Ingredients:-

120 gms (½ cup) Butter
90 gms (½ cup) Soft Brown Sugar
100 gms (½ cup) White Sugar
60 gms (½ cup) white flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of (baking) soda
½ tsp baking powder
45 gms (½ cup) oats
¼ tsp salt
1 large Egg
¼ tsp Vanilla Essence
150 gms (6 ozs) Mixed Chocolate chips

Method

Preheat the oven to 375ºF, 190ºC
Lightly grease a flat baking sheet or line with a non stick liner
Sift all the dry ingredients together and set aside
Cream the butter with both the sugars until the mix is light and fluffy
Slowly beat in the egg
Add the Vanilla essence
Gently add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. If the mixture is a little ‘stiff’ you can add a little milk until you get the consistency that you like
Stir in the chocolate chips
Drop large teaspoonsful onto the tray, leaving plenty of space around each
Bake for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned – the middle should be slightly chewy

Makes about 30

Ingredients

135 gms or 3/4 cup light brown sugar- packed but not too firmly
120 gms or 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
250 mls or 1 cup vanilla yoghurt
1 egg
5 mls or 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
210 gms or 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
50 gms or 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
8 gms or 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
150 gms or 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Method

Preheat oven to 350F, 180C.
Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper muffin cases.
Mix the sugar and butter together in a medium bowl.
Add yogurt, egg and vanilla and mix until well combined.
Sift the flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder together into a large bowl.
Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture, stirring until just barely blended together.
Fold in the chocolate chips.
Spoon the mix into the muffin cases and bake for approx 25 minutes.

For a 12 inch flan dish

Short Crust Pastry (sufficient to line dish) – the ready-rolled stuff is fine
350 ml double cream
2 tablespoons caster sugar
Pinch salt
115g unsalted butter
455g milk chocolate (I use good quality Belgian cooking chocolate)
100ml cold milk
cocoa powder for dusting

Pastry case
Line 12 inch flan dish with short-crust pastry
Bake blind* for 25 mins at gas mark 6
Allow to cool

Chocolate filling
Soften the butter
Put the cream, sugar & salt in a pan and bring to boil
Reduce heat and add the softened butter & chocolate – stir until melted
Allow to cool slightly and then whisk in the cold milk until smooth & shiny
Fill the pastry case brim-full with the chocolate mixture and leave to cool for 1-2 hours or until it reaches room temperature.

Dust with cocoa powder & serve

* Bake blind = pre-bake the pastry in dish on its own, lined on top with foil and weighted-down with baking beans or rice so as to stop pastry rising.

Note – Can be kept in fridge for a few days. It can be served chilled straight from fridge, but I prefer to let it come to room temperature, which gives the chocolate filling a lovely soft texture

1 – 2 oz (25 – 50 gms) good quality chocolate, broken to pieces
2 tbsp (30 ml) milk, cold
8 fl ozs (200 mls) hot, but not quite boiling, milk
A large spoonful of double (heavy) cream

Put the chocolate and cold milk into a heavy saucepan and warm over a gentle heat
When it starts to melt and before the liquid boils, remove from the heat and allow the chocolate to soften
Beat into a smooth paste with a small whisk
Slowly add one or two tablespoons of the hot milk to dilute the paste, then slowly add the rest of the milk, continuing to stir all the time
If necessary reheat just a little but do not allow it to boil or you will lose the lovely chocolate aroma!
Pour into a large cup and drizzle the cream across the top.

Curl up in your favourite armchair and drink slowly.

Roland Decorvet, head of Nestlé in Switzerland announced that the company plans to open a  research centre that will develop new chocolate products to meet the anticipated growth in demand for luxury and gourmet confectionary. The centre will apparently employ up to 30 Chocolatiers and will open in the first half of next year at the company’s  factory in the Swiss town of Broc.   Nestlé will be investing around 20 million Swiss francs ($19.6 million) in the project.

Do you think they need any tasters?

Ingredients:

8 oz (200 gms) Semi-sweet chocolate
1/3 cup (80ml) Milk
1/3 cup (80 gms) Unsalted butter
2 Egg yolks, slightly beaten
1/4 tsp Vanilla extract
Unsweetened cocoa powder for rolling

Instructions:

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, melt the chocolate with the milk and butter over a low heat, stirring until smooth.
Remove from heat. Put the egg yolks into a medium sized bowl and stir 1/4 cup of the hot mixture, then whisk the yolk mix into the rest of chocolate mixture in the saucepan.
Add the vanilla essence and beat well.
Pour into small bowl, cover and refrigerate until firm.
You can store in refrigerator for up to 2 days at this point
Form small teaspoonful sized amounts into balls, roll in the cocoa powder and shake off any excess.

Makes about 2 dozen