Forrero Rocher Slow Cooker Fudge

This is a delicious and super easy fudge recipe perfect for a festive treat. 

I recently discovered the lovely Donna of What The Redhead Said's incredible collection of Slow Cooker Fudge recipes which have been frankly addictive. 

Donna is the Queen of fudge and I implore you to check out her wide range of recipes; my favourites so far from her have been the Terry's Chocolate Orange Fudge (winning festive combo) and the Mint Aero Fudge (although I used the cheaper Lidl Aero imitation and it was fab). She has a list of at least 30 different recipes and I will be working my through but in the meantime I wanted to share this Forrero Rocher Slow Cooker Fudge recipe which has taken full inspiration from Donna in basis and method and was made for my good friend Steph who loves the gold wrapped chocolates. 

It was an experiment with a very happy ending and I can admit that the entire portion was devoured this weekend and a request for more has been put in. 

Forrero Rocher Cooker Fudge

Here's how:

• 300g Forrero Rocher
• 200g milk chocolate (I used Dairy Milk)
• 1 tin condensed Milk

Break up the milk chocolate and add to your slow cooker. 

Open the tin of condensed milk and add to the slow cooker, scraping out everything. 

Take 200g of the Forrero Rocher and cut in half and add to the slow cooker. Leave the other 100g set aside, you can cut these in half too. 

Keep the lid off of the slow cooker and put onto the highest heat and set a timer for ten minutes, at which point you should give a good stir, then repeat until the fudge has been cooking for 40 minutes. 

Line a baking tin with some greaseproof paper or clingfilm, then spoon the fudge into the dish until it's covered and fairly even. 

Add the remaining Forrero Rocher and dot all about the tin to decorate. Allow to cool then place into the fridge for at least a couple of hours. 

Remove from the fridge and use a sharp knife to cut into cubes and portion up. Enjoy! 

Arrabiata Soup

This is a really simple lift from my tried and tested Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup which is made embarrassingly often in our house.

The 'arrabiata' or angry element is the addition of fantastic fiery red chilli which makes for a warming, delicious soup ideal for a winter's day. You can remove the seeds of the chilli to reduce the heat but we prefer it hot!

The below makes enough for x2 large portions. 

Arrabiata Soup

Here's how:

• 500g tomatoes (can also use x1 tin chopped tomatoes)
• 1 red onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 large carrot
• 2 celery sticks
• 1 large red jalopeno chilli
• 800ml vegetable stock
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• Basil stalks

To garnish:

• Grana Padana (or any other hard cheese)
• Basil leaves
• Black pepper

To begin whack the oven on at it's highest temperature. 

Halve the tomatoes and the red onion, peel the garlic cloves and place all on a baking sheet. Season and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil then place into the oven on the high heat for 20 minutes or until everything is just charred (blackened) a little.

In the meantime, drizzle a little olive oil into a saucepan and place on a low heat.

Dice the carrot, slice the celery and the red chilli and add to the saucepan and allow to gently soften down - this is the base for your soup.

Once the tomatoes, onion and garlic are softened, add to the saucepan with a few basil stalks and pour over the vegetable stock. Season well and allow to cook for twenty minutes.

Remove from the heat, allow to cool right down then blitz until smooth. 

When wanting to serve, return to the heat and bring up to temperature slowly. 

Ladle into bowls and then if you like to, garnish with slithers of Grana Padana (I use a vegetable peeler for this) and a few basil leaves and season with a final flourish of black pepper. Enjoy!

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies

I have been making these for over 10 years and they are absolutely moreish as they are but I think they are greatly improved by dipping into milk or dark chocolate for a final delicious flavour hit that makes them an unbeatable biscuit. 

I vary between milk and dark chocolate depending on the audience. These ones have been made specifically for my girls, Bridget and Beatrice who love the creamy milk chocolate but if I was making for me, I'd be sure to dip in a good quality dark chocolate and then would sprinkle over some sea salt flakes too.

