Hershey's English Toffee Bars

Prep Time:20 Minutes


INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour 500 mL
1 cup packed light brown sugar 250 mL
1/2 cup butter 125 mL
1 cup pecan halves 250 mL

TOFFEE TOPPING

2/3 cup butter 150 mL
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar 75 mL
1 cup CHIPITS® Milk Chocolate Chips 250 mL



DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Stir the flour and brown sugar in large bowl. With pastry blender or fork, cut in the butter until fine crumbs form (a few large crumbs may remain). Press the mixture onto bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch (3 L) baking pan. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the crust.
2. Toffee Topping: Combine the butter and brown sugar in small saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Continue boiling, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Immediately pour over pecans. 
3. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until topping is bubbly and golden; remove from the oven. Immediately sprinkle the milk chocolate chips evenly over top. Cool completely in pan on wire rack before cutting into bars. Makes 36 bars.

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Caramel Salted Parfait Caramel Popcorn and Lime Tuile By Chef Julia taylor

Caramel Salted Parfait Caramel Popcorn and Lime Tuile:

Recipe by: Julia Taylor 

Serves: 16

Ingredients

Parfait

• 6 egg yolks
• 160g caster sugar
• 400ml pouring cream
• ½ teaspoon sea salt, crushed

Caramel popcorn

• 100g popping corn kernels
• 200g caster sugar
• 100ml water

Tuile

• 100 butter, chopped
• ½ cup plain flour
• ½ cup caster sugar
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 punnet fresh raspberries, to serve

Method

Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking: 50 minutes

1. Preheat oven to 150°C.

2. For parfait, line a 20cm square cake pan with baking paper. Beat egg yolks in an electric mixer until pale and creamy, about 7 minutes on high speed. Place the sugar in a heavy-based saucepan over high heat. Cook, shaking the pan to dissolve the sugar until deep golden. Heat 75ml of the cream in a small saucepan then pour into the hot caramel, stirring until caramel is smooth.

3. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the hot caramel over the egg yolks, mixing until all incorporated. Increase speed to medium and beat a further 7 minutes or until mixture reaches ribbon stage. Whip remaining 325ml cream to soft peaks and fold through the caramel mixture, stir in the salt. Pour into the lined pan, smooth the surface and freeze until firm. Once firm cut into sixteen 5x5cm pieces.

4. For caramel popcorn, pop the corn following packet directions. Transfer to a shallow tray lined with baking paper. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat, stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil, boil until sugar caramelises then pour over the popcorn and set aside to cool and firm. Break into small clusters.

5. For tuile, line a baking tray with baking paper. Melt the butter then pour into a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Smear batter using a palette knife onto trays in rounded rectangle shapes, approximately 3x10cm. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool on trays, use a palette knife to remove to a rack.

6. To serve, place a square of caramel parfait onto serving plate and lean tuile up against it. Scatter three clusters of corn and three raspberries onto the plate. Serve.

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Vegemite and White Chocolate Macarons By Chef Julia Taylor

Vegemite and White Chocolate Macarons

Recipe by: Julia Taylor 

Makes: 36 macarons

Ingredients

Macarons

• 300g pure icing sugar
• 300g flaked almonds
• 100gegg whites
• 120g dark chocolate 70%, finely chopped
• 300g caster sugar
• 75ml sparkling water
• 100g egg whites

White chocolate ganache

• 120ml pouring cream, (35% milk fat)
• 260g white chocolate, finely chopped
• 40g vegemite

Raspberry filling

• 2 punnets raspberries
• 1 sheet gold-leaf gelatine

Method

Preparation: 50 minutes, plus setting time
Cooking: 1 hour

1. Preheat oven 160°C fan forced.

2. For macarons, place icing sugar and almonds in a thermomix or food processor and blend to a fine meal. Transfer to a large stainless steel bowl. Stir in 100g egg whites and set aside. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Keep warm.

3. Bring the caster sugar and water to the boil in a medium saucepan. Bring to 115°C on sugar thermometer.  Once it reaches 115°C start the whisking the 100g egg whites in an electric mixer to firm peaks. Meanwhile the sugar should have reached 118°C. Remove from the heat and start to pour hot syrup into the egg whites in a slow steady stream. Continue to beat the meringue until it is 50°C. Use a spatula or pastry scraper to fold the meringue into the almond mixture then fold in the melted chocolate.

4. Pipe the mixture in 4-5cm circles onto baking trays lined with baking paper. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes until a skin forms and the macarons can be touched without leaving any residue on your fingertip. Bake macarons for 14-18 minutes, set aside to cool.

5. For ganache, pour cream into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Place the chocolate and vegemite into a heatproof bowl, pour over the hot cream and stir until smooth, if necessary place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir. Refrigerate until cold. Spoon mixture into a piping bag.

