Little Box Brownie

A Baking Blog from Melbourne, Australia

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Kit Kat Blondies

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It was a good friend of mines birthday a few weeks ago, ok may be not weeks ago it might have been a few months ago, I have just lost track of time again,. You all know how hopeless I am by now with keeping track of time.

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Anyway my Friend can’t eat dark or milk chocolate as it gives her really bad headaches. I know!!!! Could you imaging not being able to eat chocolate!!!  Thats like some kind of nightmare in my world. So I couldn’t take her a plate of chocolate brownies as she couldn’t eat them and that would be just plain mean, and after all it was her birthday. So I decided to make her some blondies and insert one of her fav chocolate bars into them, to jazz them up a bit, the good old white chocolate Kit Kat. I may have lost a few slices of Kit Kat as they went into the mixture, I could just say that some how they fell on to the floor but really they fell into my mouth and got gobbled up, lucky I had another bar on stand by for such an unfortunate event….

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Peanut butter and chocolate tart

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Don’t forget to get a copy of my first ever baking book, you can get it right here, just head to the shop page.

A few months ago I joined a Baking Meet up, its a group of people from all walks of life who love to bake, from beginners through to experts working in the industry. The group meets up whenever someone suggests something to do or somewhere to go and there are enough people wanting to be involved.

I have been to two so far we had a afternoon tea in the park one week, which was a blast. Then another one when we all meet at a little cafe. Everyone normally bakes something and brings it along, then we spend a few hours just chatting about baking and getting to know everyone. Its such a great way to get inspiration for the blog and just to enjoy and sample everyone’s baked goods.

Its also a very good excuse to bake something myself, but really who am I kidding, what excuse do I need. I first thought awesome this is going to be a great way to get rid of all the things I bake so I don’t end up eating them all, gaining weight and feeling sick from all the sugar . However when everyone brings such lush baked goods, you simply must try everything, well I have to. So I end up coming away feeling sick and I’m sure I’m stacking on the pounds, so my plan to get rid of cakes and sweets was a big fat fail. But hey its great meeting up with people who share a common interest and what else is life for if you can’t enjoy it a little once in a while. For the last meet up I baked a Peanut butter and chocolate tart as it was a tart theme, and everyone come with different tarts and magically there was no doubling up of the same type.

A few weeks before one of the girls who is a pastry chef, ran a tart making class for everyone at a commercial kitchen in South Melbourne. I unfortunately couldn’t make it, but it sounded amazing and such fun. So the last meet up was a spin off from that, so that everyone who went could practice their skills. Boy oh boy they didn’t disappoint, everyone’s tarts where super amazing. Elaine will be running more classes, I think there is a bread making one come up soon too, I will have to try to get to that one.

If you live in Melbourne and feel like getting out and meeting other people who love to bake you should join up, you can find all the details here. Its open to anyone you should just love to bake.

Happy Baking. xxx

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Tart
Author: Sophia Purvis
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • PASTRY
  • 150 g butter
  • 2 cups plain flour
  • ¾ cup white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • FILLING
  • 200g dark chocolate
  • 125g butter
  • 1 tbsp coffee granules
  • 200ml sour cream
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3 eggs lightly beaten
  • ½ cup of peanut butter
Instructions
  1. Place the butter and flour into a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and pulse to combine. Add the egg and pulse until the mixture combines and forms a dough, add a small about of water if the mixture is to dry. Wrap the mixture into cling wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour.
  2. Pre-heat the oven to 160C
  3. Remove from the fridge and roll out and place into a 12x30cm tart tin. Blind bake for 10 minutes, then remove the beans and bake for 5 minutes.
  4. To make the filling, place the chocolate, butter and coffee into a saucepan on a medium heat. Stir until the chocolate and butter have melted and the ingredients combine. While still on the heat add the sour cream and stir until combined then remove from the heat and whisk in the eggs. Pour the mixture into the tart case and place small dollops of peanut butter through the tart.
  5. Place the tart into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until cooked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oreo Brownies

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Look at this little baby, this cute Little Box Brownie was kindly given to me from my Dads next door neighbour, this Brownie would have to be one of the cutest I have seen.
For those of you that don’t know, the Brownie was produce by Eastman Kodak in the 1900’s, the camera made photography accessible to the millions, before the Brownie photography was expensive and this little camera brought about the accessibility that we have today. People where able to have there own camera and capture their own family moments, it really revolutionised photography.
I have a couple Brownie Cameras in storage, well they really belong to my brother. But the do say possession in nine tenths the law, and he hasn’t had them for about 15 years so surly there mine? Well I haven’t been able to locate there exact position so when this was kindly donated to me I of course had to shoot it with some delicious Chocolate Brownies. So finally I have be able to pair the two reasons this blog is called Little Box Brownie, Brownie the Camera and Brownie the Sweets, combining my two loves both photography and baking into one name.

Peanut Brittle Slice

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Well… doesn’t time fly when your having fun? It seems to be flying for me even when I’m not. I can’t for the life of me believe how quickly the weeks are blurring together to form months. Its been nearly 3 weeks since my last post, I think thats a bit of a record. Its not that I haven’t had recipes to put up, in fact I have a number of them, its just that I haven’t found the time. So I hope no one has been waiting for their next sugary fix.
Wedding season is back in full gear and between that and spending every free minute sanding little Miss Daisy, which has had its fair number of dramas I might add, I have just lost track of time,

This next recipe is one I made months ago, so many months ago I can’t even recall why. but its good, supper tasty in fact, just a little on the hard side to eat.

 
Peanut Brittle Chocolate Slice
 
Base
 
200 g butter
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
 
Filling
 
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 water
50g butter
2 cups unsalted peanuts
1/4 cup cream
 
Topping
 
250g dark chocolate
50g butter
 
pre heat the oven to 170C
 
To make the base, cut the butter into cubes and rub into the flour and baking powder until it resembles fine bread crumbs. Then stir through the sugar and combine the egg until the mixture forms a dough. Press this into a 20 x 30 cm tin and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown, remove from the oven and set aside.
 
To make the filling, place the corn syrup, sugar and water into a saucepan and heat until the mixture becomes golden, swirl the pot rather than stirring the ingredients, or alternatively use a wet pastry brush to brush down the sides.  Remove from the heat and stir through the butter and cream, be very carful as the mixture with splatter and rise up. Stir through the peanuts and pour into the base immediately. 
 
To make the topping, place the chocolate and butter into a double boiler and heat until the chocolate has melted. Pour over the slice and leave to cool. Cut when cooled.