CHOCOLATE PIECES WITH RAISINS AND NUTS

I melted milk chocolate, poured it onto baking paper to make (a kind of) circles, decorated them with nuts and two kind of raisins. You can also decorate them with lots of different items ranging from bits of dried fruits and a variation of nuts. I put them on a tray and let them cool in the fridge for a few hours. You can also make dark chocolate and white chocolate ones. This is a very easy gift to make and it gives it an extra charm if you make them yourselves in stead of buying the expensive ones from the shop.

APPLE PIE WITH CINNAMON TOPPING

This apple pie was made with a crunchy cinnamon topping, it's a slightly different recipe than the ones I've put on my blog already so let me know if you would like it.

PROFITEROLES

This is one of my favourites to make for guests. You can make it in advance and be creative with the filling; whipped cream, ice cream or custard.

Ingredients for 30 profiteroles:

• 225ml (7.fl oz) cold water
• 75g (3oz) butter
• 115g (4oz) plain flour
• a pinch of salt
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten

Steps:

• Place the water and butter in a saucepan and heat gently until the butter melts, and then bring to the boil.
• Remove from the heat and tip in the flour. Beat with a wooden spoon until combined. Return to the heat and cook over a low heat for a few seconds until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan to form a ball. Do not over-beat.
• Gradually pour the eggs. Mix until just mixed and the pastry forms a stiff, glossy paste. Do not over-process or it will become too thin.
• Spoon walnut-sized balls onto a baking sheet, then bake for 20-25 mins until golden. Remove from oven, poke the underneath with a teaspoon, turn upside-down, then bake for 5 mins to dry out. Cool on a wire rack before filling.
• once cooled you can fill them with vanilla creme, whipped cream or ice cream. Above I've added a picture with whipped cream and vanilla cream.

TIP: It's important to tip the flour in as soon as the water boils, because losing too much liquid by evaporation will affect your pastry.