Mum's Fudgy Chocolate Brownies

Hand written recipes. Passed down from generation to generation.
The exact same flavours, textures and appearance experienced by those carrying the same genes, decades apart. There's something exquisite in the thought of family traditions, things enjoyed on repeat-those delightful family classics.
This is one of those family classics. It's mum's brownie recipe, and it's a real winner. I've tried other brownie recipes and I just can't find one quite as nice. It's fudgy, chocolatey and moist-simply delectable. Today my kids are making it and it's being enjoyed my the third generation. I hope it passes to many more!
What's your best family favourite?

MUM'S BROWNIES

1 cup (250g) butter
1 cup cocoa powder
2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp salt


Icing:
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/4 cup (60ml) cream 
2 cups icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
Walnuts to decorate (optional)

Preheat your oven to 180C.
Melt butter and remove from heat. Stir through the cocoa and brown sugar until combined.
Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Next, blend in the flour and salt. Spoon the batter into a greased and lined 18x18 square baking dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

To make the icing, place all the ingredients in a bowl, and whip on high until thick and smooth. Cut the edges off the cooled brownie, then cut into two. Lather one with icing, then place the other half on top and smooth on the remainder. You can use a fork to draw a line pattern in the top, and sprinkle crushed walnuts on the finished product if desired. Cut and serve!

NOTES: You can omit a tablespoon or so of the flour to make for a slightly fudgier brownie. Yum!

Decadent Creamy Rum Balls

I sit here with a large glass of green smoothie. It's chlorophyll packed, vitamin packaged and nutritious, to counteract a week of indulgent eating in Melbourne. Alright, one smoothie isn't going to cut it, but these drinks are becoming a regular, and I feel good! I'll tell you what else feels really good-belly laughs. Yes, I had a really good one the other night. It concerned coming home to my little family after my "annual leave" to hear my 5 year old son talk repeatedly of these great "chocolate energy balls" that daddy put in his lunchbox. There was talk of how there were a few left over for other lunches. Chocolate energy balls this, chocolate energy balls that.
Thinking Dad must have bought some new fandangled treat when he went shopping, I thought little more of it-until I saw a few remaining energy balls in the refrigerator on a late night raid.
Chocolate energy balls.
Laced with good, and I mean, very good, lashings of Mount Gay Rum. Not chocolate energy balls, but adult only style rum balls.
All of a sudden I envisioned my son at school writing his letters a little less than precise, reeking of Mount Gay Rum. Fumes on the breath. Teacher's eyes bulging a little at the recognition of the scent of liquor surrounding a kiddo in her class.
No wonder they were so good.
Before I left for Melbourne I made my hubby some of these delicious adult treats, but I fear the Tupperware slice container made them look rather child friendly and fooled him. I mean, there's not so much rum in them to affect a kid, but still, it make me cackle wildly in the dead of night.
Next time he requests those "chocolate energy balls" for his lunchbox, I'll be holding off on the booze!
I took a container of these "energy balls" on the plane with me to Melbourne to give to my mum as a gift. I got stranded for a good few hours at a train station in the city and, not having eaten for about 8 hours, retrieved them from my bag and started on my lunch of decadent creamy rum balls. While I indulged, I watched a man scrounge through a garbage bin and thought about offering him a few. Then I was distracted in that moment by a woman sitting in a cafe. She started vomiting all over the cafe table-violent vomiting. The man ran away from the bin in a screaming rage at an invisible person.
Eventful and random morning. I continued eating through the box of rum balls-feeling very fortunate all of a sudden. Sorry Mum.
This recipe comes from my good friend Ursula, and they are her specialty. She made me a lovely gift box full of them for me at Christmas, and I knew I had to get her to share the recipe with me. They are so delicious-definitely not your average rum balls. The Secret I think is in the addition of butter. They are creamy! Decadently creamy, chocolatey and rummy. Moorish.

URSULA'S DECADENT CREAMY RUM BALLS

2 cups icing sugar
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
2-3 tbsp good quality rum
2 tbsp vanilla extract/essence
125g melted butter

Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Add the rum, vanilla and melted butter to the dry mixture. Combine thoroughly. Roll into bite sized balls and refrigerate until ready to consume.

