Winners and trees in coconut snow

threeThis week I picked the winners of my teapot giveaway. I asked entrants to pick one of the four teapots available (red, yellow, blue or pink) and tell me four things they associated with that colour.

Caitlin won the yellow teapot, she said “Yellow is my favourite colour, it reminds me of flowers (yellow roses are mum’s favourite), sunshine, primary school sports carnivals (I was in gold, obviously, cause I’m the best), and the yellow bike that I really really really want but can’t afford.”

Charlotte says the colour of the blue teapot reminds her of reminds her of “discarded bird eggs, stormy skies, baby blankets and… blu-tack!”

Amanda said that the pink teapot was the same colour as “kitten’s paws, rosy cheeks, pink marshmallows and fairy floss! Four things that make my life just that little bit more sweet.”

The winner of the red teapot is yet to check her emails to accept. Once she’s accepted, I’ll announce the final winner. Otherwise I’ll have to pick a new winner.

Thank you to everyone that entered, I loved reading all the funny, sweet and quirky things that everyone had to say. I can’t wait to run another competition like this, it’s so lovely to see everyone’s creativity!

Unrelated to tea pots, here is my final Christmas post. These little treats only require four ingredients, and three of these are different kinds of chocolate! They can be thrown together in 20 minutes and they’re perfect for kids and adults alike.
paper caseThe only thing I should warn you about is that if you’re serving these babies in a hot climate (ie Australia), don’t take them out of the fridge until you intend to serve them, as the Christmas trees wilt a little if they get too warm.

Trees in snow:

Chocolate trees:

  • 100g dark chocolate
  • M&Ms to decorate

Chocolate coconut snow:

  • 280g white chocolate*
  • 1 ½ cups shredded coconut
  • ½ cup desiccated coconut

coconutLine a large baking tray with baking paper and pour a small amount of M&Ms into a bowl. Set them both to one side. Melt your dark chocolate in the microwave and stir to achieve a smooth, even consistency.

Scoop chocolate into a snap lock bag and snip off a small section of one bottom corner. Working quickly, pipe zigzags of chocolate onto the baking paper – each zigzag will need to be slightly larger than the last to make it look like a Christmas tree. Repeat.trees

Don’t worry if your trees are different sizes or styles, this just adds to their cuteness!

Once you’ve piped each of your Christmas trees, place a few M&Ms onto each tree to look like Christmas decorations. Try to work quickly so that the chocolate doesn’t set too much before you’ve placed them. Once they’re all decorated, pop them in the freezer.

Line 16 cupcake tin cups with paper cases while the trees are in the freezer.

Melt your chocolate in the microwave, checking at regular intervals that it doesn’t burn. Combine both types of coconut in a bowl and pour the melted chocolate over the top. Using a spatula, mix the chocolate and coconut together until all coconut is coated in chocolate.

unwrappedScoop a heaped tablespoon of mixture into each paper case and flatten slightly with the back of the spoon. Using a butter knife, cut a shallow line across the length of each serving of chocolate coconut snow. When your trees have set, whip them out of the freezer and gently nestle one tree in each of the cuts that you made, ensuring that they are nice and stable.

Refrigerate for 15 minutes and serve. You can serve them with or without the paper cases.

*the white chocolate can easily be replaced with dark or milk chocolate, if you so desire.

Sharing recipes and mint chocolate crackles

chocolate crackles cardRegular readers will know that I recently held a teapot giveaway. I loved reading all of the fun, crazy, beautiful entries that people came up with. What most people don’t know is that the teapot giveaway started an ongoing relationship between Baking with Gab and the lovely people at house.com.au

When I went into the House store, I got chatting to Cat, who worked behind the counter. I explained that I wasn’t buying four teapots for myself, I was going to give them away on my blog. She was enthusiastic and supportive of my blog and we’ve been chatting ever since. It makes me super happy that a chance meeting could result in one of my recipes being printed on a snazzy looking recipe card and shared with an even wider audience.

I wanted to share the recipe on the blog as well, so that nobody missed out on this delectable and speedy treat. Enjoy!

Mini chocolate mint crackles

patternMakes 36

  • 380g chocolate
  • 50g copha
  • 41/2 cups Rice Bubbles
  • ¾ cup crispy mint M&Ms
  • Sprinkles to decorate

pourLine two 24 cup mini muffin with mini cupcake cases.

Melt the copha and chocolate in your microwave, stirring at regular intervals to avoid burning the chocolate.

singlePut the Rice Bubbles into a mixing bowl and pour the melted ingredients over them. Mix thoroughly, ensuring each rice bubble is completely coated. Toss your M&Ms into the mix and distribute them evenly.

Scoop a tablespoon of mixture into each cupcake pan and press down lightly with the spoon. Top with sprinkles, if desired.

Pop in the fridge for half an hour and resist the urge to eat them until they’ve set!

stars

My gorgeous Christmas bon-bon napkins were provided by Aqua Door Designs, a wonderful Brisbane-based design studio who print all of their linen by hand. You can find the bonbon napkins for sale on their Etsy page, here.