This makes about 25-28 biscuits and they keep for up to a week in a sealed container, but I bet they don't last that long.

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies

Here's how:

• 85g crunchy peanut butter
• 130g salted butter (room temperature)
• 165g demerara sugar
• 1 egg
• 225g plain flour, sifted
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 75g peanuts (you want the plain ones not salted or dry roasted)
• 100g milk chocolate

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and line two large baking trays with greaseproof paper.

On a chopping board, take the peanuts and use a large knife to roughly chop then set aside.

In a mixing bowl, add the peanut butter and place into the microwave for 20-30 seconds, until it has softened a little. 

Now add to the mixing bowl, the demerara sugar, butter and egg and cream together. 

Now add the plain flour and baking powder and mix together until you have a good biscuit dough.

Finally add the chopped nuts and mix through.

With clean hands, take a small section of the dough, about a teaspoon fall, and roll into a small ball in your hands, then place onto the baking sheet and repeat. Leave a few cm between each ball. 

Place into the hot oven for exactly 12 minutes, or until golden brown then remove from the oven and carefully transfer each biscuit or cookie onto a wire rack to cool fully. 

You will have to do two batches to get them all cooked but please note you can of course freeze half the mixture until next time once rolled into the balls - they will take a little extra cooking time from frozen though. 

Once the biscuits are cooled, melt the 100g milk chocolate, or dark if you prefer. 

Gently dip each biscuit into the chocolate, covering one half of the top of the biscuit then return to the wire rack to allow the biscuits to cool. Enjoy!

If like me, you love a cookie or a biscuit, here are a few more of our favourites:

• Chocolate Chunk Cookies
• White Chocolate & Cranberry Cookies
• Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
• Chocolate Hobnobs
• Monte Carlos Biscuits
• Mini Eggs Cookies

Mincemeat Sticky Buns

If you love a festive Mince Pie as well as a Sticky Cinnamon Bun, this is the baking recipe for you. Whilst these are cooking the house smells incredible and the addition of sweet vanilla icing makes these a treat you won't be able to resist.

It does take a little patience for proving time etc. but the results are really delicious as an afternoon treat or a breakfast delight with a festive twist. 

Mincemeat Sticky Buns with Vanilla Icing

The below makes 8-10. 

Here's how:

For the dough:

• 250ml full fat milk
• 1 egg
• 60g butter (room temperature)
• 450g plain white bread flour
• 65g caster sugar
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1.5 tsp cinnamon
• 7g sachet instant yeast
• 1 pinch of salt
• Olive oil

For the filling:

• 450g mincemeat (I used the Lidl Deluxe one which is delicious
• 30g caster sugar
• 60g butter
• 2 tbsp brown sugar (to be scattered over the buns pre-bake0

For the glaze:

• 2 tbsp apricot jam
• 1/2 tbsp water

For the icing and topping:

• 250g icing sugar
• 2 tbsp softened butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3-4 tbsp milk 
• Handful dried cranberries
• Handful walnuts

Firstly you will need to prove the dough for 1-2 hours depending on how warm your home is, so find a suitable warm spot for this to happen, or purposefully warm up a room ready. Also lightly oil a large roasting tin, bottoms and sides ready for the buns, and do the same to a mixing bowl for the dough to prove in.

Pop the milk on a medium heat in a small saucepan until almost boiling, then take off the heat and add the butter and stir through then leave to cool down for ten minutes.

In the meantime, in a large bowl measure out the plain flour, caster sugar, mixed spice, cinnamon, yeast and a pinch of salt and give a gentle mix. Make a well or a hole in the middle of the mixture, and once cooled pour the butter and milk mixture in as well as cracking in the egg. 

Use at first, a wooden spoon to bring the dough together - by mixing the liquid and the dry ingredients together. Then ensure to flour a clean working surface, and your (clean) hands and bring the dough here to knead, which you will need to do for at least 10 minutes. 