NOTE: if the mixture is a little too dry and the balls do not hold together well, add a tiny little bit of water or rum until the texture is corrected.

Tia Maria White Chocolate Truffles

Fits of laughter erupt from the kitchen. There's a thump, then there's giggles. Some one-glass-wonder has eaten too many white chocolate truffles, laced with Tia Maria, by the looks of things. My husband walks into the kitchen to find me writhing on the floor in fits of laughter.
Just kidding.
But sometimes I feel like I could end up like this at someone's party. An embarrassing moment when you have one rum ball too many. Honestly I wouldn't put it past myself, after being pregnant and not having alcohol for close to a year, I'm way out of practice, and even a few sips of wine now does my head in. I was already a one (or two) glass wonder to begin with.
Friends--don't be horrified if this happens at your house when you next get me around, I assure you it's unintentional. Bear with me while I get my liver going again, and I can have half a glass again without getting "tiddly."
But don't worry, there's very little liqueur in these delicious and easy and moreish truffles. There's just enough to make it taste delectably adult-only, with its coffee and slight rum taste that is Tia Maria, combined with the sweetness of the white chocolate and that bitterness of the cocoa powder each truffle is rolled in. It's dark, rich and handsome. And we all know that's a winning combination.

TIA MARIA WHITE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES (Adapted from Australian Good Taste Magazine, April 2013, pg 105)

200g white chocolate (I used cooking chocolate to ensure firmness)
1/2 cup thickened cream
1-2 tbsp. Tia Maria liqueur
1/2 cup cocoa powder to coat

Break up the chocolate into a medium sized, heat proof bowl. Add the cream and stir through the chocolate. Place this bowl in the microwave, and heat on high at 20 second increments, stirring between these periods until the chocolate is evenly melted. Add the Tia Maria. Thoroughly stir until the cream and the melted chocolate and liqueur comes together as one. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight to firm up.
After this firming period, remove from the refrigerator and use a teaspoon to scoop out rough, walnut sized balls. Use damp hands to roll each portion into a smoother ball. Return to the refrigerator to firm up further if necessary, especially in warmer weather. Roll these balls in cocoa powder. Refrgerate until ready to serve.

Makes about 12

NOTES: After sitting in the refrigerator, often the cocoa powder will have absorbed some moisture. Just re-roll the truffles in a little extra cocoa powder before serving. Variation: use the same quantity of dark chocolate and add Cointreau to it in place of the Tia Maria.

Baileys Tiramisu

Was this the end of my indulgent cooking,  I wondered? My husband informed me that he was thinking of joining the new gym that has just opened up down the road. No more sweet things during the week...oh how was I to live this way? Desserts, or a super buff husband? Tough choice, I found myself thinking. But a buff hubby does sound pretty good.
I'll just have to sneak the baking away in the cupboard to help him avoid the temptation. No one's stopping me getting chunky! Okay, not chunky, but I do have a rather large protuberance at the moment in my belly region. I have a gorgeous bun in the oven, and it insists on being iced.
Mind you, last pregnancy with my son Ben was similar, craving wise. Now he's a real sugar belly. Ah what have I done! Maybe I should stop baking? Oh my life is flashing before me!

 

BAILEYS TIRAMISU (adapted from http://www.taste.com.au/)

2 cups strong black coffee

1/2 cup Baileys Irish Cream

3 eggs, separated

1/3 cup caster sugar

250g mascarpone

300ml thickened cream, lightly whipped

1 large packet of sponge fingers (savoiardi)

cocoa, for dusting

Extra cream for decorating

Pour coffee and Baileys into a shallow dish and set aside.
Beat egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl with electric beaters until pale and thick. Add the mascarpone and whipped cream, mixing gently until just combined.

Beat egg whites in a medium bowl with electric beaters until soft peaks form. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold egg whites into the mascarpone mixture.

Dip enough biscuits into the coffee mixture to cover the base of a 19cm square ceramic dish. Cover the biscuits with one-third of the mascarpone mixture. Repeat layers 2 times, ending with the cream mixture. If you desire, whip a little extra cream and pipe onto the top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Dust generously with cocoa and serve.