Biscuit File

Chocolate fruit and nut refrigerator cake
Ingredients
225g/8oz digestive or ginger nut biscuits, broken into small pieces
25g/1oz dried cherries
25g/1oz glace cherries, chopped
25g/1oz dried apricots, chopped
25g/1oz dried blueberries
25g/1oz sultanas
25g/1oz mixed peel
25g/1oz flaked almonds
175g/6oz dark Belgian chocolate (70% cocoa solids) broken into small pieces
140g/5oz unsalted butter
3 tbsp double cream
For greasinga little vegetable oilTo serveice cream
Method
1. Mix together in a bowl all the ingredients except the chocolate, butter and cream.
2. Place the chocolate, butter and cream into a saucepan over a low heat and allow the chocolate to melt, stirring to combine.
3. Pour the chocolate over the biscuit mix and stir everything well until combined.
4. Meanwhile line a 20cm/8in cake tin with a large sheet of foil pressing it carefully into the tin. Brush the foil with a scant coating of vegetable oil.
5. Spoon the chocolate mix into the foil lined cake tin and push down well. Cover the cake with more foil and place in the refrigerator.
Chill for about two hours. Remove from the tin and lift off the foil. Cut into wedges and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Luxury Chocolate and Ginger Squares
Ingredients: Makes 24
100 g/4 oz butter or margarine
100 g/4 oz soft brown sugar
30 ml/2 tbsp cocoa (unsweetened chocolate) powder1 egg, lightly beaten225 g/8 oz/2 cups ginger biscuit (cookie) crumbs15 ml/1 tbsp chopped crystallized (candied) ginger100 g/4 oz/1 cup plain (semi-sweet) chocolate
Method:
Melt the butter or margarine, then stir in the sugar and cocoa until well blended. Mix in the egg, biscuit crumbs and ginger. Press into a Swiss roll tin (jelly roll pan) and chill until firm.
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Spread over the cake and leave to set. Cut into squares when the chocolate is almost hard

Chocolate Caramel Nut Bars
BASE
Melt 142g butter and 2Ts crunchy peanut butter
Pour into ¾ cup coconut,
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup s.r.flour
3 crushed Weet Bix
spread into slice tray & press down
bake 15 min at 175oF
Spread with caramel
Replace in oven for further 15 min

CARAMEL
In Saucepan: 1 tin condensed milk
Ts golden syrup
57 g butter
2-3 drops vanilla

TOPPING
Melt 113g chocolate
28g copha spread over cooled slice
Refrigerate cut into 1inch squares

Chocolate-peanut-butter-cups

IngredientsFor the base50g/2oz soft dark brown sugar200g/7oz icing sugar50g/2oz butter, softened200g/7oz smooth peanut butter (not wholenut)For the topping200g/7oz milk chocolate 100g/3½oz dark chocolategold buttons and edible gold stars to decorate, or other decorations of your choice

Method1. For the base, place all the ingredients for the base in the bowl of a food processor. Blend the mixture until the mixture takes on a sandy texture.2. Place 48 gold petit four cases in sets of miniature tart tins or mini-muffin tins (each indent about 4.5cm/1¾in in diameter). 3. Use one teaspoon of the base mixture to fill the bases of the petit four cases. Press the sandy mixture down into the cases as best you can to form a layer at the bottom of each paper case.4. Place the milk chocolate and dark chocolate together into a heatproof bowl. Suspend the bowl over a pan of simmering water (the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl). Melt the chocolate gently while stirring.5. Spoon teaspoonfuls of the melted chocolate onto the top of each of the sandy bases of the petit four cases. 6. Decorate the tops of the chocolate covered peanut butter cups with either a gold button or gold star in the middle of each and transfer them to the fridge. Let them set in the fridge, for about half an hour.7. To serve, arrange the chocolate peanut butter cups in their cases on a clean plate


Chocolate Truffles
Ingredients
150g/5oz quality chocolate, preferably 70% or more cocoa solid content
150g/5oz ground almonds
2 tbsp double cream
75g/3oz caster sugar
1 tbsp rumcocoa powder for rolling the truffles
Method
1. Place a saucepan of water on to boil. Break the chocolate into a heat proof bowl which should be big enough to sit and rest on the rim of the saucepan.
2. When the water boils remove the pan from the heat and then set the bowl of chocolate in the pan until the chocolate has melted.
3. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir in the ground almonds, cream, sugar and rum. Mix to a firm paste.
4. Work quickly, preferably with cool hands and roll the paste into small balls and then toss in the cocoa powder. Serve in sweet paper cases.

Ghoulish Meringues
Yields approximately 24 small ghosts cakes
INGREDIENTS
2 large egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup regular chocolate chips
METHOD
Beat egg whites, salt and cream of tartar to soft peaks.
Add sugar gradually, beating until stiff peaks form.
Shape meringue in ghoulish ghost shapes on a parchment-lined baking sheet using a pastry bag or a teaspoon.
Use two mini chocolate chips for the eyes and a large chocolate chip for the mouth.
Bake at 300 degrees F for approximately 25 minutes.
Meringue will feel firm to the touch but will not be browned.


Ginger Fudge Biscuits
Gently melt 180g unsalted butter
210g dark chocolate
remove from heat
add 2/3 cup caster sugar stir well uill cool
beat in 3 large eggs one at a time
add 1 ½ cups flour
3 Tbs cocoa powder
½ ts baking powder
100g/ ¼ cup chopped glace ginger
refrigerate dough 1½ -8 hours
roll 1 Ts balls[3cm diam]
roll in 1 cup sifted icing sugar
[till no choclolate dough showing]
bake on papered trays 3cm apart
in 170 C for 12 minutes till feel firm
leave to cool on tray for several minutes

Gingerbread Biscuits
Rub 125g [4oz] butter into 350g [12oz] plain flour
1Ts bicarb soda
2ts ginger
Mix in 175g [6oz]brown sugar
Combine egg & 4 Ts [60ml] golden syrup & add
Roll out ½
Then roll out second ½
Bake 190o 12-15 mins till look little darker