The dough should end up being a smooth ball that springs back a little if you press down into it. When you're satisfied it's ready, pop into the oiled mixing bowl and cover with some cling film. This now needs to prove which can take between 1-2 hours; you'll know it's ready once it has doubled in size. 

Now on a floured surface turn out the dough and roll out to a large oblong shape with the longest side in front of you and should be about 1.5cm thick. 

Cream together the butter and sugar from the 'filling' ingredients until combined then spread all over the dough. 

Now spoon the mincemeat all over too, ensuring every area get's a good covering. 

Now take the long side closest to you and begin to roll up away from you until the dough's completely rolled up. You may want to cut off the ends to neaten up - but we don't mind the rustic ends so you then cut into 8-10 buns using a sharp knife and placing them neat-side upwards in the oiled roasting tin. Then cover this with clingfilm and allow the buns to prove in a warm spot for a further 30-40 minutes or until they have almost doubled in size. 

Scatter over the brown sugar before baking in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for 22-25 minutes. 

Once golden brown and cooked through remove from the oven, and carefully transfer each sticky bun to a wire cooling rack to cool - you should need to pull them apart slightly, so go gently.

For the glaze, pop 2 tbsp apricot jam into a small saucepan with 1/2 tbsp water and wait for it to melt right down then brush it al over the tops of the sticky buns then leave to cool for 20 minutes.

Mincemeat Sticky Buns

For the icing, mix together the icing sugar, vanilla and butter and then add the milk 1 tbsp at a time and mixing the whole time until you're happy with the consistency, I love a fairly thick icing, but some are more partial to a thinner icing for sticky buns - so go with you preference. 

Finally roughly chop the dried cranberries and walnuts and scatter over the Mincemeat Sticky Buns - I did a combination purely as one of my daughters doesn't like walnuts, but you could do a mixture of both across all. I think crushed pistachios with cranberries would look really festive too but I didn't have any of those to hand today.

You can keep these for 3-4 days in an air tight container, but I doubt they'd last that long. Enjoy! 

Mincemeat Sticky Buns

Chickpea and Chorizo Slow Cooker Stew

This is a favourite winter warmer dish of ours that's hearty, wholesome and delicious and very welcome on a cold night. 

You can have as a standalone dish, served over rice or a jacket potato or just with crusty bread to mop up the delicious juices. 

I've used cavelo nero to stir through in the last 10 minutes or cooking but you can use kale, cabbage or spinach if you prefer. 

The below serves x2 adults.

Chickpea and Chorizo Slow Cooker Stew

Here's how:

• 120g chorizo
• 1 white onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 green pepper
• 1 red chilli
• Some cubed squash or sweet potato (I used frozen squash here)
• 1 tin of chickpeas, drained
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• Pinch of saffron
• 1 tsp hot paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 chicken stock cube made up with 250ml water
• 100g cavelo nero (or your choice of green)
• Black pepper
• Parsley

Finely slice the onion, garlic, pepper and chilli and add to the slow cooker. 

Add the drained chickpeas, squash and chopped tomatoes to the slow cooker. 

Cut the chorizo sausage in half and then cut into semi circle discs and add to the slow cooker. 

Make up the chicken stock and add to the dish with the pinch of saffron threads, cinnamon stick, the cayenne pepper, paprika and some black pepper. 

Give it a stir to combine then place onto the lowest heat setting and cook for up to 4 hours, stirring every hour.

Roughly chop the cavelo nero and set aside until the last 10 minutes of cooking, then add to the slow cooker and mix through and return the lid on for ten minutes until dishing up.

Roughly chop some fresh parsley and scatter over the final dish. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Soup

This time of the year calls for soups-a-plenty and I'm even more of a fan if I can dump everything into my slow cooker and let that do all of the work. 

If you prefer, you can use creme fraiche or even double cream as the 'creamy' element, I just happened to have some leftover ricotta and experimented with a great result.

