Grasshopper Pie and a review

Have you ever wondered what's in a grasshopper pie? I first saw them in America and was intrigued by them. Its essentially a mint and chocolate no bake pie which is popular in America. If you do a google search, the 2 main recipes that appear are from Nigella and the Hummingbird Bakery. I used the recipe from the Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days as I was looking through my cookbooks for inspiration for this month's AlphaBakes which is the letter G. 

This was the perfect end to a meal with the family. It was easy to put together as it required no baking but hours of chilling time. It's a very rich dessert with marshmallows, milk and lots of fresh cream so only a small slice is required. 

As mentioned, I'm entering this to AlphaBakes which I am hosting this month with my co-host Caroline from Caroline Makes. The letter this month is G for Grasshopper Pie.  

I'm also entering this to Tea Time Treats hosted by Kate from What Kate Baked and Karen from Lavender and Lovage. The theme this month is Ice creams, Jellies and Chilled Desserts. 

I was looking for my pie tin to make this dessert but couldn't find it anywhere so I decided to use this really cute I heart cake mould that I was sent by findmeagift to review. This silicone mould allows you to cut 6 large heart shape slices. It's oven safe to 220C and freezer safe to -40C. To be honest, I wasn't sure if I could make this pie in the mould as I was worried that it would not retain its heart shape but it worked! I was really pleased that the dessert set firmly in the fridge and I was able to get a decent heart shaped slice from it. It is a really large slice and I can imagine that it would look really good as a baked slice of cake which will be my next project.

My verdict - A solid silicone mould that does what it says on the tin. My pie came out of the mould easily and it was easy to wash. I've not tried baking with it yet so I can't comment if the cake sticks to the pan or not. There is a helpful diagram on the back of the mould with a picture guide to help you get the perfect heart shaped slice from your bake.  A perfect treat for yourself or a gift for a friend.

 double cream, oreo cookies, butter, milk, marshmallows and peppermint extract 

 crush the oreos and add melted butter to form a crust 

 chill the crust for at least 30 minutes until firm. 

 make the filling by melting marshmallow and milk  

 then stir in some cream, peppermiint extract and green food colouring  

 top with freshly whipped cream and chocolate shavings 

 it's a heart! 

 side view 

Recipe is from Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days which I won't reproduce here but if you do a google search you'll find it. The only changes I would make is to reduce the amount of butter for the crust or add more biscuits and to add more peppermint extract for a stronger mint flavour.

Disclaimer: I was sent the I heart cake mould from findmeagift free of charge for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own. 

Chocolate Marshmallows with Blackcurrant Jam filling

Sneaking in just under the wire with my not so successful attempt for we should cocoa. Choclette who is the host this month chose blackcurrants as the special ingredient and I really had to scratch my head to come up with an idea. As this was a last minute creation, I couldn't find any fresh blackcurrants so had to settle for blackcurrant jam instead. I've seen lots of creative entries this month but wanted to try something different. Buoyed by my recent success at making my own marshmallows I decided to make chocolate marshmallows with a blackcurrant jam filling. Sadly, it didn't turn out as expected and the lack of contrast in colours makes it even more difficult to photograph! It tastes delicious though and reminds me more of a jelly than a marshmallow! So perhaps I'll call this a chocolate jam/jelly/mallow!!

I'm entering this to We Should Cocoa which is hosted by Choclette from Chocolate Log Blog and Chele from Chocolate Teapot. Each month a special ingredient is chosen and the recipe has to incorporate the chosen ingredient and chocolate in any form.

 ingredients required - gelatine, golden syrup (or corn syrup), blackcurrant jam, cocoa powder 

 making the sugar syrup

 boiling to the correct temperature  

 I tried using one of my fancy moulds but unfortunately these didn't set and I don't have any photos of them. Basically you half-fill the mould with marshmallow mixture, pipe a blob of jam then cover with more marshmallow mixture and allow it to set for at least 4 hours. (The marshmallow mixture should be firmer than this but I'm not too sure where I went wrong!) 

 It's hard to see but I promise you there is jam in the middle! It honestly tastes better than it looks! :)

I've not had time to email the author for permission to publish the recipe. The recipe is from Marshmallow Madness by Shauna Sever.  I combined 2 of her recipes to make these but I may have missed a step as they didn't quite turn out!! Entirely my fault - it's a great book!

Chocolate Whoopie Pies

Happy 4th July to all those who are celebrating! My google reader is groaning with all sorts of red, white and blue delights so this is something different but still very American. One of my good friends was recently successful at a job interview - CONGRATULATIONS!  It's a job she has wanted for a long time and I'm so, so pleased for her. We went for a lovely celebratory dinner at Bistrot Bruno Loubet which I would recommend if you are in the area. I had the Beetroot ravioli which is in the Time Out Top 100 best dishes in London!

