Paul Merrett's Chocolate Brownie Cookies

MUNCH RATING: 3/5

This recipe is from the TV show Economy Gastronomy and it’s by Paul Merrett. I don’t really like the TV show as I think it’s incredibly patronising, so I’ve only watched a couple of episodes and this is one of the recipes I saw. I thought they looked good and easy to make, so I thought I’d give them a try.
The mixture was really quite runny and the first batch I made (on the right of the picture) came out really thin. I’d used a tablespoon to dollop the mixture onto the baking trays. Even though I’d used greaseproof paper, the cookies still stuck like mad to the paper!

I got Steve to do the second batch (as I was busy making potato cakes) and he made them a lot bigger than mine (on the left of the picture) because he thought the first batch was too thin. He said the mixture had stiffened a little bit as it had been sitting on the counter for about 20 minutes whilst we waited for the first batch to cook and cool down. The cookies still spread loads and even though he’d spaced them out, they ended up touching each other when I took them out of the oven. His batch stuck to the greaseproof paper as well.

The end result is good as they do taste like brownies. They are nice and chewy, but slighty crispy as brownies should be. However, I don’t really rate the recipe itself and I would rather make proper brownies instead!

CHANGES TO THE RECIPE:
I changed the method in Paul’s recipe to make it more logical and quicker to make by melting the chocolate in the microwave. His original recipe can be found here. I also didn’t use the nuts as I don’t like them and I used Lindt Lindor White Chocolates as that’s the only white chocolate I had in the house!

Ingredients:

• 2 free-range eggs
• 130g/4¾oz caster sugar
• ½ tbsp strong black coffee
• 20g/¾oz butter
• 200g/7oz plain chocolate, broken into pieces
• 30g/1oz plain flour, sifted
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• pinch salt
• 50g/2oz macadamia nuts, cut in half
• 50g/2oz white chocolate, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. Melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave for 50-60 seconds on Power 8. Set aside to cool for 4-5 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and coffee for 7-8 minutes, or until lighter in colour, thick and well combined. Use an electric whisk or hand blender to save your arms from aching!
4. Add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and stir until well combined.
5. Carefully fold the flour, baking powder and salt into the batter mixture until well combined.
6. Carefully fold the nuts (if using) and white chocolate into the batter mixture until well combined.
7. Line 1-2 very shallow baking trays with greaseproof paper. Spoon dollops of the batter mixture onto the greaseproof paper, leaving a generous space between each spoonful of batter (the brownie biscuits will expand during cooking).
8. Transfer the brownie biscuits to the oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until the brownie biscuits have risen but are still soft in the centre and the tops have cracked slightly. Set aside to cool and harden on a wire rack before serving.

Cornish Fairings

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

I don’t know if this is a traditional Cornish recipe or not, it’s just one I got out of the free Tesco magazine! But they are really nice biscuits, crispy but chewy at the same time. They taste quite strongly of ginger, but that just makes them nice and spicy. They went down well, the only complaint being the recipe only makes 6 biscuits! But they are large biscuits at 9cm in diameter, so they’re quite filling. But next time I will double the recipe as they’re so easy to make!

CHANGES TO THE RECIPE:
I added dried cranberries as I had them in the cupboard, but you couldn’t really taste them, so next time I won’t bother adding them.

• Makes: 6 biscuits
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 7/425°F/220°C
• Oven shelf: Top
• You will need: a large mixing bowl, a large baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper

Ingredients:

• 125g (4oz) plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon mixed spice
• 50g (2oz) caster sugar
• 50g (2oz) butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 Tablespoons golden syrup

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 7/425°F/220°C.
2. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, ground ginger, mixed spice and sugar.
3. Cut the butter into small pieces and rub in with your fingers until it resembles breadcrumbs.
4. Mix in the syrup and knead until you have a smooth dough.
5. Divide the mixture into 6 pieces, then roll each piece into a ball.
6. Place the balls onto your lined baking sheet, spacing them well apart as they will spread. Flatten each ball with the palm of your hand, until it is about 1cm thick.
7. Bake in the oven for 7-8 minutes until they have turned a deep golden brown, watch them as they change colour very quickly at the end of cooking.
8. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Leek, Pea and Bacon Pasta Bake

MUNCH RATING: 4/5

This is one of those speedy suppers that doesn’t require any effort! The result is a really comforting dish of sweet leeks and peas, meaty bacon, pasta and a creamy cheese sauce – yum!

You will need: a large frying pan, a large saucepan

Ingredients:

• 3-6 rashers of bacon, chopped
• 1 leek, finely sliced into rings
• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 140g frozen peas
• 300g pasta shapes
• 200g tub of soft cream cheese (I used Tesco Value, only 45p!)
• 85g mature cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 teaspoon mustard (I used Dijon)
• black pepper

Directions:

1. Boil the pasta in plenty of salted, boiling water.
2. Meanwhile, fry the bacon in the oil until it is crispy and then add the leeks and gently fry for 10 minutes until they are soft.
3. Add the peas and gently fry until they’re heated through, about 3 minutes.
4. Reserve 150ml of the cooking water when you drain the pasta. Add this water, the cream cheese, half of the grated cheese and the mustard to the leeks and bacon. Stir until the cheese melts into a creamy sauce. Then stir in the pasta. Scatter the other half of the cheese over the top.
5. Heat the grill to high, then grill your pasta bake for 2-3 minutes until the cheese has melted and turned golden brown.