There are numerous demos available on YouTube with directions for making cake pops from box cake mixes blended with store-bought frosting.  There’s also a little cake pop electric iron that makes the balls for you.  But, after watching a video (below) on brownie pops I decided this method was the best for me.

The candy melts are another thing entirely.  While they melt as promised the product is rather thick for dipping.  If you tap the cake pop too hard on the side of the bowl, trying to get rid of some of the chocolate, the cake will fall off and its impossible to repair it once that happens.  When melting the candy melts, the package says you can add 1 tsp of vegetable oil for every 24 candy wafers to thin it out a bit, but it still is rather thick for dipping.  Its not entirely clear how much oil can be added before the integrity of the dipping chocolate is compromised.

A  truffle coating would probably work better since its easier to thin out a chocolate with cream.  My Mom made incredible chocolate covered cherries using a ganache with a couple teaspoons of paraffin wax and the chocolate held up beautifully in gift boxes.  The other option is to dip the cake pops into Royal Icing.  It will flood and dry rather quickly so you do need to work quickly with sprinkles or marbling designs.

Marbling white chocolate on red and vise versa was successful since the dipping chocolate doesn’t dry too fast.  Marbling could also be done with Royal Icing.

All in all this was a successful attempt at making the current rage in sweet treats. So easy to make these treats!  Do give them a try, even if its just for the family.

Brownie Mix makes 3 batches:

• 4 cups sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1-2/3 cups cocoa powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 1-1/4 cups shortening or butter
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

Method for 1 batch in 8X8 pan:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.  Butter and flour an 8″X 8″ pan.
2. Beat 2 eggs with 1 tsp vanilla, add to 2-1/2 cups brownie mix.  Mix well.
3. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the center is spongy and a toothpick comes out with crumbs.  Don’t over bake.
4. Let brownies cool.  Remove crust around edge of brownie pan.  Crumble soft brownie cake and squeeze crumbs 1-1/2 Tbsp of crumbs with your hands into a ball. Repeat until all crumbs are used.  Place on parchment and refrigerate for 15 minutes or overnight.
5. Melt candy melts according to package instructions or make Royal icing as desired.  Decorate pops and when dry, package as needed.

This recipe is from a Canadian friend living in Tonga, another South Pacific colony of the British crown.  It’s egg-less, dairy-free and fat-free but oh so yummy with the flavors of molasses, ginger and those sweet prunes.  It toasts beautifully and is perfect with just butter.  However, this fruit loaf is even more tasty imbibed with brandy and aged like a fruitcake.  Give it as a house warming present or hostess’s gift at the next coffee klatch.  It is soooo easy to make, just mix the ingredients in a bowl, pour the batter into a loaf tin and bake.  Give this a try and if you’re not crazy about prunes, figs or other dried fruit will work fine.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pitted prunes
• 3 Tbsp molasses (or Treacle)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 cups whole wheat flour

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C.).   Grease and dust with flour a standard sized loaf pan.
2. Mix prunes, brown sugar and molasses with boiling water.
3. Stir in baking soda.  The mixture will start foaming.
4. Mix flour and ginger together and gently stir into the foaming prune mixture.
5. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake 35-40 minutes.   Let set for 5 minutes and remove from pan.

Anna’s was my favorite place to eat when I had a day off  cooking at the Whitianga Hotel.  Another of my favorite quiches was a spinach quiche in phyllo dough with onion marmalade and gorgonzola cheese…too yummy!  The Kiwi’s and Aussies may be a world downunder but they truly know how to cook in the best tradition of a Crown Colony and in their own right.

Do enjoy this as a main-dish with a salad and glass of wine.

Ingredients:

• 1 unbaked pie crust
• 1 cup chicken sliced or shredded
• 1 portobello mushroom, sliced thin
• 1/2 small onion, sliced thin
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. basil pesto (homemade is best)
• 6 thin slices cream cheese (use dental floss to slice)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup half-and-half
• sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• pinch of nutmeg

Method:

1. Place pie crust in a 9-inch spring form cake pan with 2-inch sides.  Blind bake for 12 minutes at 400° F..
2. Reduce oven to 375° F.  Cool crust on a cake rack.
3. Sauté mushrooms in butter for 5 minutes, add onions and continue to cook until water dissipates.
4. Layer chicken over bottom of crust, spread mushrooms and onions over chicken, dot with basil pesto, and top with cream cheese slices.
5. Whisk eggs and half-and-half together with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.
6. Pour batter over filling, sprinkle with a pinch of nutmeg.
7. Bake 45-50 minutes until eggs are set.  Cool 15 minutes before slicing.

Pie Crust (modified pâte brisee)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup salted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 egg, whipped with 1 tsp cold water 

Method:

1. Cut butter into flour until its the consistency of cornmeal.
2. Make a well in center of the flour and pour in the egg.
3. Toss flour and egg together with a fork for 5 seconds and scoop up the whole bit onto a sheet of plastic wrap.  Pull the corners of the plastic wrap together and twist to form a ball.
4. Chill the ball of dough for 10 minutes.
5. Wipe your counter with a damp cloth, cover the damp area with plastic wrap, dust with a little flour, place ball of dough in center and flatten slightly, dust with a little flour, cover with another sheet of plastic wrap.  Roll out crust.
6. If you’re in a hurry, skip the chilling and rolling.  Just push the dough into your pie pan like playing with putty.  Once the dough is uniform in thickness throughout and sides are crimped, chill to set it.  Then blind bake as instructed above.

