Homemade Chocolate Ice Magic

When I was a child, I used to love Cottee’s Ice Magic. I remember pouring so much Ice Magic onto my ice cream that there was more Ice Magic than ice cream in my bowl. The fun part of the Ice Magic, was watching it harden and then using a spoon to crack it open. Since then, I have not eaten Ice Magic. Yesterday, I got to relive my childhood memories when I found out there was a way to make Ice Magic at home.

I was so excited when I saw a tweet on Twitter from Tim from @urbanfoodmarket about how he made his own Ice Magic. When I saw the tweet, I almost thought I was seeing things. I immediately replied to Tim’s tweet to ask for the recipe. When Tim told me the recipe, I could not believe how easy it was to make.

Being the crazy foodie that I am, I tested the recipe the next morning. I still could not believe how easy it was to make. The homemade Ice Magic looked exactly like Cottee’s Ice Magic, but it tasted better. The homemade Ice Magic melted in my mouth and it did not taste too sweet.

I am not sure if this new found knowledge is a good or bad thing, but what I do know is that I can have fun being a child again.

 

Homemade Ice Magic 

Cooking Chocolate (I used dark chocolate melts)

Coconut Oil (I used unrefined organic coconut oil)

 

Method

Put equal amounts of coconut oil and chocolate into a microwave safe bowl. Place the bowl into the microwave and cook the ingredients on half power for approximately 50 seconds. Take the bowl out of the microwave and give the ingredients a mix. If the ingredients need further melting, place the bowl back in the microwave on half power for a further 15 seconds. Pour the mixture onto cold ice cream and watch it harden. Too easy!

Vanilla and Chocolate Magnum Tubs

I am a sucker for new products in the supermarket, so when I saw an advertisement outside of the shopping centre for Magnum Tubs, I squealed with excitement. The advertisement for the Magnum Tubs looked so irresistable, that I decided to go back into the supermarket to go buy the ice cream.

The Magnum Tubs are available in three flavours: “Vanilla and Chocolate”, “Hazelnut and Chocolate” and “Chocolate”. I ended up buying the Vanilla and Chocolate Magnum Tub because I love vanilla ice cream with chocolate bits. Naturally I tried the ice cream as soon as I got home.

Just as the advertisement stated,  the Vanilla and Chocolate Magnum Tub is definitely a spoonful of pleasure. The vanilla ice cream is so creamy and the addition of  luscious milk and dark chocolate pieces and the rich oozing chocolate sauce centre makes this ice cream a dessert addict’s dream come true. I loved the ice cream so much that I ate through two tubs in two days. (I just bought a third tub)

I think I may have found my new favourite supermarket ice cream and  shock horror, I might actually take a break from eating Gelato Messina!

Stockists:

Magnum Tubs are available in all major supermarkets

Cinnamon and Coconut Biscuits

I have this bad habit of finding something that I love to bake, baking it too many times and then getting sick of baking that item. This happened to me this week, when I found myself baking fudgy chocolate brownies like a obsessed lunatic. I decided to look for something new to bake, and I found a new recipe called Cinnamon and Coconut Biscuits in Recipes + magazine.

The recipe for the Cinnamon and Coconut Biscuits actually involved adding  a drop of raspberry jam into the centre of the biscuit, but because I do not like jam, I decided not to add it to the biscuit. The recipe also stated that I had to use a mixer to beat the butter and sugar, I decided to defy the odds and not do this and mixed it by hand instead.

The Cinnamon and Coconut Biscuits were really easy to make, and it did not take me very long to make them. The Cinnamon and Coconut Biscuits only took 15 minutes to bake and they smelt so amazing when they were ready. My house had a lovely aroma of cinnamon and coconut.

The Cinnamon and Coconut Biscuits taste really nice. The combination of cinnamon and coconut worked really well. The Cinnamon and Coconut Biscuits were also quite crunchy .

I think I have found a new recipe to obsess over. 😉

Cinnamon and Coconut Biscuits recipe   (sourced from Recipes + October Edition)

Ingredients

150 grams of butter at room temperature

1/2 cup of caster sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

1 and 1/4 cup of self raising flour

1 cup of desiccated coconut ( plus 1 extra cup)

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius or 160 degress celcius fan forced. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale and creamy. Add egg, cinnamon and essence; beat until combined. Roll tablespoon measures of mixture into balls. (I used a teaspoon because I wanted them smaller).

