Zebra Biscuits

With some Amazon vouchers from a generous family member, I decided to use it as an opportunity to snag a couple of new baking books. I had recently seen an advert for the celebrity Great British Bake-Off, I remembered that I had been meaning to pick up their books for a while ... so I did.

Both books are crammed with many tasty treats, but the first one I wanted to try as soon as I saw it was zebra biscuits, a combination of dark chocolate and white chocolate biscuit. What could be better?


Ingredients:

• 50g Dark Chocolate
• 50g White Chocolate
• 125g Butter, softened
• 100g Caster Sugar
• 1 large egg
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 250g plain flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt

Method:

1. Melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water, then put to one side to cool a little. The do the same for the dark chocolate.
2. Beat the softened butter until it starts to turn pale, then add in the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
3. Mix the egg and vanilla essence, then add a little at a time to the butter and sugar mixture, mixing well in between each addition.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. 
5. Add this a little at a time, again mixing well between each addition, to the butter mixture. 
6. Stop mixing as soon as the dough forms, and divide it into two. Put half into a separate bowl
7. Stir (or knead) the dark chocolate into half of the dough.
8. Do the same with other half and the white chocolate

9. Form one of the pieces of dough into a brick shape in between two pieces of cling film
10. Using a rolling pin (I also used my hands) form the mixture into a 15x20cm rectangle. Fold the cling film around it, place it on a tray and chill for an hour.
11. Do the same for the other piece of dough.
12. To form the biscuits, peel one side of cling film off each piece, then carefully lay the dark dough on top of the white dough, and press together gently.
13. Using a sharp knife, trim and neaten the rectangle so that it forms a perfect 15x20cm rectangle.

14. Then, cut into three 5cm wide strips. Lay the edge strip over the middle strip, then repeat with the other edge piece. Wrap up your stripped brick, and chill for another 20 minutes.
15. Preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C / Gas mark 4
16. Cut from one end in 5mm slices. Place a little apart on a lined baking tray and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges start to colour.
17. Leave to cool for about three or four minutes before carefully transferring to a cooling rack, or they will fall apart.

Servings	30
Calories per serving	93 kcal

Chocolate and Walnut Fudge

Fudge is one of those things that people say to me all the time, they wish they could make it. Well, you can!

I realise that it appears to be like some kind of alchemy, and I suppose in someway, it is as you are changing the structure of the sugar crystals via intense heat, but it really is simple.

Below is the basic recipe for a simple vanilla fudge, which I then added dark chocolate and some chopped walnuts to, but you can add anything you like, more or less.

TIP:
The secret to good fudge is stirring CONTINUOUSLY during the heating process, so ensure that before you start have your trays lined with greaseproof paper, your chocolate broken up, and your nuts chopped, as you will not be able to do this while the fudge is getting to temperature. It is worthwhile having a jug with iced water close by too as this will be useful to test for the soft ball stage.

Ingredients:

• 397g can Condensed Milk
• 150ml milk
• 450g demerara sugar
• 115g butter

Flavourings:

• 150g Dark Chocolate
• 85g Chopped walnuts

Method:

1. Line your tray (I used one about 7" square)  with greaseproof paper along the bottom and over two sides as this will aid you lifting out the fudge.
2. Ensure if you are using additional flavourings, that you have them prepared ready
3. In a large pot (preferably a preserving pan if you have one) attach your sugar thermometer to the side with the tip at least 1" or so off the bottom
4. Place all the main ingredients (sugar, condensed milk, milk, butter) in the pan.
5. On a low heat, stir gently until the sugar has fully dissolved. 
6. Once all the sugar is dissolved, raise the temperature under your pan to medium-high
7. KEEP STIRRING. The mixture should start to bubble furiously and look like lava. Be extremely careful not to splash any on you.
8. After about 10-15 minutes, or when the temperature on your thermometer reaches 230°F / 115°C your fudge should have reached the soft ball stage, so turn the heat as low as possible. 
9. Drop a little into your jug of iced water - after a few seconds pick it out and if you can form a soft ball that isn't runny and doesnt drip out of your fingers, it is ready. If you dont get a soft ball, put it back on a high heat for another few minutes then re-test.
10. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes, then give it a good stir for about 5 minutes and you will see that it eventually starts to loose it's glossy sheen. 
11. When that starts to happen, add in your chocolate and nuts (or whatever flavourings you chose) until they are fully combined.
12. Working quickly, pour the mixture into your prepared tin, and press down with a pallet knife or spatula. Please do not use your fingers as the mixture will still be incredibly hot. 
13. After about 15 minutes, once it has set a little, use a sharp knife to score the portions onto the surface, cutting no deeper than half way through
14. After about an hour, it should have cooled enough to put in the fridge. Leave there for another couple of hours if possible
15. Lift your fudge out of the pan using the paper, and you should be able to just it into pieces.