The milk powder in this recipe is optional, but it’s a clever addition to any biscuit recipe, helping create extra depth of caramelised, slightly nutty flavour. 

Makes 30 

Ingredients  

For the caramel ganache:

1 large slab (150g) white chocolate, chopped
½ cup (125ml) cream
½ can (180g) caramel treat

For the biscuits:

 Method  

1. For the ganache, add chocolate and cream to a bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Swirl the bowl to coat chocolate in the cream to encourage melting. After microwaving for another 30 seconds, whisk into a smooth ganache (see cook’s note).
2. Whisk through the caramel treat. Store ganache in the fridge, stirring every 10 minutes while it thickens up.
3. For the biscuits, stir butter, icing sugar and golden syrup together in a large bowl.
4. Add coconut to a dry frying pan over medium-low heat. Toast and stir continuously for 5 minutes or until golden and evenly toasted. Remove.
5. Whisk coconut and egg through the butter mixture.
6. Sift the flour, salt, milk powder, baking powder and bicarb into the butter mixture.
7. Stir everything together with a wooden spoon until a smooth biscuit dough forms.
8. Cut out two large pieces of baking paper. Roll dough out onto one piece of paper to ¼cm in thickness. Cover top of the dough with the second piece of paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up.
9. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
10. Use a fluted or straight-edged rectangular cookie cutter (ours was 5×6.5cm) to cut out a batch of biscuits.
11. Arrange biscuits on a tray a few centimetres apart and bake for 12-14 minutes, until a deep golden colour. Remove and cool.
12. Bring off-cuts together and re-roll to cut out as many biscuits as possible. Bake once the first batch comes out of the oven.
13. Once cooled, store plain biscuits in an airtight container and keep ganache covered in the fridge until ready to lather and serve.
14. Sandwich two biscuits together with a thick lathering of ganache. Serve for tea.

Cook’s Note  

After bringing the ganache together, blitz the mixture with a stick blender – this helps stabilise the ganache and thicken it nicely.  

Recipe & styling: Sjaan van der Ploeg
Photography: Zhann Solomons  

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 While berries create a sauce at the pudding’s base, we recommend making pouring custard (or getting a carton of custard) for serving. 

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

1 packet (500g) mixed frozen berries
2 medium apples or pears, peeled and cut into chunks
1 cup (220g) granulated sugar
1 vanilla pod, halved (optional)
¾ cup (165g) caster sugar
¾ cup (150g) butter, at room temperature
¼ cup (60ml) milk
3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1½ cups (225g) self-raising flour, sifted
½ tsp (2.5ml) fine salt

Icing sugar, for dusting
evaporated milk, for serving

 Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C.
2. Combine frozen berries, apples or pears, granulated sugar and vanilla pod, if using, in a small pot over medium heat, closing with a lid to steam. Cook for 7-8 minutes until mixture is hot and sugar is melted.
3. Spoon the fruit mixture into a 30x20cm dish. 
4. Cream the caster sugar and butter together until pale and fluffy. Mix eggs and milk together. Add the egg mixture gradually and continue whisking until combined.
5. Sift the flour and salt over the mixture and whisk just enough to combine into a smooth batter.
6. Dollop the batter over the fruit mixture and spread to make an even layer. Place the baking dish on an oven tray to avoid spillage.
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the pudding is golden brown on top and the berry sauce is bubbling.
8. Serve pudding with a dusting of icing sugar and custard or evaporated milk, if you like. 

Recipe & styling: Liezl Vermeulen
Photography: Zhann Solomons 

The post Berry custard pudding   appeared first on MyKitchen.

Underneath a crisp blanket lies a baked-in sauce. This zingy dessert will make your mouth pucker ever so slightly with its bittersweet balance.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients  

For the batter:

⅓ cup (80ml) butter, at room temperature
1½ cups (330g) caster sugar
1½ cups (375ml) milk
4 eggs, separated
75g self-raising flour
½ tsp (2.5ml) fine salt
1 tsp (5ml) vanilla essence
¼ cup (60ml) fresh lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
¼ cup (60ml) granadilla pulp + extra for serving