The below makes enough for x6 adult portions, it freezes well and can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week after cooking once cooled completely. 

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Soup

Here's how:

• 3-4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• 150g mushrooms
• 1 white onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 3 celery sticks
• 1 tsp English mustard
• 1 chicken stock cube - made up with 1 litre of water
• 200ml semi skimmed milk
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 130g ricotta 
• Salt & black pepper
• Few parsley leaves to garnish (optional)

Roughly chop the onion, celery and garlic and add to the slow cooker. Halve the mushrooms and add these too. 

Cut the chicken into large chunks and add to the slow cooker. 

Make up the chicken stock and pour into the slow cooker with the milk. 

Add the ricotta, mustard and dried thyme to the pan, season generously and stir well. Place onto the lower heat setting and cook for three hours. You can stir every 35-40 minutes if you wish but it is fine to be left.

Once 3 hours have passed, turn off the slow cooker and blitz with a hand-held blender until smooth enough for your liking. Season again and place the slow cooker onto 'warm' until ready to serve. 

Ladle into bowls and add a little parsley garnish if you wish as well as a final seasoning of black pepper. Enjoy!

Some other soup recipes you may enjoy can be found below:

Red Lentil & Chorizo Soup

Fish Chowder

Alphabet & Hidden Vegetable Soup

Mexican Mushroom Soup

Restorative Green Soup

Curried Parsnip and Spinach Soup

Roasted Tomato & Basil Soup

Thai Sweet Potato Soup

Chunky Lentil, Bacon and Kale Soup

 

Fish Chowder

This is a really delicious and hearty, thick and fragrant soup - or chowder as it is made with milk and cream. 

You can use a selection of fish here but I think a mixture of both smoked and unsmoked gives such good flavour and prawns are another great addition. I tend to portion up my 'mixed fish' and put into bags in the freezer which will include salmon, cod and smoked haddock - I then defrost and use for this Fish Chowder for my Healthy Fish Pie or even my Simple Fish Stew. 

With the herbs - you can use parsley, tarragon or chives - I like the oniony taste of chives personally but they all work and bring something else to this dish.

The below serves x4 - recommend serving with a ton of fresh, crusty, buttered bread.

Fish Chowder

Here's how:

• 1 salmon fillet 
• 1 cod fillet (approx 200g)
• 1 smoked haddock fillet (approx 200g)
• 1 pack frozen prawns (I use the Lidl Deluxe ones which can be cooked from frozen)
• 2 rashers smoked bacon
• 1 tbsp flour
• 250g potatoes (when peeled)
• 650ml fish stock 
• 300ml whole milk (you can use semi skimmed or skimmed but the final chowder will be thinner)
• 2 tbsp cream (single or double)
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Pinch nutmeg
• Black pepper
• 1 red onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 5-6 chives
• Drizzle olive oil

Firstly drizzle the olive oil into a large saucepan and place on a low heat.

Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic and add to the pan.

Chop the bacon into small squares and add to the pan.

Chop the peeled potatoes into small diced cubes of approximately 1cm2 and give a good rinse. 

Once the bacon is cooking away and you've turned over, add the potato to the pan and allow it to cook for a few minutes, moving around with a spatula. 

After a few minutes, add the plain flour and mix around - this will act to thicken the soup later on.

Pour over the fish stock, season with black pepper, a pinch of cayenne pepper and a pinch or a little grating of nutmeg. Give a good stir and allow to cook for 15 minutes. 

In the meantime, chop the fish into small, bite-sized chunks and set aside. 

Chop the chives and set aside too. 

After fifteen minutes, test a potato cube, it should be just about cooked through. 

Now add the milk, stir through and leave to cook for a further five minutes. 

Now add the salmon, cod, smoked haddock and prawns and cook for 4 minutes, then stir through the cream and move off of the heat. 

Add half the chopped chives and stir through before ladling into four bowls and then finishing with a few more chives. Enjoy!