Recipes - Part 8

Santa's Fruit and Nut Fudge

125g butter
395g sweetened condensed milk
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups dark melts
1 cup cubed sponge finger biscuits
1/4 cup roughly chopped roasted almonds
1/4 cup roughly chopped roasted cashews
1/2 cup halved red glace cherries

Place butter, sweetened codensed milk and brown sugar in a pan. Stir over low heat until butter has melted. Bring to boil, simmer stirring for 3 minutes.
Add dark melts, stir until combined and chocolate has melted. Stir in sponge finger biscuits, nuts and cherries, mix well.
Spoon mixture evenly into foil lined 12cm x 23cm loaf pan, cool, refrigerate until firm.
Turn out, cut into squares or slices to serve.

Christmas Crackles

2/3 cup mixed fruit
2 cups rice bubbles
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup coconut
125g copha
1/2 cup choc bits

Place rice bubbles, sugar, coconut and mixed fruit in a bowl and stir to combine.
Place copha in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until melted. Stir through dry mixture.
Add choc bits, stir, then spoon into a patty pan tray lined with 16 paper cases. Refrigerate to set.
Makes 16

Little Fruit Fudge Puddings

1 cup (150g) raisins, chopped
1/4 cup (40g) currants
1/2 cup (60g) dry roasted almonds
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup dark rum or orange juice
300g madeira cake, crumbled
2 teaspoon finely grated orange rind
200g dark cooking chocolate, melted

To decorate:
2 Tablespoon (20g) pistachio nuts, chopped
125g white melts, melted
2 1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
125g white melts, extra, for bases

Combine raisins, currants, brown sugar and um in saucepan. Simmer, stirring for 3 minutes. Cool.
Finely chop almonds in a food processor. Place in a large bowl, along with cake crumbs, rind and cooled fruit mixture. Add melted chocolate and stir to combine.
Roll mixture into 3cm diameter balls and place on a lined tray. Refrigerate until firm.
Combine melted white melts and oil. Spoon into a small plastic zip lock bag. Snip a tiny piece from one corner. Pipe a little dot onto an extra white melt, then secure a pudding on top. Repeat with remaining puddings.
Drizzle remaining chocolate mixture over the top of each pudding, then decorate with pistachio nuts (this is best done in batches of about 10 at a time, as chocolate sets quickly on puddings). If chocolate in the bag stiffens, microwave for a few seconds. Store puddings in refrigerator.

Effortless Fruit and Nut Clusters

300g sultanas
100g slivered almonds
60g californian walnuts, chopped
400g dark chocolate

Spread almonds on a plate and microwave on high for 2 minutes, stir and microwave a further 2 minutes (or toast till golden in a hot oven). Set aside to cool.
Measure sultanas and walnuts into a bowl, and mix in almonds when cool.
Break up chocolate and melt in a microwave oven (allow 2 - 3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds), or melt in a small saucepan over a pan of simmering water.
Cover a tray with baking paper.
Stir chocolate quickly through the nuts and fruit, then spoon heaped teaspoons onto the paper, shaping into little mounds. Chill in freezer or set at room temperature to retain chocolate shines.
Makes 3.
Tip: These will keep for several weeks in an airtight container in the fridge.

Christmas Shortbread

2 Tablespoons cashews, chopped
3 Tablespoons currants
2 Tablespoons glace cherries, finely chopped
250g butter (room temperature)
2 cups plain flour
2 Tablespoons rice flour
1/3 cup icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 150C.
Cut butter into small cubes.
Into the large bowl of a food processor add the flour, rice flour and icing sugar.
Add the butter pieces and chop until mixed to crumbs.
Add the nuts and fruit, mix in. Do not overwork.
Tip out and knead very gently into a soft, slightly dry dough.
Roll out on a lightly floured board and cut into desired shapes.
Line baking trays with baking paper and arrange the shortbreads, leaving some room between pieces.
Bake for 30 - 40 minutes at 150C until dry on the surface and slightly firm.
Leave to cool. Store in an airtight container.