¼ cup (60ml) hot water
½ cup (100g) brown sugar
Ice cream, for serving

Method  

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Cream the butter and 1 cup of caster sugar together until pale and fluffy (the crystals should have dissolved), about 5 minutes. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl regularly with a spatula for even mixing.
3. Add egg yolks one at a time, whisking to incorporate before adding the next one. Stream in the milk and whisk to combine.
4. Add flour and salt and whisk to combine. Stir in vanilla, lemon juice, zest and granadilla pulp.
5. Whisk egg whites to stiff peaks. Add the remaining ½ cup sugar while continuously whisking for 3-4 minutes. Fold into the batter.
6. Spray a 27cm round dish with non-stick spray. Spoon batter into the dish.
7. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the batter. Gently pour warm water over the back of a spoon onto the batter.
8. Bake pudding for 45-50 minutes until golden brown on top. (It shouldn’t wobble in the centre anymore, but the inside will be slightly wet, so don’t test for doneness with a skewer.)
9. Serve hot out of the oven with a drizzle of granadilla pulp, a dusting of icing sugar and ice cream on the side.

Recipe & styling: Liezl Vermeulen
Photography: Zhann Solomons  

The post Lemon & granadilla self-saucing pudding   appeared first on MyKitchen.

The national treasure we all adore, now with a hint of spice and that caramelised biscuit taste. If you’re on a budget, leave out the Biscoff for the classic pud.   

 Serves 8 

Ingredients  

For the malva batter
2 cups (400g) brown sugar
5 extra-large eggs
1 tsp (5ml) vanilla essence
1 cups (263g) cake flour 
2 tsp (10ml) baking powder
1 tsp (5ml) fine salt
1 tsp (5ml) ground cinnamon
2 cups (500ml) cream
½ cup (160g) Biscoff spread
2 tsp (10ml) bicarbonate of soda
1 Tbsp (15ml) white spirit vinegar 

For the sauce:
¼ cup (60ml) butter
1 cup (250ml) brown sugar
1 can (410g) evaporated milk
2 cups baker’s custard (recipe on the right), for serving Biscoff biscuits, for serving (optional) 

 Method  

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Using an electrical whisk, cream the sugar, eggs and vanilla together for about 5 minutes or until pale and fluffy.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together. Fold half the dry ingredients through the egg mixture, then add half the cream. Repeat the process.
4. Melt the Biscoff spread in the microwave for 10-20 seconds (just to make it slightly runnier, not hot) and whisk into the batter.
5. Mix bicarb and vinegar together and add to the batter. Pour batter into a 30x20cm deep oven dish.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until dark brown and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. 
7. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce so it is ready by the time the pudding is done. Heat sauce ingredients in a pot until sugar dissolves, then boil for 1 minute.(Keep a close eye – this boils over easily.) 
8. Remove from the oven and pierce the pudding using a skewer or sharp knife so the sauce can soak in. Pour the sauce over the hot pudding, spreading it out if it pools around the edges.
9. Serve with custard or ice cream and a biscuit, if you like.

Recipe & styling: Liezl Vermeulen
Photography: Zhann Solomons    

The post Biscoff malva pudding appeared first on MyKitchen.

We’ve added a biscuit to the top of our s’mores croissant, but you could crumble a few biscuits into the croissant when assembling too.

Makes 4

Ingredients

For the meringue

• 2 egg whites
• ½ cup (110g) caster sugar
• 4 plain croissants
• Butter, for brushing
• 1 packet (400g) marshmallows
• 150g milk chocolate
• 1 packet (60g) mini digestive biscuits

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a tray with baking paper.
2. For the meringue, place egg whites in a bowl and whisk to stiff peaks, about 2 minutes.
3. Add sugar 1 Tbsp at a time, whisking well to dissolve sugar between each addition. Continue until all the sugar is incorporated and the meringue is glossy.
4. Slice each croissant in half, keeping it attached on one side.
5. Brush the inside and outside of the croissants with butter.
6. Halve 12 marshmallows and place 6 halves in each croissant.
7. Halve 12 blocks of chocolate and stuff 6 halves in between the marshmallows of each croissant. Close croissants.
8. Cover the entire tray with foil to enclose the croissants.
9. Bake on the middle oven rack for 12 minutes or until the marshmallow is puffed and gooey, and chocolate has melted.
10. Remove foil and spoon a portion of meringue onto the top of each croissant.
11. Bake in the oven on a high oven rack for another 1-2 minutes (or use a blow torch if you like) until the marshmallow is toasted.

Recipes & styling: Sjaan Van Der Ploeg
Photographs: Zhann Solomons

The post S’mores croissants appeared first on MyKitchen.

