Really easy -
Chocolate Coconut Macaroon Square
Melt 150g chocolate in a bowl over boiling water - or in the microwave.
Line a baking tin (11" x 9" or similar size) with buttered baking paper (butter side up)
Spread the melted chocolate in the tin and put it in the fridge to set again.
Beat 2 eggs until thick,
add 4 oz caster sugar and beat until the sugar is dissolved.
Fold in 6 oz of dessicated coconut and a tsp of vanilla essence.
Spread the coconut over the chocolate and bake at 135-145 degrees C for about 30 minutes.
Cut into squares while still warm, but leave in the tin until completely cool.
OK - looks a bit weird on the bottom because I melted dark and white chocolate together....
At this time of year we spend our Sunday's yacht racing. I love sailing but it does sometimes make the weekends seem to short. Sailing on Sunday, and 5 days of work in London, leaves only Saturday for everything else in life..... including the baking.
The allotment has very nearly been cleaned up - frost took all the pumpkins and courgettes a week ago. The corn and beans are all harvested. Only the bassica bed looks well stocked for Winter - that and some Swiss Chard (called Silver Beet where I come from) - nothing much there I can turn into baking (cabbage cake ....hmmmmmm .... although I have to say as an aside that kale in curry sauce - an accidental combination - wasn't as objectionable as might be anticipated). We spent part of Saturday putting guttering on the shed so that we could collect rainwater for summer watering. It felt like a mad project given that it has rained solidly for a week and the garden is completely waterlogged again.
There had to be, however, time for the baking; muffins to feed to the crew on Sunday. I have a recipe somewhere, but I tend to make muffins up as I go along and savory ones simply depend on what is in the fridge at the time....
Savory Muffins
Into a bowl: a small tin of corn kernels (drained), some finely chopped up bacon, and some grated cheese (the tastier the better) - roughly equal quantities if you need better guidance - and a finely diced onion,
Yesterday I also threw in some grated courgette, tobasco sauce, and oregano.
2 cups of flour
4 tsp baking powder
2 small to medium eggs
1/2 cup oil (or a couple of ounces of melted butter)
1/2 tsp B. Soda dissolved in some milk - made up to enough to turn the whole lot into a loosely sticky mess.
Dollop that into a greased 12 pot muffin tray. Bake at 170-180 degrees C. for 15-20 minutes.
I find that muffins with cheese in them rise beautifully and have a disconcerting way of collapsing as they cool. Slight overcooking helps to overcome this (and the corn, onion and courgette helps to stop them drying out in the process), or just eat them warm.
The photo is of the few that came back having beat around the Solent in a plastic box
This one is a bit too much like the last one - never mind. One of my favorites as a kid - just because I liked eating sweetened condensed milk straight from the tin (there is always more in a tin that you need for any one thing....)
Peppermint Square
4 oz butter
4 oz sugar
1 egg
6 oz flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 dsp cocoa
Cream the butter and Sugar and add the egg. Sift in the dry ingredients and spread the soft dough out in a sponge roll tin.
Bake at 170-180 degrees C for about 20 minutes.
Topping - to be poured on while the base is still hot
2 oz butter
2 TB sweetened condensed milk
2 oz icing sugar
peppermint essence (I use the essence bottle cap full, it's probably about a teaspoon)
When all that is cool and set, ice with chocolate icing. Cut into Squares.
I have no idea about the name.... I googled it and it appears to be a surname. So I assume that sometime in the history of this recipe it was first published or promoted by a Mrs Keamish....
Keamish Square
4 oz butter
4 oz sugar
1 egg
6 oz floour
1 dsp cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
Cream the butter and sugar, beat in the egg and sift in the dry ingredients. Spread in a greased pan about 8" x 10" (or so), and bake about 20 minutes at 170-180 degrees C.
Spread it over with raspberry jam while it is still warm. (In this one I used Oregon Grape Jam - which is very dark coloured.)
Topping:
4 oz butter
2 oz icing sugar
1 tsp gelatine - in 2 TB boiling water
Cream the butter and icing sugar, add the dissolved gelatine and beat until creamy. Spread on top of the jam and when set, cover with chocolate icing.
Cut into squares when the icing has set.