My Rum Ball recipe is from Katy Custer, an old friend from my years in Alaska.  She made these every year and had to hide them under her bed so her boys wouldn’t eat them all before they aged the appropriate time.  Pecan Sandies are from my childhood.  They just melt in your mouth and since they have no eggs they’re fairly close to being a tender bite of shortbread.  Chinese Sesame Buttons were my stand-by cookies in Tonga because they held up so well to the humidity in the islands and all the ingredients were easy to come by.  They’re nutty, crisp and buttery.  The local Chinese use lard in their cookies for Chinese New Year but I like the taste of butter in mine.

Spritz Cookies

Ingredients for 40 cookies:

•  1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2-1/2 cups flour

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add egg, vanilla extract and salt, beat until smooth.
3. Add flour gradually until all is incorporated. 
4. Fill cookie press or pastry bag with dough.  Press onto ungreased cookie sheet 1-inch apart.  Decorate with sprinkles, jam, etc.
5. Bake 10 to 12 minutes just until the edges turn barely brown and the dough has set.
6. Remove from sheet pan to cooling rack.  Ice as desired.
7. Store in airtight tin.  May be frozen.

Notes:

1. Substitute cardamon seeds or vanilla seeds,  or extracts such as peppermint, almond, orange, banana, or lemon or liqueur of choice for the vanilla extract.
2. Add 2 Tbsp cocoa powder and 1 tsp Kahlua to the dough for moca spritz, omit the vanilla extract.
3. To color dough add 3 or 4 drops of food coloring to the finished dough. 
4. Divide dough in half or more then color and flavor each portion separately. 

Katy’s No-Bake Rum Balls

Ingredients for 2 dozen:

• 2–1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafers
• 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder plus more for coating
• 1 cup powdered sugar plus more for coating
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 3 Tbsp. white corn syrup (Karo brand)
• 1/4 cup dark rum (bourbon or brandy if desired)

Method:

1. Mix all dry ingredients together.  Add wet ingredients and stir until combined.
2. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. 
3. Roll each ball into powdered sugar or cocoa powder.
4. Place balls in a ziplock bag or plastic storage box with tight lid.
5. Let age in a cool, dark place for 1 week.  Re-roll in powdered sugar or cocoa powder before serving if desired. 

Pecan Sandies

Ingredients for 3 dozen:

• 1 cup butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tsp water
• 2 tsp vanilla extract 
• 2 cups sifted flour
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 325° F.
2. Cream together the butter, sugar, water and vanilla.
3. Mix in the flour and pecans.
4. Chill dough for 3 or 4 hours.  Shape into balls, crescents or fingers.
5. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 20 minutes. Remove to cooling rack.
6. When completely cool roll in powdered sugar.
7. Store in airtight tin.  May be frozen.  Roll in additional powdered sugar before serving.

Chinese Sesame Buttons

Ingredients for 100 cookies:

• 1 pound butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 Tbsp powdered milk (low-fat or skim milk works well)
• 1 Tbsp ice water
• 2 eggs
• 3 tsp baking soda
• 5 tsp cream of tartar
• 5-1/2 cups flour
• 2 cups raw sesame seeds

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Cream butter, sugars, milk powder, water and eggs until fluffy.
3. Mix together flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar.  Gradually add flour mixture to creamed mixture just until dough holds together.
4. Roll dough into walnut sized balls then roll each ball in sesame seeds.
5. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet 2-inches apart.
6. Bake for 15 minutes or until cookies have cracks on the surface.
7. Remove to cooking rack.  Store in airtight tin.  May be frozen.

Dress up the finished product with fresh berries, rambutans, guava sauce, or coulis of choice.  Chocolate always pairs well with almond.  Shave dark chocolate over the top or un-mold the dessert atop a puddle of chocolate sauce. 

About 1990 I became hooked on the Frugal Gourmet PBS series and bought nearly every one of Jeff Smith’s books.  The recipe for this almond cookie comes from Three Ancient Cuisines by Jeff Smith.  It is an ultra simple recipe for Chinese New Year Almond Cookies.  You can roll the dough in sesame seeds and forgo the almond nut.  The cookies will be just as delightful and delicately nutty…a nice accompaniment to panna cotta.

Ingredients - Reduced Calorie Panna Cotta- 4 servings

• 6 Tbsp cold milk (whole milk)
• 1 envelope plain gelatin
• 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups milk (whole milk)
• 1 tsp almond extract

Method:

1. In a medium bowl, soften gelatin in 6 Tbsp of cold milk for 5-10 minutes.
2. Combine 2 cups of milk with 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk and heat or microwave until hot.
3. Slowly pour heated milk over softened gelatin and stir thoroughly. 
4. Add almond extract and stir.
5. Pour into wine glasses or lightly oiled ramekins.  Chill for several hours.

Ingredients – Chinese Almond Cookies:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter (or shortening*)
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp almond extract

Method:

1. Cut shortening into dry ingredients.
2. Add beaten egg and almond extract.
3. Mix and knead with hands until soft.
4. Form into small balls and roll in sesame seeds.(**)
5. Bake 10 to 15 minutes at 350 ° F.

Variation in Method: 

1. Stir baking powder and salt into flour.  Set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar together, add egg and almond extract while mixer is running.
3. Stir in flour mixture.
4. Chill and form into small balls.

(*)  Chinese typically use lard in these cookies.

(**)  Form into small balls, indent center with your thumb and place an almond in the indentation.