Self-saucing chocolate pudding

Ingredients

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup self-raising flour
2 tbs cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
60g butter, melted, cooled

Sauce

2/3 firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder sifted
1 1/4 cups boiling water

Method

1. Place brown sugar in a medium mixing bowl
2. Sift together the flour and cocoa powder over the brown sugar and stir to combine
3. Use a fork or hand whisk to whisk together the milk, egg and cooled (melted) butter into a bowl or jug until combined
4. Add to the dry ingredients and use a wooden spoon to beat until a smooth batter forms
5. Pour the chocolate batter into the greased 1 litre dish and use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface.
6. To make the sauce, combine the brown sugar and cocoa powder into a bowl and then sprinkle the mixture evenly over the batter in the dish.
7. Pour the boiling water over the batter in the dish and cook for about 20 minutes
8. To test if the pudding is cooked you can put a tester in the top (remember the bottom will be a sauce). The sides should be away from the edge but the cake will be dark and possibly look burnt from the chocolate on the top.

I took this out of a magazine years ago, I think it would have been 'Good Taste'. I have cooked this heaps of times because it is a quick recipe to cook in winter when friends are coming over for dinner. I have also cooked individual serves and served with ice cream.

Felicity

Chocolate double choc chip and peanut biscuits

Ingredients

200g chopped butter
3/4 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs lightly beaten
2 cups SR flour

Just under 1/2 cup white choc bits

Just under 1/2 cup dark choc bits
Just under 1/2 cup roasted peanuts (not salted) see note below

Method

1. Beat butter, sugars and eggs with electric beaters
2. Stir in remaining ingredients
3. Roll into teaspoon sized balls
4. Cook in a moderate oven for 15 minutes
5. Take out of oven but leave on the tray for a little while before putting on wire rack to cool (biscuits come out of oven a little soft)

Note
I used raw peanuts and roasted them myself in the oven for about 10 minutes.

I have no ideas where I got this recipe, it is handwritten in my recipe book.

Felicity

Apple crumble with pecans

Ingredients

3/4 cup plain flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
75g unsalted butter
1/3 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup rolled oats

1 tsp ground cinnamon

400g tin of pie apples or apple slices (or experiment with different fruit)

Method

1. Mix plain flour and brown sugar, using your fingertips, rub in the butter until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs.
2. Add almonds, cinnamon and combine. Set aside.
3. Place the pie apple in greased dish.
4. Sprinkle crumble mixture over apples to cover and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until crumble is golden.
5. Serve with ice cream or cream.

I found this recipe on Taste.com.au and changed it a little. They cooked apples (5 cooking apples) instead of tin fruit and I think there was a typo as it said 175g butter and 75g is more than enough. The pecans give this apple crumble a wonderful extra crunch.

I made this at home with Mum and Dad for lunch when they had a friend over and it was a huge hit. Super easy, super yummy.

Felicity

Super Yummy Lemon Teacake

Ingredients

Cake

250g Philadelphia cream cheese
1 1/4 cups of caster Sugar
2 teaspons vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups self-raising flour
Grated rind of 2 lemons
Juice of 1 lemon

Icing
1 cup icing sugar
Juice of 1 lemon

Method

1. Grease a pan and pre-heat the oven to 180 c
2. Beat Philly, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually beat in the eggs and oil. Then stir in the flour, lemon rind and juice. Mix well.
3. Pour Mixture into the pan and bake for 45-55 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes then turn cake out onto a wire rack
4. Combine lemon juice and icing sugar and drizzle over the cake. Serve.

Julie Murray-Lewis