Mini chocolate mint cupcakes and December

bellsHello my lovelies. Christmas is creeping closer and I’m buzzing with excitement. So many things are happening – December always seem to run at such a frantic pace. My younger brother’s birthday was yesterday, friends and I are going for a wee sojourn to Mudgee this weekend, my birthday is edging closer,  the Boy’s parents are coming to visit from England, and I’ve got a teapot competition to wrap up oversee (check out this post to find out how to win!)

This is all before Christmas.

And this isn’t counting the numerous feasts that friends are planning in the days before Christmas. I need to invest in some stretchier fat pants, the Christmas season is far too kind to my belly! Continue reading “Mini chocolate mint cupcakes and December”

Caramel filled cinnamon men and little things:

icedToday was one of those days where small tasks were accomplished. I had to stay at home because a cabinet fitter spent all morning fitting a wall unit in our lounge room, so I pottered about, baked and did little jobs that usually get overlooked in favour of Christmas shopping/preparations at this time of year.

Somewhat inspired by the small tasks, I made small gingerbread men… except they aren’t gingerbread men, they’re cinnamon men.

Cinnamen?

I think I’ll stick with Cinnamon men, I like the repetition. Continue reading “Caramel filled cinnamon men and little things:”

Watermelon salad and Christmas smells

aboveWhen I was younger my brothers and cousins used to have competitions to see who could spit their watermelon seeds the furthest. We’d line up on Nan and Pop’s balcony in Nambucca, still in our swimmers from the morning’s beach adventures, and launch the tiny little black rockets towards a particularly large gum tree about 100 metres away.

Christmas day was never far away when these competitions took place. The house would be full of delicious Christmas smells; salt-laden-seaside air, cherries, ham, tea, and tinsel. Continue reading “Watermelon salad and Christmas smells”

Chocolate chai cupcakes and a subtle Christmas

sceneI’m ready for Christmas right now. Mother cooked a Christmas pudding last week and filled the house with delicious Christmassy smells. As Christmas draws close, I find it impossible to walk past a bowl full of alcohol soaked sultanas without sneaking a few into my mouth. Sultanas are usually such sad, puckered little things that I’m not too fussed about. Come Christmas, though, I can’t resist their alcohol-bloated siren song.

Sultanas have nothing to do with this post, I just really enjoyed sneaking them out of the mixture! I’m not ready to make full-blown Christmas related recipes thought, it’s still too early, so I’ve made these delightful little cupcakes, which are perfectly festive, but a little understated as well. Continue reading “Chocolate chai cupcakes and a subtle Christmas”

Double chocolate biscuits and salted caramel

saltThese biscuits are divine. They’re like little bites of cake; they’re just the right amount of chocolateyness and they have these perfect seams of chocolate running through them… topped with the salted caramel, these may just be the answer to every first world problem you can think of.

Internet stopped working? Have a biscuit.

Significant other not texting back? Have a biscuit.

Wasted your study time perusing Pinterest? Pin this recipe, then have a biscuit. Continue reading “Double chocolate biscuits and salted caramel”

Gluten free garlic parmesan pull apart bread and Wintery weather

herbsThe weather in Sydney is consistently wet. It has been six days since I last posted a recipe, and the only excuse I have is the weather! Weather like this makes me want to cook and eat.

And repeat.

Blogging took a back seat while I busied myself baking (and eating) delicious Wintery foods that I thought I’d have to wait until next year to post.

flourI also got the chance to use some gluten free flour I was kindly given by Well & Good. I’d never baked with gluten free flour before (to be honest, I was pretty apprehensive!), but the result was perfect. The bread rose perfectly and crisped nicely. The gluten free flour seems to result in a slightly different tasting bread – not a bad taste, just slightly different to regular flour. Continue reading “Gluten free garlic parmesan pull apart bread and Wintery weather”

Mini mushroom tarts and lady beetles

A lady beetle was the highlight of my morning.

I opened a bag of baby spinach to put in a breakfast smoothie and she was there. I stared at her for a second, because it’s not what you expect of baby spinach. When you buy unwashed greens you sometimes encounter slugs or a teensy snail, or something equally squeamish…but mainly they’ve just got a little soil clinging to a few leaves.

She was so still and curled up that I assumed she was dead. I contemplated how long this gorgeous little beetle had been alive before she landed on the wrong leaf and was packaged up, shipped and refrigerated. Continue reading “Mini mushroom tarts and lady beetles”

Raspberry and walnut crumble cake and rain

serverThis rainy weather is quite persistent.

It’s torrential, inhibiting and makes me want to stay inside. I got soaked walking from the car to the grocery store, even though I’d parked right out the front!

Luckily, however, I’m still unemployed (actually, the luck of my unemployment is debateable), because I have no need to go outside!

sceneThe soaking that I received in my brief trip to the shops was worth it, because I bought mushrooms for a recipe which I’ll post tomorrow. It’s hearty and warm and full of flavour, which is perfect in this weather. Continue reading “Raspberry and walnut crumble cake and rain”