Chocolate butter cream icing.

CHOCOLATE BUTTER CREAM ICING

INGREDIENTS

• 200g Icing Sugar ( sifted).
• 200g Butter ( softened).
• 200g Chocolate.
• Pinch salt.

METHOD

1. Sift  Icing sugar in a large bowl;

2. Cube softened butter and put into bowl with icing sugar.

3. Put in a pinch of salt.
4.Melt chocolate in  a small bowl over a pot of boiling water. Make sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water.
Alternatively, melt chocolate on a very low heat in a small pot stirring constantly
or else melt chocolate in microwave at medium pace- stir constantly.

5. W\hen chocolate is melted, pour into icing sugar/butter mixture. Stir until combined. You can also use a hand beater  to mix. Remember, blend until combine making sure that the butter is thoroughly combined.

COMMENTS
If you use this to ice a chocolate cake, then put the decorated cake uncovered in the fridge until the butter cream icing firms.

Use a good quality chocolate for best results but choc melts work really well too.

If you have any left over, you can use the butter cream between two biscuits such as  lattice biscuits.  You can leave out this butter cream  on the bench to keep at room temperature for 2 days maximum.

Alternatively you can adjust the measurements  to suit your needs but keep the equivalent measurements eg 150g of the same ingredients or 100g of same ingredients.

Brandy Butterscotch Sauce

BRANDY BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

•  1/2 cup (100 grams) firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (125 millilitres) thickened cream
• 100-gram butter, chopped
• 2 tablespoon brandy

METHOD

1. Stir ingredients in small saucepan over heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves;

2. bring to the boil.

3. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, without stirring, about 3 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly.

Chocolate Rice Bubbles Squares.

CHOCOLATE RICE BUBBLE SQUARES

Mum used to make these regularly.  

Recently I made another recipe with rice bubbles as part of the ingredients.  I wondered what I could possibly make to use up some of them. Then I remembered and found mum's chocolate rice bubble squares.  It brought back many happy memories.

Makes 24

INGREDIENTS

 3 cups Rice Bubbles

1 cup finely chopped dates

30g softened butter.

4 tablespoons sugar

4 tablespoons golden syrup

I teaspoon vanilla essence

100 g cooking chocolate

coconut for topping.

METHOD

1. Place Rice Bubbles and chopped dates in a large bowl.

2. Melt butter, sugar and golden syrup together in a saucepan.

3.Bring to boil, stirring occasionally.

4. Boil for 1 minute without stirring.  Remove from the heat, cool slightly then flavour with vanilla essence.

5. Melt chocolate over hot water.  

6. Add cooled golden syrup  mixture and mix well.  Pour into the dry ingredients and blend well.

7.Press into a greased 18cm square pan.  Sprinkle with coconut.

8. Chill until firm and cut into small squares for serving.