Chocolate overload

By
Newcastle Weekly
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It’s Easter time! Indulge a little. Here’s an easy recipe for the kids and a somewhat more complex one for the big kids.

Gluten-free chestnut & chocolate brownies

Prep: 20 mins + chestnut prep time | Cook: 25-30 mins | Makes: 16 pieces

Ingredients

  • 500g fresh chestnuts or 350g cooked and peeled chestnuts
  • 200g good quality dark chocolate, broken into squares
  • 200g unsalted butter, chopped
  • 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup gluten-free self-raising flour*
  • 2 tbsp cocoa
  • Pinch salt

*Standard self-raising flour can be used for a non-gluten-free version.

To roast chestnuts

  1. Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced).
  2. Cut a shallow cross into the flat side of each chestnut shell. Place prepared chestnuts onto a baking tray and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the shells split open.
  3. Once cooked, remove chestnuts from the heat and wrap in a clean tea towel for 5 minutes. While chestnuts are still warm, quickly peel off the outer brown shell and remove the papery thin skin underneath.

To cook the brownie

  1. Reduce oven to 180˚C or 160˚C fan-forced.
  2. Grease and line a 16cm x 26cm x 2-3cm deep slab pan with baking paper, leaving a 2cm overhang on the sides of the pan.
  3. Set aside 50g cooked and peeled chestnuts. Place remaining chestnuts into a food processor. Process until fine crumbs form (you’ll need 2 cups ground chestnuts). Set aside.
  4. Place chocolate and butter in a large microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes, stirring with a metal spoon every minute until melted. Set aside to cool.
  5. Using a metal spoon, stir in sugar, vanilla and eggs into chocolate mixture until well combined. Sift over flour, cocoa and salt. Stir to combine.
  6. Gently fold through chestnuts. Pour into prepared pan. Chop reserved chestnuts and sprinkle over mixture.
  7. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out with moist crumbs sticking. Cool completely in the pan. Cut into squares.
  8. Serve with whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa if liked.

Recipe courtesy Chestnuts Australia | chestnutsaustralia.com.au

Easter trifles

Prep: 20 mins + chilling time for the jelly | Serves: 6

Note: Make the jelly 4-5 hours or the day before making these trifles.

Ingredients

  • 2 x 85g packets raspberry jelly
  • 900g tub thick vanilla custard
  • 4 chocolate hot cross buns, chopped into 2cm pieces
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries
  • 12 Honey Jumble biscuits

Method

  1. Prepare the jellies following packet instructions. Pour jelly mixture into a 16cm x 26cm baking pan. Refrigerate until set.
  2. Spoon half of the jelly into the bases of 6 tall serving glasses. Top with a layer of custard, a layer of chopped hot-cross buns and then the raspberries. Repeat layering using the custard, hot-cross buns and jelly. Top with a dollop of custard.
  3. Decorate each trifle with 2 honey-jumble biscuits (bunny ears style) and serve.

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