Wholemeal Chocolate Nutella Cookies … felt like snug cookies. Something secure and comforting about them. The idea of course came from developing a comforting bite which felt ‘snug’ … thanks to this fabulous Snugg iphone cover I received in the mail the other day.
I love the Snugg line of products. They spell quality and durability which is what I look for in anything I would pick. I have been using the Snugg iPad cover for a while now, and I love it to bits. The iPad is ‘safer’ in the kitchen than ever before, and stands beautifully while I dash back and forth! Similarly, the iPhone case spells quality. In addition, this premium case sports some fantastic features.
– Reduces Cell Phone Radiation (SAR) by 92% and Hot Spot Radiation (EFI) by 90%!
– Ultra Thin, Lightweight, Sleek Design.
– Durable and Impact Resistant.
With the word snugg in mind I marched ahead with a cookie idea. I attempted to snuggly fit in some Nutella into the heart of my cookie. At the end of my experiment, wasn’t too sure if the Nutella taste came through, but the cookies were a hit alright!
Soft cake like cookies, ‘no longer tiny’ hands sneaking them away from the cookie jar one after another. They seemed to hit the right spot with the kids. With a nice deep chocolate flavour, you could barely tell that these were whole grain cookies!
Maybe it’s the recent almost 100% switchover to healthier eating & whole grains, a sign of evolving tastes. Or maybe that chocolate and wholegrain are good ‘companions’, I have had loads of luck of late. I barely ever use plain flour anymore, unless it’s a special birthday cake, or maybe partly in bread. I’ve had a patch of good luck with 100% wholewheat bread too, so I ain’t complaining!
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Recipe: Wholemeal Chocolate Nutella Cookies
Summary: Healthy, wholemeal, deep, dark, soft, cakey chocolate cookies, with a heart of Nutella.
Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes plus chilling Ingredients:
For the chocolate cookies
130g wheat flour
85g oats
40g almond meal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
200g granulated sugar
40g unsweetened cocoa powder
100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Filling
50g nutella
Method:
Run all the dry ingredients in bowl of food processor to mix.
Add the wet ingredients and process briefly until a cookie dough comes together.
Divide into 24 balls and chill for half an hour.
Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Flatten each into a disk, then place a scant 1/2 tsp of Nutella into the centre and pull the dough up around it. Gently roll back into a ball, and flatten slightly. Place on cookie sheet. Repeat with rest. {You might need to grease or moisten your palms slightly if the weather is warm}
Leave to chill in freezer while you preheat the oven to 180C.
Bake for approx 25-30 minutes until the cookie feels firm to touch.
Leave on sheet for a minute, drizzle with warm caramel sauce if you like, them remove to cooling tray.
Note: Instead of flattening the disks as in step 5, you could make thumbprint cookies instead. Indent the balls with your thumb and add a scant tsp of Nutella. Bake as above.
“A great empire, like a great cake, is most easily diminished at the edges.”
Benjamin Franklin
A Walnut Meringue and Cherry Gateau seemed an unlikely combination. I bravely ventured into unknown territory with my fingers crossed. It turned out to be quite a winner. The meringues baked up prettily. They are delicate creatures and very delicious if you are a nut lover. I love the idea of nutty meringues layered with cream and paired with fruit.
That said, pairing a nutty meringue with pastry cream and fruit is never easy to slice. It doesn’t offer you ‘restaurant’ style neat slices. An ‘Eton Mess’ is closer to what lands up on the platter … but it’s a helluva tasty mess!
This Walnut Meringue and Cherry Gateau was our little ‘celebration’ for Fathers Day. I had some whites left over from the Ginger Lemon Crème Brûlée. I dreamt of revisiting macarons, but it’s been raining cats & dogs the past 2 days. Macarons are fiddly creatures, humidity just adds to their ‘fear factor’.
So I thought of pavlovas, and one thing led to another. I finally settled for a meringue cake, dacquoise type. Eventually what followed was a recipe using anything and everything I had on hand. Walnuts and cherries seemed like strange bedfellows. They proved themselves otherwise!
The recipe was inspired by this Hazelnut Meringue Gateau I found while googling. Often if I’m looking for inspiration, it’s just easier to reach for the ipad or smartphone while working in the kitchen. So when the folk at The Snugg sent me an ipad case, it made me happy! It felt ‘comforting’ to own one!!
Are you part of the growing numbers who use smartphones and tablets to look up recipes and tips whilst cooking? I certainly am. With this in mind, The Snugghas created sturdy, good quality cases to protect expensive devices from the hazards of a busy kitchen! A wipe clean exterior makes it even more perfect for the kitchen!
What did I like about the snugg ipad case? The first thing that struck me was the good quality and the neat design. The fit is fantastic. It’s also compact, like ‘snug compact’, which might explain the name SNUGG! The case has a sturdy feel to it and is very aesthetic. I liked the classic black, though you have a choice of ten colours. Gives your beloved smartphone or ipad a ‘protected’ feeling. A ‘snugg’ feel !!
With the promise of the perfect SNUGG fit, the finest materials and high quality craftsmanship, they are the biggest seller of their kind in the USA. Since the launch of The Snugg, they have been bought by celebrities and big enterprises alike. In fact, custom branded cases have been supplied to Cadillac, GMC and even the CIA!!!! The range is vast – cases for smartphones, ipad, ipad mini, tablets, kindle and accessories too.
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Recipe: Walnut Meringue and Cherry Gateau
Summary: A Walnut Meringue and Cherry Gateau seemed an unlikely combination. It turned out to be quite a winner. The meringues baked up prettily. They are delicate creatures and very delicious if you are a nut lover. I love the idea of nutty meringues layered with cream and paired with fruit.
Preheat oven to 180C. Line the base and sides of 2 8″ loose bottomed tins with parchment.Place the walnuts and 50g sugar in processor and grind in short pulses till fine meal.
Reserve in a bowl.
Grind the vanilla sugar if using
Beat the egg whites to soft peaks, then add the remianing sugar 1 tbsp at a time and continue to whip to stiff peaks.
Fold in the vanilla extract,vinegar and ground walnut mixture gently but thoroughly.
Gently divide batter between the prepared tins,
Bake at 180C for 40-50 until lightly coloured and firm.
Gently remove from tins and cool completely on racks.
Lay the bottom layer on serving platter and top with pastry cream, followed by balsamic cherries in syrup. Top with the whipped cream {or alternatively fold the whipped cream into the crème patissiere}. Reserve some for topping if desired.
Top the filling with second layer.
Spread some pastry cream over the top, drizzle some leftover cherry syrup and garnish with fresh cherries.
Chill for a couple of hours to moisten the meringue slightly to help slicing a little easier. Use a sharp serrated knife to slice.
Crème Patissiere
Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup of milk. Combine the remaining milk, cream, vanilla bean and cream with the sugar in a saucepan; bring to boil. Remove from heat.
Beat the eggs into the cornstarch mixture. Pour 1/3 of boiling milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so that the eggs do not begin to cook.
Return the remaining milk to boil. Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, continuing whisking.
Continue whisking {this is important – you do not want the eggs to solidify/cook} until the cream thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat, pass through a sieve, cover with plastic film and allow to cool. Chill until needed. can be made a day ahead {makes 350g}.
Balsamic Cherries
Place ingredients in a non reactive pan and simmer until the cherries release their juices and begin to get soft and hold their shape, about 4-5 minutes. {Don’t overcook or the cherries will break down and lose shape}
Remove the cherries to a bowl. Place pan with the liquid on medium high heat and reduce to about a third, nice and thick. Cool.
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