Chocolate Drizzled Potato Chips

When I first saw Chocolate Drizzled Potato chips mentioned I thought 'ewww that sounds gross'. But then I kept thinking about it, and about 2 hours later I had convinced myself that I needed to try them. I love the salty/sweet combo you get from eating McDonald's fries whilst drinking a chocolate shake, or dipping the chips into an ice cream cone (don't judge, its awesome. I swear.) so for that reason I gave the chocolate drizzled chips a chance. And they were delicious.

Ingredients:

1 large packet of thick cut plain potato chips (salted)
30g Dark chocolate (I used Lindt)
20g Milk Chocolate (I used Cadbury)

Method:

1. Line a large baking tray with grease proof paper. Lay your chips on the paper, making sure they are evenly dispersed so that every chip gets some chocolaty goodness.

2. Place the milk & dark chocolate in a microwave safe bowl (I just use a small ramekin) and microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir until all lumps have disappeared.

3. Dip the ends of a fork into the chocolate, then drizzle over potato chips. Remember, start with a little & build up. Leave chips to set (mine took about 20 minutes for the chocolate to harden). Serve!

I found that a little went a long way with the chocolate, but taste as you go & adjust to your preference. These look gorgeous plated up in little bowls for each person or in paper ice cream cups.

Sunny xx

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Photography by Mark O'Meara

I have recently been baking up a storm and this week my attentions were directed at making cookies! Yesterday I made a batch of Dark Chocolate & Walnut cookies and a batch of White Chocolate & Macadamia cookies. This recipe makes 30 small cookies or 20 regular sized cookies.

Ingredients:
125g butter, softened
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, at room temperature
2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons milk

Optional:
2 teaspoons Chai powder - I use Arcadia Vanilla Chai
1/2 cup chopped nuts of your choice
1/2 cup chocolate chips of your choice

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, chai powder and vanilla in a small bowl until pale and creamy. Add egg and mix until well combined. Sift the flour and baking powder over butter mixture. Add milk and stir until just combined.

3. Add your chocolate and nuts. Using hands, knead the dough to evenly distribute.

4. Using 1 heaped tablespoon of mixture at a time, roll mixture into balls. Place on baking trays lined with baking paper. Using a fork, flatten biscuits slightly (allow room for spreading).

5. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until light golden. Allow biscuits to cool on trays for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Serve to happy people with big glasses of milk or hot chocolate!

The great thing about this recipe is you can swap the choc chips & nuts for just about anything, creating as many flavour combinations as your imagination will allow!

x Sunny x

Sunny’s Risotto Balls

(Makes 20 – 50 depending on size) - Picture taken by Milton at my birthday party.

I made these for my Prom Night and they were enjoyed so much that I have since been hounded to put the recipe up!

Whilst my Grandma was the one who taught me how to cook risotto, these were essentially a ‘see a need, fill a need’ recipe. I always had leftover risotto (I am completely unable to cook for just one person!!) and it never tasted as good the next day. And so, my risotto balls were born! They are great for parties as you can make & even cook them the night before & simply reheat when needed.

Ingredients:
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup plain flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 batch of Parmesan Risotto – see this recipe for the how-to.
1 block of tasty cheese
Oil for frying

Method:
1. Cut the block of tasty cheese into 1cm (or less) cubes. Put aside.

2. Roll a tablespoon of risotto into a ball (you can change the size of these depending on your preference). Using either the small end of a wooden spoon or your thumb, create an indent in the ball. Place a cube of cheese inside and form the rice around it. Put the ball aside on a plate. Continue doing this with the remainder of the risotto mixture.

3. Place the egg, flour & breadcrumbs into separate bowls. Roll balls in the four mixture, then coat with the egg mixture & finally with the breadcrumbs. Place on a plate & chill for half an hour.

4. In a large fry pan, heat the oil until a piece of bread turns slightly golden within 2 seconds. Add the risotto balls, working in batches, being careful not to crowd the pan. Turn, ensuring all sides are golden. Place onto some absorbent paper towel to remove excess oil. Serve immediately or place aside to be reheated in an oven. The cheese in the centre should be melted and gooey when you bite into it.

You can mix it up by trying different risotto’s (although keep extra ingredients like bacon or zucchini chopped quite finely) and different cheeses. It’s really good with a mushroom risotto. I like to keep mine bite size & make sure you hand people napkins when you offer them one as it is definitely finger food! This is one of my favourites & one of my most requested foods.

Enjoy!

x Sunny x

Parmesan Chicken Tenders

Ingredients

1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup or about 250g), melted
1 cup dried bread crumbs
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt or chicken salt (which ever you have on hand)
A large pinch of dried Italian herb mix
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
600g (approx) Chicken Tenderloins

Method

1. Preheat oven to about 210/220 Celsius in a fan forced oven.

2. In a bowl, combine the minced garlic with the melted butter. In another bowl mix together the bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley, salt, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, and pepper. Dip chicken pieces into garlic butter, then into crumb mixture to coat. Double crumb if you want a crunchier finish.

3. Place coated chicken pieces on to a baking dish. Try to leave a little room between each piece. Drizzle with remaining garlic butter and bake uncovered 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Note that the chicken will get much more browned on the bottom side than on the top.

Serves 4-6 - or two very hungry people :) Try it for yourselves and you'll see what I'm talking about!

xSunnyx