Chocolate Macadamia Florentines

By: Anna Olson

These are truly a pastry chef’s cookie. More like a candy, it’s hard to believe that such small measurements of ingredients yield so many cookies, but they do. Tips for success include using a Teflon-coated mini-muffin pan or a flexible silicone pan for easy removal of the baked cookies. It is also important to measure ½ teaspoon (2 mL) of filling into each cup—this will ensure they all bake evenly in their pan. And lastly, don’t wander too far from the oven—the difference of just 30 seconds can mean the difference between a perfectly golden Florentine and an “over-caramelized” Florentine.

½ cup (125 mL) whole salted macadamia nuts
¼ cup (50 mL) whipping cream
¼ cup (50 mL) sugar
2 tbsp (25 mL) corn syrup
2 tbsp (25 mL) butter
¾ cup (175 mL) good-quality chocolate chips or chopped coating chocolate (available at bulk stores)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

2. Generously grease 24 mini-muffin cups.

3. Pulse macadamia nuts in food processor until coarse crumbs.

4. Combine whipping cream, sugar, corn syrup and butter in a small saucepot over medium-high heat. Bring up to a simmer and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in macadamia nuts.

5. Measure ½ tsp (2 mL) of mixture into each well-greased muffin cup. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until a deep golden brown (watch oven carefully—once Florentines start browning, they progress quickly). Let cookies cool in muffin tins for 5 minutes. To remove, use a bamboo skewer or the tip of a paring knife and push down the side of cooled cookie gently (rotating the tool slightly helps pop the cookie out).

6. Melt chocolate chips or coating chocolate in microwave on medium heat, stirring every 10 seconds. Brush the bottom of each Florentine with melted chocolate and place on a clean, parchment-lined baking tray until set. Alternatively, Florentines can be drizzled with melted chocolate. Florentines will keep up to a week in an airtight container.

Makes about 4 dozen

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Chocolate Caramel Tarts

By: Lucy Waverman

These decadent tarts combine two favourite flavours, caramel and chocolate. When making tart shells you need a slightly sturdier pastry than a regular sweet dough. It needs to be removed easily from the tartlet shells and weighting the shells with rice or beans takes too much time. This dough is made like a cookie dough to avoid these problems. As tartlet tins come in different sizes, use what you have - even small muffin tins work. Measure the top of the tin and use a cutter 1-inch (2.5-cm) bigger than the cup.

Pastry

3/4 cup (175 mL) unsalted butter
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/4 cup (50 mL) granulated sugar
2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp (15 mL) cold water

Caramel

1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (50 mL) water
1 tsp (5 mL) corn syrup
1/3 cup (75 mL) whipping cream

Chocolate

8 oz (250 g) European bitter or semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp (2 mL) vanilla essence

1. Place butter, salt and sugar in food processor. Process until mixture is light and fluffy. Add flour and water and just combine. Remove from processor and shape into a flat disc. Chill for 30 minutes.
2. Roll out pastry about 1/8-inch (3-mm) thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut circles to fit your tartlet tins. Ease pastry into tins and if it breaks then pat together again. If there is enough pastry make a rim around tart. Chill pastry for 30 minutes to allow it to relax. Prick base of pastry with a fork.
3. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
4. Bake tartlets 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Cool in tins. Remove before filling them.
5. Combine sugar, water and corn syrup in a heavy pot. Bring to boil and boil until sugar turns an amber colour, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cream until well incorporated. Stir occasionally as mixture cools. Chill until mixture thickens.
6. Break up chocolate and place in a heavy pot with 1 cup (250 mL) cream. On low heat slowly melt chocolate, stirring until the mixture is smooth.
7. Stir in egg and vanilla and continue to stir together until mixture is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Cool.
8. Place 1 tsp (5 ml.) caramel in base of tart. Fill with chocolate mixture. Refrigerate tarts until chocolate mixture is set.
9. For an optional garnish, pipe tart with whipping cream or top with gold flakes or balls.

Makes 24 tarts

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Cheese and Chilli Muffins

By: Heather Trim

These moist muffins keep well, but do store them in an airtight container.

2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (50 mL) granulated sugar
1 tbsp (15 mL) baking powder
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
1 tsp (5 mL) chilli powder
½ tsp (2 mL) baking soda
1½ cups (375 mL) finely diced extra-old Cheddar cheese
preferably orange-coloured
1 large jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 ¼ cups (300 mL) plain yogurt
¼ (50 mL) butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).

2. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin in and around tops of cups. In a medium bowl, whisk flour with sugar, baking powder, salt, chilli powder and baking soda until well blended. Stir in cheese and jalapeño.

3. In a large bowl, stir yogurt with butter and eggs until blended. Add flour mixture and stir until just blended and batter is thick. Turn into muffin cups.

4. Bake in centre of preheated oven until a toothpick comes clean when inserted in the centre, about 18 to 20 minutes. Cool muffins in pan for 5 minutes. Run a knife around edge of muffins, turn out and serve warm or cool completely on a rack.

Makes 12 muffins

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