Place extra coconut on a large flat plate. Roll balls in coconut. Place on prepared trays, about 3cm apart for spreading. Flatten slightly.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden, swapping trays halfway through cooking.

 

 

Baked Donuts with Dark Chocolate Ganache

I love donuts, I love them so much that my friend and I drove all the way to Penrith to try Krispy Kreme Donuts when they first opened. Looking back at this, I cannot believe we drove that far just to eat donuts.

Making donuts has always been something that I wanted to do, but I always felt that they were too hard to make. I ended up giving up on the idea and putting in my “too hard basket” of ideas. Lucky for me I stumbled upon a tweet from @loveswah and she had made a recipe for Baked Donuts with Dark Chocolate Ganache. I clicked on the link and gave the recipe a quick read and I was sold. The recipe looked fairly simple to make and once again I did not have to use a mixer.

I was so super excited to make the Baked Donuts with Dark Chocolate Ganache, that I started making them in the morning. I whipped out my new love heart shaped holes donut tin and started making the donuts.

The end result was six gorgeous heart shaped donuts with delicious dark chocolate ganache and sprinkles.

The Baked Donuts with Dark Chocolate Ganache tasted so good and not oily like regular donuts. The dark chocolate ganache made the donuts very indulgent and delicious. I was so happy with the result.

I think I will have to go buy another love heart shaped holes donut tin, so I can make a bigger batch of donuts.

The Baked Donuts with Dark Chocolate Ganache recipe can be found on Love Swah’s Blog:

http://loveswah.com/2014/09/mini-baked-donuts-with-dark-chocolate-ganache/

Fudgy Chocolate Brownies

My friend Selina has been posting photos of delicious looking brownies that she had baked for a few weeks now and it has made me crave chocolate brownies. I had a rush of inspiration and decided to look for a recipe that is easy and delicious.

I ended up finding one recipe that was adapted from Alice Medrich’s Chocolate Brownie recipe. The recipe looked fairly easy and straight forward, and best of all I did not need to use a mixer (winning). I decided to start baking the brownies after dinner.

The Fudgy Chocolate Brownies ended up being really easy to make and they tasted really good. My husband’s work colleague said that it was the best chocolate brownie that she had ever eaten.

I ended up trying the Fudgy Chocolate Brownies the next day. I really loved the Fudgy Chocolate Brownies too, the Fudgy Chocolate Brownies tasted so amazing rich and dense. The Fudgy Chocolate Brownies were really fudgy and moreish.  I have to agree with husband’s work colleague that it was definitely one of the best chocolate brownies that I have ever eaten.

The Fudgy Chocolate Brownies recipe can be located on this website:

http://www.inspiredtaste.net/24412/cocoa-brownies-recipe/

Update: Caramel Maple Mud Cupcakes with Caramel Fudge Frosting

I have finally found a way to ice the frosting on the cupcakes. I used one tablespoon and put two spoonfuls of the icing on top of the cupcake and swirled the cupcake around so the frosting covers the whole cupcake. You still have to be quick!

The Caramel Maple Mud Cupcakes with Caramel Fudge Frosting finally turned out perfect! I am so happy..

Perfection Chocolate and Sweets

I am totally obsessed with all things chocolate, but not just any chocolate, but quality chocolate. I would rather spend more money on chocolate if it meant I was eating chocolate that was better quality.

One of my favourite quality chocolate brands at the moment is Perfection Chocolate and Sweets. Perfection Chocolate and Sweets make so many different types of delicious chocolate that it is most certainly a chocoholics dream come true.

My favourite type of chocolate from their range is the Milk Chocolate Honeycomb. The Milk Chocolate Honeycomb tastes so amazing and it is very hard just eating one. Even my dad who swears that Cadbury Crunchie is the best honeycomb chocolate has been converted.

What impresses me the most about Perfection Chocolate and Sweets is that  not only do they make the most amazing products, they also have the most amazing customer service. The owner John Kapos from Perfection Chocolate and Sweets has been so amazing by arranging postal delivery to my home when I needed my Perfection Chocolate and Sweets chocolate fix. This has been a god send for me, because I do not have time to drive to Rose Bay with my baby.

