Ingredients
180g Dried Dates, chopped rough
1 Tspn Bi-carb Soda
60g Butter
180g Castor Sugar
2 Large Eggs
180g Self Raising Flour
1 Tspn Vanilla Essence
300ml Boiling Water
Sauce
150g Brown Sugar
150ml Cream
50g Butter
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 190 dgrees Celcius. Pit and chop the dates. Then pour boiling water over the dates with Bi-card Soda and stand to cool.
Next, in a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well. Add the vanilla essence and then add the date mixture and flour together while mixing well.
Meanwhile, line a cake tin with baking paper. Pour the mixture into the tin and place in the oven for approximately 45 minutes.
For the sauce, bring all of the ingredients to a gentle boil and then simmer until the brown sugar has dissolved. Pour over the cake and serve with ice cream.
Ingredients
125g Softened Unsalted Butter
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Tspn Vanilla Extract
1 Tbspn Milk
3 Tbspns Sour Cream
2 1/2 Tbspns Vegetable/Canola Oil
1/4 Cup Sifted Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 Cups Sifted Plain Flour
1 Tspn Sifted Baking Powder
275g Dark Chocolate Broken into Bits
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 Degrees Celsius. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Beat together the softened unsalted butter and brown sugar until creamy. Then add the vanilla extract, milk, sour cream and oil, slowly working them through the butter mixture.
Next, sift and fold in the cocoa powder, plain flour and baking powder. Break up dark chocolate into small pieces and fold them into the mixture.
On to the baking tray lined with baking paper, drop heaped tablespoons of the mixture, leaving about 3 centimeters between each cookie. Place the tray in the oven for between 15 to 20 minutes. Then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
Serving Suggestions
Serve cookies with a big glass of milk or soy milk.
Ingredients
300ml Sweet Red wine
2L Sugar Syrup (4 cups of sugar & 4 cups of water brought to the boil)
3 Cinnamon Quills
1 Star Anise
1.5Kgs Dried Figs cut in half, with the hard ends removed
400g Natural Macadamia Nuts
1 Zest and Juice of an Orange
Method
Add the wine, sugar syrup, cinnamon quills, star anise and orange zest to a large pot and reduce by one litre or until it reaches a thick consistency. Next, add the figs and bring the mixture to the boil for 5 minutes. Then, add the nuts. Bring the mixture to the boil for around another 5 minutes. Add the juice of one orange. Stir mixture and turn off heat.
Leave mixture to cool before placing into sterile air-tight jars. Serve with an array of high quality cheeses.
Alternatives
Replace macadamias with walnuts or pecans.
Ingredients
200g 70% Dark Chocolate
220g Nutella or equivalent chocolate hazelnut spread
2 punnets of fresh strawberries
Method
Rinse the strawberries and pat dry with a dry cloth or tea towel. Set aside.
Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Do not let the bowl touch the water. Stir chocolate until melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the Nutella spread until combined.
Dip each strawberry into the chocolate mixture and place them on a baking paper lined tray. Chill for around half an hour or until set, then serve.
Alternatives
Try other types of fruits such as figs.
Add nuts to the recipe. After dipping the strawberries into the chocolate mixture, coat them with nuts such as chopped toasted hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, almonds etc.
