Chocolate & Baileys Macarons

This is my second entry into #SABH, with a theme Death By Chocolate, hosted by the lovely lady behind from Hungry Australian, it was simply too irresistible! My mind kept on ticking over, thinking of what I would cook, I always new there would be a minimum of two recipes.


http://hungryaustralian.com/2012/01/15/death-by-chocolate/

The first was the Chocolate Strawberry Bites, which took three attempts and three variations of the original recipe to get it right, but I am happy to say I was pleased with the end result!

So for my second entry I had decided on making chocolate macarons. I had eaten a mango macaron only very recently and loved the texture. I thought how delicious would a chocolate macaroon be, the combination of textures is what makes the macarons so delightful. The first place I went to find a chocolate macaron recipe to use as a base was Taste, here is the direct link http. ://www.taste.com.au/recipes/21975/chocolate+and+lemon+macaroons

I slightly adjusted the original recipe to suit my needs, and to be honest what was in the kitchen. Generally I was happy with the macaron recipe but not with the filling. It just didn't match up with the Death By Chocolate Theme. So I put my thinking cap on and I came up with a Baileys and Chocolate Buttercream icing, much nicer. Baileys is such a nice combination with chocolate and buttercream icing seemed like the perfect match.

This dessert is very delicious but as it contains alcohol that is not cooked, the alcohol content still remains, thus this is a dessert for adults. It is always wise to inform your guests that there is alcohol in the dessert, so if they are drinking and driving, at least you have informed them and it is then their choice up to how many of these delicious macarons they eat!

Chocolate Baileys Macaron's

Ingredients:
360g icing sugar
200g ground almonds (I used almond meal)
40g cocoa (the original recipe called for Dutch cocoa, I used Nestle cocoa and it was fine)
5 egg whites (eggs need to be at room temperature, this is REALLY important)
1/3 cup caster sugar (If you don't have caster sugar, put normal sugar in a bowl and use a stick mixer to blend to a finer consistency like caster sugar)
1 1/2- 2 cup of icing sugar
100g unsalted butter (slightly melted)
8-10 pieces of milk chocolate
1 tablespoon of hot water
Slug of Baileys (to your liking)

Method:
Sift the icing sugar, ground almonds, cocoa into a bowl. Using an electric mixer, whisk eggs until soft white peaks form, add caster sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, whisk until dissolved. Stir in the almond mixture (the mixture will be quite thick). Spoon mixture into a piping bag (this is the best option, for the best presentation of the macaroons), fit with a 5mm nozzle, pipe a small amount of mixture (about 3cm) onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Using a wet finger, smooth out peaks and set aside for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius, bake 2 trays of macaroons at a time, swapping trays half way through, cooking for a total time of 25 minutes (a good idea to set the timer at 12 minutes), or until firm to touch. Allow to cool and slide a knife underneath macaroons to remove from baking paper. You can store them in an airtight container for a week or until ready to assemble.
For the Buttercream icing, using a hand held electric mixer, mix butter, icing sugar, Baileys, hot water and mix, when mixed through, add the chocolate (melt in the microwave in 30 second intervals). Taste the mixture and add Baileys to your taste. Lay out macaroons, using a teaspoon, place buttercream icing onto the macaroon, then add another macaroon on top like a biscuit. Repeat this with all the macaroons. Place in the refrigerator to set, they taste even better after being left in the fridge for a day to let the tastes, blend together.

Hope you enjoy this delicious dessert.

Don't forget to like the Facebook page Mishaps and Mayhem of a Gluten Free Life, and follow on Twitter @MMOAGFL, these are both ways you can enter the competition to win a free e book, Good and Easy Eats by Kim Wilson, competition closes the 30th January. Goodluck

Gluten Free Chocolate Strawberry Bites

This is an Easter activity that I have combined with www.whatcanieat.com.au, to think of fun Easter ideas, with this idea, you simply replace the strawberries with easter eggs to make a very cool and home made Easter treat!