I cannot wait to the day when I’ll have time to visit Perfection Chocolate and Sweets in Rose Bay, I really want to try their Hot Chocolate, I hear it tastes amazing!

Details about Perfection Chocolate and Sweets can be found on their website:

http://www.perfectionchocolates.com.au/

 

Bounty Bars

Ever since I saw the recipe for Bounty Bars on Phoodie’s blog, I fell in love. The Bounty Bars looked fairly easy to make, so I thought that I would the recipe a go. What is there not to love about coconut and chocolate?

The Bounty Bar recipe did end up being pretty straight forward to make, but this did not mean that I did not get frustrated. I ended up having to make the Bounty Bars three times before I was satisfied that they looked okay. The main issues I had were that I felt like my mixture did not look moist like Phoodie’s and my Bounty Bars did not look like bars.

Attempt number  one:

For the first attempt, I felt like there was not enough liquid in the mixture and too much dry ingredients. I ended up adding more condensed milk to make it more moist. I had problems getting the mixture into a bar shape. The result, a batch of badly shaped erm bars lol.

At least they looked good inside and tasted good..

Attempt number two:

For the second attempt, I took forever to make the mixture into bar shapes and by the time I had finished, the chocolate sauce had begun to harden. I should have zapped the mixture in the microwave for a little bit, but I did not. I also decided to add some swirls to the bars, this did not look sexy.

The final attempt:

The final attempt almost did not happen, because I had decided never to make these Bounty Bars ever again. The final attempt worked out much better. I was able to get the mixture into proper bars shapes. I made sure that I worked quickly so the chocolate would not harden.

What I have learnt:

1. Never give up and persevere.

2. If need be add more condensed milk to the dry mixture

3. To stop the chocolate mix from burning, I melted the chocolate and copha in the microwave at 50% power for 1 minute and 30 seconds.

4. Work fast making the bars

Phoodie’s Bounty Bar recipe can be found on her website:

PHOODIE’S HOMEMADE BOUNTY BARS

Whipped Shortbread Cookies

Another recipe that I had found when I was on my quest to find something new to bake, was a recipe called “Uncle Bill’s Whipped Shortbread Cookies”. This recipe also looked quite easy to make and quite possible evil. (so much butter).

I started getting my ingredients prepared to bake these whipped shortbread cookies and then re-read the recipe and  realised that I had to use a mixer to make the cookies. I knew I could not use a mixer because my baby was sleeping, so I attempted to try to mix the ingredients with a wooden spoon instead.

For the recipe, I opted not to add the maraschino cherries, because I do not like eating them. The cookies were kept simple.

Unfortunately when the Whipped Shortbread Cookies were ready, it was obvious that maybe the ingredients did need to mixed with a mixer. The  cookies had dark brown edging which did not look right.

Luckily whilst the cookies did not look too sexy, but they turned out to be quite tasty.

Maybe next time I will try using a mixer for the recipe and they will look better…

The Whipped Shortbread Cookies recipe can be found on this website:

http://allrecipes.com.au/recipe/9350/uncle-bill-s-whipped-shortbread-cookies.aspx

Caramel Maple Mud Cupcakes with Caramel Fudge Frosting

I got so bored baking the same things over and over again, so I went looking for a cupcake recipe that appeared easy to make and did not involve using a mixer. (Very important because my baby is sleeping). I did a Google search and stumbled upon Donna Hay’s recipe for Caramel Maple Mud Cupcakes with Caramel Fudge Frosting. The recipe looked simple enough and I thought I would give it a try.

Making the cake part of the cupcake was quite easy, it was only the frosting part that made me feel frustrated. The frosting hardened up really fast and I did not have the expert fine motor skills to ice cupcakes fast enough. The result was Caramel Maple Mud Cupcakes with “rustic caramel fudge frosting”.

 

The Caramel Maple Mud Cupcakes with Caramel Fudge Frosting tasted really nice. The cake part was really moist and did not taste too sweet and the caramel fudge frosting was so deliciously fudgy. I was so tempted to eat the rest of the frosting with a spoon, but I resisted. (I must be ill lol)

Next time I may add a little bit more maple syrup for a richer taste and I might also try practising on how to quickly ice cupcakes using frosting.

 

The recipe can be found on Donna Hay’s website:

https://www.donnahay.com.au/recipes/desserts-and-baking/caramel-maple-mud-cupcakes-with-fudge-frosting