Intense Chocolate Cookies

Even though I would love to claim fame from these cookies because of their intense chocolate flavour, I cannot. The recipe belongs to Nigella Lawson, who's programmes, including Nigella Express, I am enjoying thoroughly.
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To my children's delight I made these last night. Surprisingly easy and must say hit to spot for an after dinner snack last night. The recipe only makes 12 cookies but be warned they are large and very moreish.
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And as Nigella says in her television series, these are definitely the cure for everything, well almost everything!
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Intense Chocolate Cookies

source: Nigella Lawson

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Serves: 12

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125 grams dark chocolate

150 grams plain flour

30g cocoa, sifted

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

125 grams unsalted butter, softened

75 grams light brown sugar

50 grams caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg, cold from the fridge

350 grams dark chocolate chips

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Preheat the oven to 170 deg C.
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Break the 125 grams dark chocolate into pieces and place into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until melted.
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Place the flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl and mix well.
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In another bowl, cream the butter and two sugars together until light and fluffy. Add the melted chocolate and stir well.
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Beat in the vanilla extract and crack in the egg, then mix in the dry ingredients. Finally stir in the chocolate chips.
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Scoop out 12 equal portions of the mixture - an ice cream scoop and a palette knife are the best tools for the job - and place onto a lined baking sheet about 6 cm apart. Do not flatten them.
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Transfer to the oven and bake for 18 minutes, then test with a skewer - it should come out semi-clean and not wet with batter. If you pierce a chocolate chip, try again.
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Leave the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 4-5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to harden as they cool.
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Just like Nigella did in her TV episode of Nigella Express I cooked only 6 of the cookies and froze the other 6 for later use. I froze them on a cookie tray and transfer to a snap lock bag when completely frozen. When required, defrost and then cook as above.

Chocolate Fruit Cake

We made this cake at Christmas and while the decoration isn't as traditional as I would have done normally it definately stole the show sitting on my kitchen bench.

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We came accross this recipe watching an episode of Nigella Lawson's Christmas Special and from the minute she started preparing the ingredients Noel and I knew that it would be a hit in our house, especially with all the fruitcake loving relatives we have.

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This cake is so much easier than the normally pain-stakingly slow boiled fruit cake and the flavours just burst in your mouth beginning with the first mouthful. A very moist texture with a strong but subtle chocolate after taste.

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I couldn't save this recipe until the next festive season as it will be definately one I will be cooking throughout the year.

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Chocolate Fruitcake

Recipe from Nigella Lawson

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Serves: 12

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350g/12¼oz dried soft prunes, chopped

250g/8¾oz raisins

125g/4½oz currants

175g/6¼oz unsalted butter, softened

175g/6¼oz dark muscovado sugar or soft brown sugar

175ml/6¼fl oz honey

125ml/4½fl oz coffee liqueur (Tia Maria)

2 oranges, juice and zest only

1 tsp mixed spice

2 tbsp good quality cocoa

3 free-range eggs, beaten

150g/5¼oz plain flour

75g/2½oz ground almonds

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

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For decoration (optional)

25g/1oz dark chocolate-covered coffee beans or chocolate-covered sultanas

edible glitter gold mini balls

about 10 edible gold stars

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Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2.

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Line the sides and bottom of a 20cm/8in, 9cm/3½in deep, round loose-bottomed cake tin with a layer of baking paper. When lining the tin with the paper, cut the material into strips that are twice as high as the tin itself (it is easier to use two shorter strips of parchment, than one long strip); the height of the strips protects the cake from catching on the outside of the cake tin.

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Place the fruit, butter, sugar, honey, coffee liqueur, orange juice and zest, mixed spice and cocoa into a large wide saucepan. Heat the mixture until it reaches a gentle boil, stirring the mixture as the butter melts. Let the mixture simmer for ten minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and leave to stand for 30 minutes.

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After 30 minutes, the mixture will have cooled a little. Add the eggs, flour, ground almonds, baking powder and bicarbonate soda, and mix well with a wooden spoon or spatula until the ingredients have combined.

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Carefully pour the fruitcake mixture into the lined cake tin. Transfer the cake tin to the oven and bake for 1¾-2 hours, or until the top of the cake is firm but will has a shiny and sticky look. At this point, if you insert a sharp knife into the middle of the cake, the cake should still be a little uncooked in the middle.

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Place the cake in it's tin on a cooling rack. Once the cake has cooled, remove it from the tin.

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To decorate, place the chocolate-covered coffee beans/sultanas in the centre of the cake and arrange the gold stars around the perimeter of the top of the cake. Then sprinkle some gold mini-balls over the whole of the cake. Sprinkle the edible glitter over the top of the cake.