Pfeffernusse – German spiced gingerbread cookies

Traditionally a Christmas cookie, Pfeffernusse are fun fun fun – to say, to bake, to eat.

Heading to an Oktoberfest recently – I decided to tackle making these. After much googling I happened across a surprisingly simple recipe. In fact – everything I needed was already in my pantry! Well pretty much …. I changed the spices around to accommodate what I had but was a fan of the outcome. You could add in nutmeg, clove or anise if you want. Before you jump in you will note in the “what to do” that these cookies work best when the dough is left to sit for 2 – 3 days. You can crack out after 2 – 3 hours but if you can have the forethought – I recommend letting the dough sit.

The result is puffy clouds full of spice.

Spicey clouds

I put aside a few to share with workmates/flatmates (anyone who hears me jabber on about food so much deserves to try some) and took around 35 cookies to the party. All were snapped up in a few hours – the greatest compliment of all.

What you need:

•  1/2 cup golden syrup
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom (I only hd pods so cracked them open and ground up the seeds)
• 1 teaspoon all spice
• 2 teaspoons powdered ginger
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons bi-carb soda
• 1 cup icing sugar for dusting

Yields: 48

What to do:

1. On your stove top melt golden syrup, honey and butter. Set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl combine flour, bi-carb soda and all spices.
3. Add eggs to syrup/butter mix and lightly combine.
   NB: This recipe will make you feel paranoid. I thought TOO MUCH LIQUID!! Then … NOT ENOUGH LIQUID!! But it works
4. Stir liquid into flour and combine, this may take a while but stick with it.
5. Wrap up the dough and place in the fridge for up to 3 days. If you don’t have the time – let it sit at least 2 hours.
6. After refrigeration – let the dough cool down to room temperature.
7. Preheat oven to 170C. Line a tray (or two) with baking paper.
8. Roll into cherry tomato size and place on tray 3 cm apart. You should fit 12 on a tray.
9. Bake for 15 minutes (keep an eye on after 10 minutes and turn/change trays depending on your oven).
10. Set aside to cool.
11. Place icing sugar in a large bag and 4 – 5 at a time, place cookies in the bag and shake to coat.

Not many left!

The love affair with brownies continues

I find it very hard to go past a good brownie. Gooey chocolate with melty chocolate inside it is pretty much my happy place. These brownies are very simple, most of the ingredients would be in your cupboard (or is that just me ….).

Side note – the last 5 months have been an intense no-time-for-cooking-no-time-for-much kind of season. Completely loving my new job but I am adjusting to a new schedule so for anyone out there still interested in my cooking adventures, I apologise for radio silence. Aaaaand yes I am aware my last 4 posts have had this disclaimer in it somewhere. I’m human! The love for food hasn’t faded.

Brownies are a fabulous peace-offering no?

Gooey

What you’ll need:

• 200g chocolate – you choose dark/milk brand/cooking, whatever goes!
• 150g v=butter
• 100g flour
• 75g cocoa
• 150g caster sugar
• 150g brown of muscovado sugar
• 4 eggs
• 100g white chocolate chips (or milk, or dark!)
• 100g chopped nuts
  NB: I just attacked a packet of mixed salted nuts I had on hand – you can use any you like. Or omit and fold in dried fruit, more chocolate, marshmallows, crushed pretzels … whatever will sate your craving.

What to do

1. Preheat an over to 180C and line a pan with baking paper.I used approximately a 20×25 pan. Any thicker and you may need to cook for a while longer.
2. Using a double boiler or a small saucepan and heatproof bowl, melt your chocolate and butter.
   

   If “chocolate butter” was a thing … I’d probably buy it

3. Meanwhile in a bowl, place all the dry ingredients – flour, cocoa, sugars, choc chips and nuts.
4. Once chocolate butter has cooled slightly, pour over flour/sugar mixture.
5. Break eggs into this bowl and mix together. No need to beat, whisk or mix terribly well. As long as there are no eggy clumps you are good to go!
   

   So close but so far

6. Bake for 40 minutes.
7. MOST IMPORTANT STEP – Let them sit for at least 10 minutes before you cut them or otherwise …..
   

   ….. this happens

8. Eat plain, with ice cream or cream – just try not to eat the whole batch in one go!

My only tip would be the cooking time, and this may vary with different ovens. A skewer should come out flaky, not coated. Go crazy with flavours too …. grated ginger, cranberries, flavoured chocolates. Mmmmmmm may need to make another batch SOON!

Malteser Cheesecake

Cheese + cake … Amazing! Add maltesers and you go to an extraordinary level.

A tasty slice

Cheesecake is so versatile and with hundreds of variations, there is endless types to try. I stumbled across this particular recipe a few years ago when looking up something new to take to a BBQ. Found on a Malteser fan page, the post credits Jamie Oliver for this recipe. I have since found a few different recipes online but this one comes out great with a few modifications of my own.

A made a new friend a few months ago and about 78% of our conversations are about food (12% shopping and 10% everything else). While getting to know each other, we were ‘omg me tooing’ some food loves and cheesecake of course came up. I mentioned this recipe and promptly promised to make it for her birthday.

Happy Birthday ya big chop!

What you need:

Base –

100g Maltesers
18 shortbread fingers
120g butter

Filling –

500ml sour cream
600g Philadelphia Cream Cheese
3/4 cup caster sugar
4 eggs, separated
zest of 1 lemon
2 tsp vanilla

Remaining packet of maltesers to top (based on a 150g bag)

What to do:

1. Preheat an oven to 170C.
2. Line a baking tin with baking paper, don’t worry if it isn’t fully on the sides or isn’t flat, it will bake fine once the filling is in. I use a 25cm cheesecake pan with removable bottom but you could also use a spring form tin. You only need to do this if you want to remove the cheesecake after, I have also made this recipe in a large ceramic dish and served from the dish and it works really great as well.
3. Crumble shortbread fingers and maltesers to a fine rubble. I put half the ingredients at a time in a zip lock bag and bash with a mallet, rolling pin or whatever you have. This may need to crumble a little more with your fingers but this is easy.
   

   Sweet rubble

4. Melt the butter and, using your fingers, add to the biscuit/malteser mix.
5. Press the mixture into your lined tin. make sure it goes all the way to the edges and is roughly the same level across the whole tin.
   

   Yummiest base ever!

6. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, lemon zest, egg yolks and vanilla. Fold together gently with a spatula.
   

   Masses of cheese, cream and eggs!

7. In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites until they form soft peaks.
   

   Just a little whipped

8. Combine the whites and creamy cheesey mixture and whisk for another 30 seconds – 1 minute. Don’t over whisk, it isn’t needed. You will notice the mixture is a bit lumpy from the cream cheese but this is fine and actually works to the cakes favour when baking!
9. Pour the whole mix into your tin.
10. Take remaining maltesers and dot over the top pushing down slightly. You could also break up plain chocolate to top but I like to keep it all malteser.
    

    Ready for the oven

11. Bake for 60 minutes.
12. Let your cheesecake cool in the tin then remove, peel off baking paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This will keep for about 5 days really but doesn’t last longer than 2 at my house.
    

    Pretty ... delicious!

For the purpose of gifting this cheesecake, I used a small plate and cut out the middle part for pretty serving as seen above, it works just as well in the pan shape!