Doesn't it look amazing?

I wanted to bake something special for her to celebrate her success.  I remember her telling me that my Lemon Whoopie Pies were the best thing I've ever baked and she has tried a LOT of my baking! I decided to try the chocolate whoopie pies this time and use my jar of Marshmallow Fluff which I found in Asda. I used Dan Lepard's recipe again for the whoopie pies which turned out beautifully. I made a marshmallow fluff buttercream as fluff on its own is really, really sticky! 

The letter for this month's AlphaBakes is W which is perfect for Whoopie Pies!  AlphaBakes is a monthly baking/blogging challenge which is hosted this month by Caroline from Caroline Makes and on alternate months by myself.

As this is an American bake and it uses an American ingredient (Marhsmallow Fluff) I'm also entering this to United Bakes of America hosted by Gem from Cupcake Crazy Gem. 

I'm also entering them to Tea Time Treats which is hosted by the fabulous Karen from Lavender and Lovage and co-hosted by the fantastic Kate from What Kate Baked.  Karen chose the theme of cake stall cakes & bakes. I think these would be perfect for a cake stall and I'm sure they would be very popular. PS Karen I hope you will enjoy these even though they are very American! ;)

 I finally got a chance to use my Whoopie Pie Pan from America. 

 Melt the butter...

 Add in chocolate and continue melting. Then add in eggs, flour, sour cream and milk

  Ready to go in the oven

 Freshly baked 

My first time using Marshmallow fluff - It was too sticky to use on its own so I mixed it with a little butter and icing sugar which gives it a better spreadable consistency and still tasted fabulous.

  Spread a generous portion of marshmallow fluff buttercream on one whoopie pie

 Sandwich them together

 And roll in pretty sprinkles

This is what it looks like using pure marshmallow fluff as the filling

  Boxed and ready to be gifted

Recipe for chocolate whoopie pie was from Dan Lepard's short and sweet
Recipe for marshmallow fluff buttercream was based loosely on this recipe from BBC Good Food
 - I didn't actually weigh the ingredients but just mixed about 3/4 jar of marshmallow fluff with a small amount of butter and icing sugar until I got the consistency I wanted. 

Win a copy of Marshmallow Madness!

I recently reviewed a copy of this exciting new book - Marshmallow Madness! by Shauna Sever which is all about making your own marshmallows which you can read here. It's a great little book especially if you want to try making marshmallows at home.  I'm very pleased to announce that I have a copy to giveaway to 1 lucky reader.

To enter:
1. Complete the rafflecopter form below to confirm your entries made via blog comment, twitter, facebook, etc.
2. You must be a resident of UK to enter this giveaway as I'm paying for the postage cost (apologies to my international readers!)
3. The book is provided by Publishers Group UK.
4. The winner will be picked by Rafflecopter at random and will be contacted by email and/or twitter. 
5. Closing date is 30th July 2012.
6. You have EIGHT chances to enter to win this prize. All entries will be verified - no cheating!

If it's your first time using Rafflecopter or you need a refresher, click here to watch a short video on how Rafflecopter works. 

GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book review and homemade vanilla marshmallows

Have you ever thought about making your own marshmallows? No? Well me neither ... until now. I always thought it was difficult to make but it's really quite simple armed with a good recipe and instructions, a few bits of equipment and ingredients.

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of marshmallows but I really wanted to try making my own. Since I've started baking and developing my baking skills, I really enjoy making things from scratch at home. The perfect opportunity arose when I was asked to review this book 'Marshmallow Madness!' by Shauna Sever. You can read more about the author here.

I LOVE the cover of this book. It's really pretty and colourful and it's puffy like a marshmallow! Yes it's soft and squidgy just like a real marshmallow :)

The book itself is divided into :

Introduction - do NOT skip reading this part. It contains really helpful and useful information on making marshmallows. It is clearly set out and divides the process into 3 key steps which are colour coded in each recipe - the bloom, the syrup and the mallowing.

The classics - vanilla and chocolate marshmallows. See below for my attempt at vanilla marshmallows. There's also a recipe for malt chocolate marshmallow (yes please!) and homemade marshmallow creme and homemade graham crackers - definitely on my to bake list.

Fresh and Fruity - adding twists of flavour with fruit puree, juices and oils. The strawberry marshmallows and key lime pie are on the to make list.

Happy Hour - cocktail inspired marshmallows.  Margarita and creme de menthe look delicious!

