Hedgehog Slice

Serves: 20
Preparation: 30 min
Cooking: 0 mins
Calories: __cal (__cal per serve as per recipe)

Ingredients
180 grams butter
2/3 cup milk
1 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
2 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 x 250 gram Arnott's Milk Coffee Biscuits
2 tablespoons desiccated coconut

Line 19cmx29 cm lamington pan with baking paper to cover sides and base.

Combine the butter, milk, sugar, cocoa, and vanilla essence in a saucepan. Stir over a low heat until sugar is dissolved, then bring to the boil and remove from heat.

Place biscuits in a large bowl and roughly break into pieces, (or place in large plastic bag and roughly crush using a rolling pin). Add the melted  butter mixture to biscuits and mix well.  Pour mixture into prepared
lamington pan and press mixture down firmly.  (Another tray pressed on top works well).  Sprinkle with coconut. 

Refrigerate until firm.  Use lining paper to remove slice from pan and then remove paper.  Cut into small pieces to serve.

Will keep for several days in airtight container in refrigerator, or freeze.

Banana Cake w/ Lemon Icing

Serves: 12
Preparation: 20 min
Cooking: 60 mins
Calories: __cal (__cal per serve as per recipe)

Ingredients
125g butter
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1.5 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarb soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup buttermilk

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time then add banana and vanilla. Mix together flour, bicarb, salt and cinnamon. Add dry ingredients and buttermilk gradually, alternating both.

Makes 1 cake or 12 muffins. Bake for 1 hour (cake) or 30 minutes (muffins) or until fine skewer comes out clean. Cool in cake tin for a few minutes before turning out. Cool completely before icing.

Lemon Icing
70g butter
1.5 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence
1.5 cups pure icing sugar

Mix all together.

Banana Caramel Muffins

Serves: 12
Preparation: 20 min
Cooking: 30 mins
Calories: __cal (__cal per serve as per recipe)

Ingredients
1.5 cups SR Flour
1/2 cup lightly crushed bran flakes (I used crushed oats)
3/4 cup brown sugar
90g margarine, melted
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 banana, mashed
3/4 cup Nestle Caramel

Combine first 7 ingredients and spoon evenly into muffin pans. Add a generous teaspoon of caramel on top of muffin mixture then swirl through.

Cook in moderate oven (180C) for 25-30 minuges until cooked. Cool in pan before turning out.

(Recipe from back of Nestle caramel tin)

They were ok, but a little on the sweet side.

Ladies' Kisses

Serves: 20
Preparation: 60 min (plus 2 hours resting time)
Cooking: 40 mins
Calories: __cal (__cal per serve as per recipe)

Ingredients
150g butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp almond essence
1 cup ground almonds/almond meal
1.5 cups plain flour
50g chocolate

Cream butter and sugar, then beat in egg yolk, almond essence, ground almonds and flour. Chill for about 2 hours or until firm.

Preheat oven to 160C and line baking trays with grease proof paper.

Break off small pieces of dough and roll into balls with your hands making 40 altogether.

Place the balls on the baking sheets spacing them out evenly as they will spread in the oven.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from the sheets and cool.

Melt chocolate over a double boiler and use to sandwich pairs of cookies. Leave to cool and set before serving.

Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding

Serves: 4-6
Preparation: 15 min
Cooking: 45 mins
Calories*: 1645cal (410cal per serve)

Ingredients
1 Cup SR Flour
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 Tbspn cocoa
2 Tbspn Margarine (melted)
1/2 Cup Milk
1 tsp Vanilla Essence

Mix altogether in an oven proof dish that has a lid. You can just use a fork to do this because it won't matter if it's a little rough, but try to get any lumps out.

Topping
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Tbspn Cocoa
2 Cups Boiling Water

Mix brown sugar and cocoa together and sprinkle over the cake mixture. Pour boiling water overtop using a spoon so that the water doesn't penetrate the cake mix. Place lid on dish and cook in moderate oven (180C) for 45 minutes.

Choc Chip Biscuits

Serves: 24 biscuits approx
Preparation: 20 min
Cooking: 15-20 mins
Calories*: 2980cal (125cal per serve)

Ingredients
115g Margarine
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Castor Sugar
1tsp Vanilla Essence
1.5 Cups SR Flour
250g Choc Chips

Beat butter and sugar until smooth, beat in egg, add vanilla and flour. Stir in choc chips.
Roll into balls and flatten onto breased pan. Bake at 180C for approx 15 minutes (check at 10 minutes and cook until just becoming golden at the base)

Variants: You can add cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger instead of choc chips. They're also a nice plain biscuit as well.

Tip: Double the recipe except for the choc chips. It makes about 50 biscuits and there is still a good ratio of choc chips. It is a little better balanced. You need approximately the same prep time but 40-60 minutes cooking time - allow 1.5 hours all together.

Easiest Chocolate Cake

Serves: 16-20 (2 cakes), 24 muffins, 100 mini muffins
Preparation: 20 minutes + 10 mins icing
Cooking: 35 minutes
Calories*: 3200cal (cakes) + 250cal (icing) (215cal per serve)

Ingredients
2 1/4 Cup SR Flour
1 3/4 Cup Castor Sugar (can substitute for other sugar)
3/4 tspn Bicarb Soda
2/3 Cup Cocoa
140g Margarine
1 Cup Water
1 tspn Vanilla Essence
3 Eggs

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pour into 2 greased 9" pans and cook in moderate oven (200C) for 35-40 minutes or until skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool before icing.

My Simple Icing
6 Tablespoons of Pure Icing Sugar
1 Tablespoon of Cocoa
Warm water to make a paste
Dessicated Coconut to garnish

Note: To make muffins or mini muffins cook at 180C for 12-15 minutes