Weet-Bix Slice

Good Grief.  I'm embarrassed to admit that I have never made Weet-Bix Slice before GLUTEN FREE Weet-Bix came along.  I know right?  Hilarious. 

Well here it is in all it's glory. It really is fabulous and SUPER EASY.

Original recipe from KAI TIME (a NZ TV show with a huge following).  I have adapted here to make gluten free :)

Ingredients
180g butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 Cup desiccated coconut
3 Gluten Free Weet-Bix, crushed
1 Cup gluten free plain flour
1 teaspoon gluten free baking powder
3/4 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup gluten free cocoa

Topping
200g Gluten Free Chocolate
1/3 Cup cream
Desiccated coconut to sprinkle on top

Method
Preheat oven to 180 C.  Melt butter and add vanilla
Combine dry ingredients together in a food processor, pour in butter and blitz until well combined.
Press mixture into a lined slice pan and bake at 180 C for 15-20 minutes until firm

Allow to cool

Melt chocolate and cream together and pour over cooled base
Refrigerate until set

Use a hot dry knife to cut into squares.

I think the slice is best served at room temperature after the chocolate topping has initially set but totally your call.  ENJOY!

Rocky Road

Got a hankering for some Rocky Road?

You're in luck! Here's a simple recipe that's bound to please

Ingredients

375g pack Nestle Melts (Dark or Milk Chocolate) 

170-200g Gluten Free Raspberry Lollies

200g Gluten Free Marshmallows

1/2 cup unsalted peanuts (* make sure to check ingredients list for hidden gluten)

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

**OMIT nuts if you prefer a nut-free Rocky Road or to make SCHOOL FRIENDLY 

Method

Chop raspberry lollies in half.  If using regular sized marshmallows, cut into quarters (this can be a sticky process and will test your patience).
If you are fortunate enough to stumble across Gluten Free mini marshmallows - WELL DONE 

Melt chocolate

- in microwave (50% power) for 1 minute. Stir. Continue with 10 second bursts until all the chocolate has melted. Watch your power - don't overheat!

- stove top ~ half-fill saucepan with water and bring to a simmer. Place chocolate melts in a glass bowl that fits snuggly on the top of saucepan making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water! 

Use a metal spoon to stir until chocolate has melted.

Combine coconut, peanuts, lollies and marshmallows in a heatproof bowl. Add melted chocolate and mix well.  Pour into slice tray lined with baking paper and refrigerate until set (allow about 2 hours).

Allow a short spell out of the fridge before cutting with a hot dry knife.

Variations can include glacé cherries, gluten free biscuits, macadamias - your only limit is your imagination.. 

Betty's Birthday Baking

A good friend of mine has a pet name for me due to my love of baking.. BETTY
Her affectionate comments have included "Nice one Betty" "Betty I'm impressed" "Make sure some of that is in plentiful supply when I call in for afternoon tea later Betty" - I know it's a term of endearment, it's kinda grown on me, OK so I kinda like it..

So Betty got baking a few days back.  Abbey's 6th birthday was looming.  Got baking? OK it was a baking FRENZY.  I had mudcake, macarons, cupcakes, and fondant coming out of the wazoo.  I had 12 kids coming for some afternoon frivolity and sugar fuelled madness.


WHY.. WHY..  I think this Coeliac scourge is creeping into my cranial cavity and strangling my brain.  Did I mention the choc-mallow jelly slice.. *GROAN*

Clearly I had bitten off more than I could chew but I was gonna make this happen.  CRAP. Why do I put myself under this pressure.  It's a bit OCD for me this baking gig. But I do LOVE it.

Well I'm happy to report that I pulled it off.  Yes. That's right.  I BLOODY did it.










A word to the wise..

If you intend on colouring fondant yourself, use GLOVES (mmm yes.. something that I could have done with knowing EARLIER..)  Better still, buy COLOURED FONDANT unless of course you're comfortable with grotesquely stained hands for days and uncomfortable stares at the supermarket checkout..

If you need to cool jelly.. DON'T forget about it and return to fridge 2 hours later in a lather realising that it has SET.. SET! That's appropriate here.  Set a TIMER people.. a TIMER (DOH! Now that tested me - stress levels were through the roof)  




AND yet, in spite of my setbacks, it all went off rather well.  It pays to have a sense of humour.  It has gotten me through many a sticky situation.


And for those of you that want to give the fabulous
Choc-mallow jelly slice a whirl.. I found the recipe in the March 2013 edition of Super Food Ideas and you can find it HERE   *Remembering to substitute for GLUTEN FREE where appropriate - e.g., Sweet biscuits, Milk Chocolate, Marshmallows

 

 

Pear & Blueberry Slice

The inspiration for this recipe came from a bowl of beautiful pears that were winking at me from the  end of my kitchen counter top.  As always, I googled for ideas and came across this delicious recipe by Justine Schofield from Everyday Gourmet.  Her recipe was not gluten free so I just tweaked it (only having to substitute the flour and baking powder for the gluten free variety and using pure vanilla extract as I didn't have a VANILLA POD at my disposal today) the rest was as easy as A-B-C

200g caster sugar
2 eggs
zest from 1/2 lemon
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
150ml milk
110g butter
150g almond meal
5 Tbs gluten free plain flour
1 1/2 tsp gluten free baking powder
2 pears roughly chopped (I used 3 as mine were small to medium in size)
100g blueberries (I used frozen and they were fine)

Pre-heat oven to 180°C
Grease and line a rectangular slice tin.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, caster sugar, lemon zest and vanilla together until the sugar has dissolved. 
Melt butter and add to milk.  Mix into the egg mixture until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold together with a wooden spoon until an even batter has formed.
Add the blueberries and pears and combine.
Cook for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
(As a guide - I cooked my slice for approx. 40 minutes but I was watching the top carefully and only removed from the oven once the skewer test confirmed all good)

So thanks for the great recipe Justine.  It turned out fab.