Russian Fudge - Gluten Free

This is the perfect Christmas treat, wrapped up in cellophane with green and red ribbons, how perfect to receive! This is what i am planning to do with this fudge, some truffles. YUM

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups Chelsea White Sugar
125g butter
3 Tbsp Chelsea Golden Syrup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
200g sweetened condensed milk (half a standard tin)
2 tsp vanilla essence

Method

Place all the ingredients except the vanilla, into a medium-heavy saucepan. Warm over a gentle heat until the sugar has dissolved about 10-15 mins. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for about 5-10 minutes, until it reaches the soft ball stage (120°C).

Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Beat (I use an electric mixer) until the fudge is creamy and thick and has lost its gloss. Pour into a greased 20cm cake pan. Score the top and break into pieces when cold.

I decided to add green sprinkles to the top to make it more Christmasy, would have added red too but sadly didn't have any left. So serve with strawberries or red flowers if you want to make it look more like Chirstmas!

Chocolate Truffles - Gluten free (can also be made dairy free)

I have decided to start my Christmas baking early this year. My first decision was to try making one of my favourite chocolate treats, TRUFFLES! These are always hard to make in the summer heat because they don't roll as easily and can be effected by the moisture. I have used Chelsea Winters recipes which is gluten free and can also be made dairy free! ENJOY 

Ingredients

Gluten-free truffles
250g Whittaker’s 50% Cocoa Block
250ml cream (not light cream)
50g butter
1 cup shredded/desiccated coconut
3/4 cup ground almonds

OR

Gluten and dairy-free truffles
250g Whittaker’s 50% Cocoa Block
250ml coconut cream
1 cup shredded/desiccated coconut
3/4 cup ground almonds (optional)

A splash of Kaluah or your chosen liquor  

Coatings
3/4 cup pistachio nuts, processed or finely chopped
1 cup coconut blitzed with 1/4 cup icing sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 packet Fresh As freeze-dried raspberry or plum powder

Method:

With a big sharp knife, chop the chocolate up into very small pieces (big lumps won’t melt properly). Place it in a heatproof bowl. Plop the butter too in if you’re using it.

Heat the cream (or coconut cream for dairy-free) in a saucepan over a medium heat. Keep an eye on it and when it’s just started simmering, pour it in over the chocolate pieces. Leave to sit for a few minutes, then lightly whisk until all the chocolate is melted and well combined, scraping the sides clean with a spatula.

Stir through the almond, coconut and Kaluah, and leave in the fridge for a few hours until it’s firmed up enough to roll.

Use a spoon to dig out little bits of mixture and roll into smooth balls. This works best with dry hands – you might need to wash and dry them a few times (and don’t use your best teatowel). Yes, it will get messy. Place the balls on a tray lined with baking paper and pop in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up again

Tip the the coatings in smallish bowls. Before coating each truffle, roll it again in your hand so the outside goes nice and sticky. Swirl it around in a bowl of coating and replace gently on the tray (use your hands for the pistachios or coconut if you need to). Repeat until all the mixture is gone.

Keep them in the fridge and then plate them up when you’re ready to serve them. (You might want to re-swirl the raspberry & cocoa ones if they go patchy.)

Passion fruit cheesecake bites - Gluten Free

Baked New York cheese cake is my favourite dessert. I have made so many different variations and this is my latest creation! Passion fruit is one of my favourite fruits so it is absolutely perfect to swirl through a cheesecake. I love the texture of baked cheesecakes as they are so delicate and fluffy they always make a perfect dessert and they are a lot easier to make than they seem. I prefer baked over non-baked as they have such a different texture and flavour where the a non-baked cheesecake is more like a semifreddo or ice cream where as this is actually a cake. I made a white chocolate ganache to drizzle over the top which made it look gorgeous and added to the light and fluffy flavour. ENJOY 

Crust: 
2 cups (200 grams) of gluten free ginger nuts in crumbs 
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted 
1/4 cup threaded coconut 

Filling: 
500g cream cheese, room temperature (use full fat, not reduced or fat free cream cheese) 
1/2 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar 
1 1/2 tablespoons gluten free flour (healtheries baking mix is what i use) 
3 eggs, room temperature 
3 tablesppons cream 
1 tablespoon lemon zest 
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
1/3 cup Passion fruit pulp / sryup 

For Crust: In a medium sized bowl combine the crumbs, coconut, and melted butter. Pour into a square cake tin and refrigerate while you make the filling. 

For Filling: Preheat oven to 170 degrees C. In bowl of your electric mixer place the cream cheese, sugar, and flour. Beat on medium speed until smooth (about 2 minutes), scraping down the bowl as needed. 

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (about 30 seconds) after each addition.Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the whipping cream, lemon zest, vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. 

Remove the crust from the refrigerator and pour in the filling. Spoon passion fruit in swirls on the top of the filling and run a knife around to swirl. 

Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce oven to 120'c and bake for another 40mins or until firm but the centre of the cheesecakes firm yet may still wobble a little in the centre. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. 

Let cool completely before covering with plastic wrap. Refrigerate several hours,preferably overnight. Once the cheesecake has been refridgerated, cut into bite size squares and ENJOY

Optional: Make a white chocolate ganache to drizzle over the top!
250grams Whittakers White Chocolate, roughly chopped
150mls cream
To make the ganache put the white chocolate and cream in a glass bowl, place bowl over a pot of simmering water, stirring occasionally until the chocolate is melting and cream is hot (but not boiling).

Remove from the heat and stir to combine into a smooth consistency. Refrigerate to cool and thicken, this will take at least an hour or two so is best done ahead of time. 

Beat the ganache with an electric mixer until it becomes pale and fluffy so that you can pipe it. Drizzle over cheesecake squares.

Rocky Road Crunch Bars - Gluten Free

I used to make rocky road slice all the time before i became gluten free. It was my absolute favourite with vanilla wine biscuits but unfortunately i cannot eat them any more so this was my take with gluten free biscuits. There wasn't much choice at my local supermarket on what biscuits i could use as they only has choc oragne, gingernuts and shortbread in stock so i decided to choose the shortbread and came up with this. My recipe originated from Nigella but i have made a few changes a long the way to make it gluten and adding the nuts and coconut, which i personally thinks makes the best rocky road. ENJOY

Ingredients 
125 grams soft butter 
300 grams best-quality dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids) broken into pieces 
3 tablespoons golden syrup 
200 grams gluten free tea biscuits, broken into crumbs 
100 grams mini marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped nuts (i used fry roasted hazelnuts and chopped peanuts)
1/4 cup threaded coconut 

Method:
Melt the butter, chocolate and golden syrup in a heavy-based saucepan. Scoop out about 125ml / ½ cup of this melted mixture and put to one side. 

Put the biscuits into a freezer bag and then bash them with a rolling pin. You are aiming for both crumbs and pieces of biscuits. 

Fold the biscuit pieces and crumbs into the melted chocolate mixture in the saucepan, and then add the marshmallows, nuts and coconut.

Tip into a foil tray (24cm / 9 inch square); flatten as best you can with a spatula. Pour the reserved 125ml / ½ cup of melted chocolate mixture over the marshmallow mixture and smooth the top. Sprinkle with an remaining chopped nuts or coconut is desired. 

Refrigerate for about 2 hours or overnight. Cut into 24 fingers and ENJOY