Piña Coladas

Christmas is a time to get together and share some love, some laughs, some gifts and sometimes a few cocktails. While those on the other side of the world are likely serving cocktails that will warm them in the chilly winter months, Christmas in Australia falls in the middle of summer so something a bit tropical is more fitting.

Piña coladas are a favourite of mine and are the perfect treat at the end of a humid day. The recipe I'm sharing is even better, substituting the usual cream for ice cream makes them wonderfully cold and delicious! 

For the piña coladas 

1/2 pineapple peeled and chopped

125 mls white rum

270 mls coconut milk

8 scoops vanilla ice cream

Crushed ice

To make the piña coladas- add the pineapple, rum, coconut milk and ice cream in a blender and blend until smooth. 

Fill 4 glasses with crushed ice and pour the pineapple coconut mixture over the top. 

Garnish the glasses with extra pineapple wedges and maraschino cherries. Enjoy!!

Baileys Ice Cream

The holiday season often means an abundance of yummy desserts like pies and puddings. While a lot of people may swear by custard with their pudding, I prefer ice cream.

Sure a scoop of vanilla ice cream is yummy enough, but why not take the naughty factor up a step and treat yourself to some baileys ice cream.

This ice cream is as straightforward as can be. No eggs, not heating, no custard making, just mix, chill and churn for a rich and creamy ice cream with the unmistakable flavour of Baileys Irish Cream.

Baileys Ice Cream (makes roughly 5 cups)
1/2 cup Baileys Irish Cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups thickened cream
2 cups milk (full fat)
1 1/4 cups sugar (granulated)

To make the ice cream- add the all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir until all the sugar has dissolved.

Cover the mixture and place in the fridge until cold.

Once the mixture is chilled, freeze in an ice cream maker according to your machines instructions.

Because of the alcohol in the mixture, it will not quite reach the usual soft serve consistency in the ice cream maker. Transfer the churned ice cream to a container and freeze overnight before serving.

Last Years Christmas Favs

Feeling pretty pleased with myself for being so organised, my Christmas cards are all done! Check out some of my favourite Christmas recipes from last year while I wander down to the post office to mail the last of my cards.

Gingerbread Cottage

Woodland Christmas Cookies

White Choc Cranberry Pistachio Wreaths

Speculaa Snowflake Cookies

3D Sugar Cookie Gingerbread Houses

Gingerbread Ice Cream

Christmas Tree Time

I think the 1st of December is probably my favourite day of the year. Its put up my Christmas tree day!!

If you've been reading my blog for awhile now you know the drill, tree, Christmas music or movies, fruit mince pies, eggnog, fake pine needles and glitter everywhere!! Well yesterday it was Bad Religion's Christmas songs (so funny!) and chocolate cupcakes but still the same idea.

Cinnamon Brown Sugar Advent Calendar Cookies

For the last couple of years I've wanted to do a kind of blog post advent calender, 25 themed posts counting down to Christmas Day. This year I'm going to give it a go, I might be biting off a bit much at this busy time of year, but we'll see how it goes.

So here we go, very fitting as day one I think, a cookie advent calender. 

These cookies are much like a standard sugar cookie with a two yummy differences, brown sugar and cinnamon. Replacing the usual granulated or powdered sugar with brown sugar gives the cookies a slight caramel taste and a nice golden colour. If you get tired of gingerbread (I guess it happens to some people, maybe?) these cookies would make a nice alternative.

Cinnamon Brown Sugar Cookies (makes around 3 dozen)
225 grams salted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 3/4 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

To make the Cookies- Cream together the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, continue beating until well combine.

Sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon together in a separate bowl. Gradually add the sifted dry ingredients to the butter mixture beating until it forms a dough.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees c. and line baking trays with baking paper.

Working with a 1/4 of the dough at a time, place between 2 sheets of baking paper sprinkled with a little flour and roll out to 1/4 inch thickness.

Cut out various Christmas shapes with cookie cutters, remove the off-cuts and continue using until all the dough is used up.

Transfer the cut cookie shapes to the lined baking tray (1 inch apart) using a knife or spatula. If the cookies are too soft to move place them in the freezer for a minute until they are just firm enough to transfer.

Bake the cookies until just they are lightly golden, 10-15 minutes. The time will vary oven to oven so keep an eye on the first tray to see how long they take. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to cool completely on trays.

Decorate the cooled cookies, piping design in white royal icing and don't forget to number them 1 to 25.

For the Royal Icing
500 grams icing sugar
15 grams meringue powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
90 mls water

To make the Royal Icing- Add the icing sugar, meringue powder, vanilla and water to a large mixer bowl. Using the paddle attachment if possible beat on low until the ingredients come together, increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes until the icing is a smooth toothpaste consistency.

Note- don't add all the water at once, add gradually until you get the right consistency, it could be a little more or less. This should make more than enough icing for all of your cookies.

Double Choc Chip Cookies

There is nothing better than a chocolate chip cookie, so I'm hoping this delicious recipe will tide you over while I'm working on some big plans for December/ Christmas. 

These cookies are everything I could want in choc chip cookie. The recipe makes the perfect cookie, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, with a caramelly flavour and a generous amount of choc chips in every bite.

Double Choc Chip Cookies

250 grams salted butter, melted

1 table spoon golgen syrup

1/2 cup white sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

2 1/3 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup white choc chips

1 cup roughly chopped dark eating chocolate

To make the Cookies- preheat oven to 190 degrees c. and line 2 trays with baking paper.

Cream together butter, syrup and sugars.

Add in the egg plus egg yolk and milk and mix until well combined.

Gradually add the sifted flour, salt and baking soda, mixing until all the flour is incorporated.

Lastly stir through the chocolate chips and pieces.

Cover the bowl with cling wrap and chill the dough in the fridge for half and hour.

After the dough is chilled scoop heaped tablespoons and roll into balls.

Place the balls of dough onto the cookie sheets about 5cm apart.

Flatten the dough down slightly

Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes until golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool on trays.

Dia de los Muertos Wedding Cake

With Dia de los Muertos celebrations finishing up this past weekend I though I should get in and quickly share this themed wedding cake I got to do recently.

The cake was a special request from a friend for her sisters day of the dead inspired wedding. I have to say I think its one of my favourites. 

In the spirit of the theme the cake was decorated with fondant sugar skulls and paper banners all in bight colours.

The cake was finished with a traditional folk art topper of a skeleton bride and groom ridding in a cart, sadly I didn't get it in the pictures.

New recipes coming next post.