6. For raspberry filling; reserve 18 raspberries. Process remaining raspberries until smooth then sieve into a small saucepan to remove the seeds. Place over medium heat until warm. Soak the gelatine in cold water until soft, remove and squeeze out excess liquid then add to the raspberry puree, stir until dissolved. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until cold.

7. To assemble, break the reserved raspberries in half and dip into the puree, place in the centre of a macaron. Pipe the ganache around the raspberry and sandwich together with another macaron. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Chill slightly before serving.

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Vanilla and chocolate cupcakes By Chef Julia Taylor

Vanilla and chocolate cupcakes:

Recipe by: Julia Taylor

Makes: 24 vanilla and 15 chocolate

Ingredients

Vanilla Cupcakes, makes 24

• 200g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 ¾ cups icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 4 eggs
• 2 2/3 cups plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup milk, room temperature

Vanilla Cupcake Icing

• 200g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 8 cups icing sugar, sifted
• ½ cup milk
• Pink sugar flowers, to decorate

Chocolate Cupcakes, makes 15

• 150ml sunflower oil
• 75ml buttermilk
• 75ml milk
• 1 egg
• 240g plain flour
• 40g cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 330g caster sugar
• 150ml boiling water

Chocolate Cupcake Icing

• 200g dark couverture chocolate (60-70% cocoa solids), finely chopped
• 100g butter, softened
• 250g cream cheese, softened
• 500g icing sugar
• Silver cachous, to decorate

Method

Vanilla Cupcakes

Preparation: 35 minutes

Cooking: 20 minutes


1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 24 cupcake holes with cupcake paper cases.


2. For vanilla cupcakes, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, cream butter on high until light and fluffy. Add sugar slowly, mixing until fully combined. Add vanilla bean paste and eggs one at a time, beating until well combined. Sift flour and baking powder together. On low speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then ½ the milk. Repeat until flour and milk are incorporated, but don’t over-mix. Spoon into cupcake cases and bake for 18 – 20 minutes or until lightly golden and springy to the touch. Cool on a rack.


3. For icing, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, cream butter and vanilla together until light and fluffy. Add icing sugar a spoon at a time and alternate with a little milk. Beat for 6 – 8 minutes, adjusting milk  and icing sugar until icing is fluffy and spreadable. Place in a large piping bag fitted with a 1cm star nozzle. Pipe icing onto cupcakes and decorate with pink sugar flowers.



Chocolate Cupcakes

Preparation: 35 minutes

Cooking: 20 minutes

1. For chocolate cupcakes, increase oven temperature to 190°C. Line 15 cupcake holes with paper cases.

2. Whisk oil, buttermilk, milk and egg in a large bowl until combined. Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt together, then stir in the sugar. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the oil mixture, alternating with the boiling water. Spoon into 12 – 14 cupcake cases (the mixture will be quite runny) and bake for 18 – 20 minutes or until risen, and springy to the touch. Cool on a rack. 


3. For icing, melt chocolate in a bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Set aside to cool. Place butter and cream cheese in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and mix until combined. Check there are no lumps from the cream cheese – if so, beat for a little longer. Add icing sugar then the cooled melted chocolate and mix until well combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula if necessary. Add extra icing sugar if required – check the consistency of the icing first. Pipe onto the cooled cupcakes and decorate with silver cachous.

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Melting Moments Biscuits By Chef Julia Taylor

Melting Moments Biscuits

Ingredients

Biscuits

• 180g unsalted butter
• 60g icing sugar, sifted
• 60g custard powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 180g plain flour

Vanilla buttercream

• 100g butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
• 1 cupicing sugar, sifted

Raspberry jam

• 250g fresh or frozen raspberries
• 250g caster sugar
• Juice of ½ a lemon
• ½ teaspoon gelatine powder
• Icing sugar, to serve

Method

Preparation:  30 minutes
Cooking:  50 minutes

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line two oven trays with baking paper.

2. For biscuits, cream butter for two minutes in an electric mixer with paddle attachment. Add icing sugar and custard powder and mix until combined. Sift the baking powder and flour together then add to the dough and mix well. Roll dough into 40g balls, place on a baking paper lined baking tray and press each ball with a fork to leave an indent. Bake biscuits for 16-18 minutes or until light golden. Stand on trays 5 minutes to cool then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

3. For buttercream, whisk butter and vanilla until smooth. Add icing sugar and beat until mixture forms a paste, the consistency of thick icing. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small star nozzle.

4. For jam, place raspberries, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook for 20-30 minutes until thickened. Mix gelatine powder with one tablespoon cold water together. Remove the jam from the heat, stir through gelatine mixture. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and cool in the fridge.

5. To assemble, place a spoonful of cooled jam on the base of half the biscuits. Pipe buttercream in a circle onto the base of the other half of the biscuits. Gently press one of each biscuit together to form a melting moment. Dust with icing sugar before serving.

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