Chocolate Strawberry Balls

Ingredients:
6 eggs
1 heaped tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. bicarb soda
200g almond meal or ground almonds
250g caster sugar
60g of cocoa
1 1/2 punnets of strawberries
Slug of Baileys (to your liking)
1 block of milk chocolate
100g unsalted butter
1/2 punnet or more of strawberries (for decoration)
Easter Eggs

Method:
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Cut strawberries in half and put in food processor with Baileys until blended through and cut into small pieces. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until ingredients is combined. Now this is the part where you must grease the 20cm spring form cake tin and use baking paper and bake for 1 hour. Let the cake cool before removing. If you want to do the smaller delightful strawberry chocolate balls, remove the cake from the tin, while still warm, the cake will fall apart. Break the cake into smaller pieces, place in a bowl cover with cling wrap and put in the fridge. Get our your patty cake holders and roll the cake mix into small balls and place inside the cup cake holder. Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave, checking at 30 second intervals, and stirring each time. Add the melted chocolate and butter and top with a small section of a strawberry, or Easter egg, you might like to alternate to create something rather cool! Repeat with remaining mixture. I think this is a delightful way to ensure such a rich cake, in small bite size portions. The only problem is, you are more likely to go back for seconds and thirds! If you do make it as a whole cake, I would cut strawberries in half and decorate around the side of the cake after using the chocolate and butter to make a delicious ganache icing

I hope you enjoy this cake and the original recipe was part of a  wonderful Blog Hop, hosted by the Hungry Australian. Remember you can find me on Twitter @MMOAGFL. The lovely Jennifer at Delicieux is running a great comp to win an awesome set of Kitchen appliances, just head to her website to enter!

Good & Easy Eats Amazing Competition

I'm so excited to announce my very first competition! I've recently had the pleasure of reviewing a fantastic, healthy and delicious e book, by the wonderful Kim Wilson, 'Good & Easy Eats'.There are an amazing 70 recipes included in this fabulous e book. It's not only a recipe book, but a guide to healthy wholesome living, equipping the reader with all the tools to change your eating habits and adapt to a healthy living lifestyle. Kim has kindly offered a copy of this book for one lucky reader!

I've had the pleasure of using the recipes in this great book! One of the great things I've learnt from using Kim's recipes, is that nuts of various forms, can be used in smoothies. Kim's recipe for juice smoothies are delicious, and I've made the smoothie numerous times with a variety of fruit, always including either crushed nuts or pistachio nuts. Kim recommends soaking the nuts as it softens the nuts to begin the process of germination and increases the digestibility and nutritional value of the nuts. I have to be honest, I always forget to soak the nuts but will make sure I do tonight, for my smoothie tomorrow.

I'm from Australia where sorghum is very hard to find, I've tried everywhere and have been unsuccessful. The lovely lady from the blog 84thand3rd, has told me that sorghum flour is available at some health food stores, the brand is Bob's Red Mill Ranges, please let me know if you find it and what store from. I baked Kim's Banana Muffins, which called for sorghum flour, for Australian readers, I used 1/2 cup of gluten free corn flour and 1/2 cup of arrowroot flour, the muffins turned out beautiful. Unlike any other muffin I have tasted, you could taste the goodness in these wholesome muffins. Once again for Australian's some products that you may need to go to a health food shop are; apple cider vinegar, ground flax (I brought Flaxmeal). I highly recommend purchasing this delightful e book, it is not just a recipe book, but will inspire you to change your lifestyle habits. Since I began to read this book, I have already begun to make healthier lifestyle changes. I have replaced lunch with a smoothie, and the banana muffins are perfect for either breakfast, or a wholesome snack in between meals! The muffins taste best warmed up, a quick zap in the microwave, makes them taste even better.

For Australian readers, the USA has different standards for gluten free products, they produce certified organic oats, which you will find in some of the recipes in this book. At present in Australia, oats is something that is still being debated if it contains gluten. My advice for Australian readers, is to avoid oats, you could use another grain such as quinoa in place of oats. Kim's website is: http.://www.simplynaturalhealth.com/
Any questions you have about the competition just send me an email or contact me on twitter @MMOAGFL. Goodluck with the competition.