an 8 x 8 silicone tray mould. We're due 8 x 8 tray moulds to arrive end of April - early May - so I use a silicone liner (cut to size) inside my  8 x 8 standard tins at the moment. 

Melt butter and chocolate together at a low heat and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in other ingredients.

Pour batter into prepared tray.

Bake until skewer comes out with moist crumbs.

Leave to cool for about 10 mins in the tin - then turn out on to a wire rack to cool fully before frosting.

FROSTING

100g cream cheese

70g of salted butter

50g of cocoa powder
75g melted bitter chocolate

220g icing sugar

1 x finely grated ball of stem ginger in syrup

beat cream cheese, butter and icing sugar and cocoa until smooth. Beat in melted chocolate and ginger

1/2 finely grated ball of stem ginger in syrup (to decorate). Refrigerate for 15 mins and beat again before spreading.

The frosting amount here is exactly what I put on top of the brownie pictured and was pretty thick ! Saying that - it's light and fluffy, and not overly sweet.

Sarah-Jane Nash - http://www.siliconemoulds.com/ - March 2010