These are a real labour of love. It’s about patience, giving the dough time to rest before the next step. We’ll admit that even ours weren’t perfect, but they did spark immense joy!

Makes 12-16

Ingredients

For the croissant dough

• 10g (1 sachet) yeast
• 1-1½ cups (250-375ml) milk, room temperature
• ½ cup (125ml) water, room temperature
• ¼ cup (55g) sugar
• 50g butter, melted and cooled
• 10g salt
• 500g (3⅓ cups) flour

For the butter block

• 300g butter, room temperature
• 1 egg yolk, whisked
• 2 Tbsp milk

1. Preparation the day before: Add yeast, 1 cup milk, water and sugar to a jug and stir well to combine. Set aside for 10 minutes until bubbles appear on top. Mix in butter.
2. Sieve salt and flour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add milk mixture and mix on medium-low until a dough begins to form.
3. Increase speed to medium and mix for 10 minutes. If the dough looks too dry from the start, add another ¼-½ cup of milk.
4. After 10 minutes, the dough should be smooth and tacky, pulling away from the sides of the bowl. (If it sticks to the bowl too much, add 1 Tbsp flour at a time and mix until it pulls away.)
5. Lightly grease and line a 24x35cm baking tray.
6. Press the dough evenly it into the tray. Cover entire tray with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. Refrigerate overnight or for 8 hours.
7. For the butter block, cut two 30cm squares of baking paper.
8. Shape soft butter into a 20cm square on one piece of paper, about ½cm thick. Place the second sheet of baking paper on top and press along each side of the butter to create straight edges. Refrigerate along with the dough.
9. Making the pastry: Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Remove dough from the fridge and rollout into a 40x25cm rectangle.
10. Peel the baking paper off the butter block and place it on the bottom half of the dough.
11. Fold the top half of the dough over butter block. Pinch and fold the dough underneath all along the sides to make sure the butter is sealed inside, pushing out any air before pinching. Wrap the dough tightly with cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
12. Remove dough from the fridge and leave out for 15 minutes or until slightly warmed up. (If it is too cold, the butter will break when rolling. Don’t let it get to room temperature or it will melt.)
13. With the pinched side facing you, roll the dough out into a 40cmx20cm rectangle using a rolling pin.
14. For the first fold: Place the long side of the rectangle facing you and measure where the centre of the pastry is, making a small mark. Fold the left and the right sides of the pastry to the centre so the two edges now touch each other. Now fold the right side over and onto the left side to create four folds or layers. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
15. Remove dough, leave out for 15 minutes and then gently roll out to a 40x20cm rectangle.
16. For the second fold: With the long side of the rectangle facing you, fold the left side over halfway, then fold the right side completely over the left side to create three folds or layers. Cover and refrigerate for another 30 minutes.
17. Remove dough and rest it on the work surface for 15 minutes. Roll dough to 20cm long, cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
18. Remove and roll out to a total size of 55x20cm. Trim the edges to make clean, straight lines.
19. Shaping the pastry: With the long side of the rectangle facing you, measure 9cm along the left top side (this will form the base of the triangle). Use a ruler to score a diagonal line from right to left. Then score a straight line from left to right, creating two triangles.
20. Repeat the scoring process with the remaining dough to create 16 triangles. Using a very sharp knife, cut out the triangles.
21. Cut a 1cm line in the middle of each triangle’s shortest side.
22. Place a triangle with the short side facing you. Pull the corners of the triangle base away from each other, then roll upward to create a croissant.
23. Place the croissants on two lined baking trays, placing tips tucked underneath themselves to weigh down.
24. Proof and bake: Place trays in a warm area to proof for 1-1½ hours, or until well puffed and bouncy to the touch.
25. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
26. Whisk together the egg yolk and milk. Lightly brush croissants all over with egg mixture.
27. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until evenly golden and crisp. (They will feel light for their size when baked through.) Cool.
28. Enjoy croissants fresh on the same day.

Cook’s Note

Freeze shaped croissants (prepared up to step 19) in an airtight container. Remove from the freezer and proof for 2 hours, then bake as indicated until golden.

Use this step-by-step picture guide to see how pastry is made

Recipes & Styling: Sjaan Van Der Ploeg
Photographs: Zhann Solomons
Text Courtesy of: My Kitchen magazine

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