For the Mallow Connoisseur - gourmet flavours and textures. Examples are maple bacon (?), sea salt caramel swirl (yum) and mango-chile-lime (interesting)

Kids in a Candy Store - my favourites are root beer float and bubble gum.

Fluffy, Puffy Desserts - This is a great section of desserts with marshmallows. Recipes that have caught my eye are ambrosia cake, s'more supcakes (always wanted to make one), minty mallow cookie sandwiches.

Desserts made drinkable - Drinkable desserts with marshmallow pairing suggestions.


The book consists of 94 pages excluding the index. It's got lots of lovely pictures which is always a plus point in my book. The recipes are clearly set out, usually on one page. There is a list of ingredients divided according to the steps required (the bloom, the syrup, the mallowing) I really like that the steps are colour coded so it's easy to follow. The measurements are given in American cups.

My verdict: I really liked the book and would have been happy to buy this book. It's well written, beautifully set out and has a good variety of recipes from the simple and classic to more complicated ones. There are also desserts and drinks which is a bonus. It's definitely changed my mind about marshmallows as homemade marshmallows taste quite different to commercial ones and they are not that difficult to make at home! They were also quite fun to make - I loved watching the mallowing process :)

I have a copy of this book to giveaway so check back next week for a chance to win your own copy! 

I was given the choice of a few recipes by the publisher but as it's my first time making marshmallows, I decided to keep it simple and go for the classic vanilla marshmallow. They were surprisingly easy to make but you do need to have a stand mixer and thermometer to make these. The end result was amazing - they were really soft and puffy and you can really taste the vanilla. I made it for a friend's birthday and she was beyond delighted with these! :)

 The original recipe says to use corn syrup but golden syrup is an acceptable alternative and it worked well for me. 

 boil the sugar, golden syrup and water. You need a thermometer for this. 

 The mallowing process - I honestly thought how can this become marshmallows? 

 10 minutes later... yes it looks like marshmallows!

 adding the fresh vanilla seeds 

 leave to set

 dust with classic coating 

 ready to slice - Shauna recommends using a pizza cutter- brilliant idea!! 

 I made these for a friend's birthday and found this cute box from Paperchase. 

 who wants a piece? 

 I also packaged them in little gift bags - they make great gifts! 

Recipe from Marshmallow Madness! by Shauna Sever - reproduced with permission from the publisher. The recipe is also available on the author's blog

Classic Vanilla Marshmallows
Makes about 2 dozen 1 1/2-inch mallows

To make Classic Coating for these (and any other marshmallow, for that matter) simply combine 1 1/2 parts confectioners’ sugar and 1 part cornstarch or potato starch. You can whisk or sift them together, or take them for a quick whir in the food processor. Make a couple cups at a time and store in an airtight container for months on end.

The Bloom:
4 1/2 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin
1/2 cup cold water

The Syrup:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup, divided - you can use golden syrup as a substitute
1/4 cup water
1/8 teaspoon salt

The Mallowing:
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract - I used seeds from 1 vanilla pod
1/2 cup Classic Coating (see note), plus more for dusting

• Lightly coat an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
• Whisk together the gelatin and cold water in a small bowl and let soften for 5 minutes.
• Stir together the sugar, 1/4 cup of the corn syrup, water, and salt in a medium saucepan over high heat. 
• Boil, stirring occasionally, until the temperature reaches 240°F. 
• Meanwhile, pour remaining 1/4 cup corn syrup into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
• Microwave gelatin on high until completely melted, about 30 seconds. 
• Pour it into the mixer bowl. 
• Set the mixer speed to low and keep it running.
• When the syrup reaches 240°F, slowly pour it into the mixer bowl.
• Increase the speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes. 
• Increase to medium-high and beat for 5 more minutes. 
• Beat on the highest setting for 1 to 2 minutes more and beat in the vanilla; the finished marshmallow will be opaque white, fluffy, and tripled in volume. 
• Pour it into the prepared pan, using an offset spatula to smooth it into the corners. 
• Sift coating evenly and generously over top. 
• Let set for at least 6 hours in a cool, dry place.
• Use a knife to loosen the marshmallow from the edges of the pan. 
• Invert the slab onto a coating-dusted work surface and dust it with more coating. 
• Cut into whatever size pieces you wish (a pizza cutter works great for squares). 
• Dip the sticky edges of the marshmallows in more coating, patting off the excess..

Disclaimer: I was given this book free of charge to review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. 


As this recipe involves making marshmallows from scratch, I'm entering them to Made with love Mondays hosted by Javelin Warrior.