Thursday, September 2, 2010

I heart sweet cookie pops - Tim Tam Cookie Pop recipe

Not so subliminal message -  I heart sweet cookie pops

I'm on a cookie pop binge at the moment.

I am giving myself a baking breather and cookie pops do not require any real cooking and satisfy my super sweet tooth, and they are fast. Yup ready to eat within an hour.


After those delicious Oreo pops the other day, I thought I would try out some Australian brand cookies and so obviously one of the next cookies of the rank was the Tim Tam.

If your not from Australia, Tim Tams are a grocery store biscuit (that's what we call cookies here) with 2 chocolate rectangle biscuits iced together with a chocolate cream and covered in........chocolate.

Ok not a lot of thought went into that flavour combination there, but it seems to have served Arnott's well as they are a bit of an Aussie icon.


And these pops don't just taste sweet and look sweet, they SAY sweet. Boy I'm as bad as Arnott's not much thought process going on here. My only thoughts are of sweeeet, sweeeeet cookie pops.


I tweaked this recipe by using my Oreo cookie recipe and checking out Not Quite Nigella's post on her Tim Tam pops.

Try these out, if you like Tim Tams I think you'll like them.

Tim Tam Cookie Pop recipe and instructions makes 10 cake pops

1 packet Tim Tams, 200grams (7  1/8 ounce)
80 grams cream cheese softened to room temp (2 7/8 ounce)
150 gram chocolate melts any flavour (5 3/8 ounce) I used white

1. Crush Tim Tams finely in food processor

2. Add cream cheese and pulse until mixture is smooth and comes together in a ball.


3. Shape mixture into balls and roll round in between your palms to shape. Mine are about 25g (7/8 ounce) each. Chill in fridge for a short time.

4. To secure sticks for dipping, melt some of the chocolate melts (I just do mine in the microwave for short bursts on med low) and dip the end of your sticks/pops in the chocolate and push into the firm truffles. Return to fridge.
5. Melt remainder of chocolate, make sure it is completely smooth. Holding the stick/pop dip truffles into the melted chocolate, allow excess to drip off and then place into a holder to set. I use blocks of styrofoam covered in plastic wrap.


Sweeeeeet!

These pops are decorated with some round fondant I cut out using the top of a large piping tip which I then decorated by hand prior to placing them on the pops.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Here is the link for instructions on how to stamp the decorations

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Oreo Cookie Truffle Pops Recipe

 
I am soooo loving cake pops at the moment, for me they are the new cupcake, or macaron, or whatever....... I'm not even up with what's "it" at the moment but for me Cake pops are definitely 'it'.

Not to say I don't still enjoy a couple of macarons each day. Variety is the spice of life. But given a choice I'm going for those cake pops for sure.


Dense, moist and cakey inside and creamy sweet chocolate outside, there's no way I'm tiring of these delicious treats any time soon.

The ones in these pictures are not technically cake pops, they're cookie pops, Oreo cookie truffle pops to be exact.

And how about this, just 3 ingredients: Oreo cookies, cream cheese and chocolate. None of that messy time consuming cake making and baking for these pops.


Do you know what that means, yup they are ready to eat even faster. Just mix, chill, dip and eat.

I served these Oreo Truffle pops at the Ava's Tea Party we held in memory of Ava Rosemeyer, if you haven't had a chance check out the post.

Of course can't mention cake pops without mentioning Bakerella whom has a new cookbook out on...... yes you guessed it cake pops. I'm sure I don't need to tell you to check out her site if you love cake pops like I love cake pops.


Oreo Cookie Truffle Pop Recipe - makes approx 16 truffle pops

Note for US conversion, pretty much just add half the amount of cream cheese to what ever size packet oreo's you get. So if you have a 16oz package of Oreos add 8oz cream cheese which will make around 23 or 24 Oreo truffles.

300g Oreo Cookies
150g Cream Cheese at room temp
397g Packet Wilton Chocolate Melts (mine were pink) or use white eating chocolate with a little copha melted in.

1. Crush Oreo cookies finely in a food processor


2. Add cream cheese and process until the mixture clumps together



3 Roll into small balls, mine are about 25g (7/8 ounce) each and refrigerate until firm


4. To secure sticks for dipping, melt some of the chocolate melts (I just do mine in the microwave for short bursts on med low) and dip the end of your sticks/pops in the chocolate and push into the firm truffles. Return to fridge.


5. Melt remainder of chocolate, make sure it is completely smooth. Holding the stick/pop dip truffles into the melted chocolate, allow excess to drip off and then place into a holder to set. I use styrofoam covered in plastic.

These pops are decorated with modeling chocolate butterflies. If you want to add on any decorations you can either add while the chocolate has not yet set or afterwards you can melt a little more chocolate and add using a little of the melted chocolate as the glue.
Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores:




Or here at fishpond (Aus/NZ)

Sweets on a Stick: More Than 150 Kid-Friendly Recipes for Cakes, Candies, Cookies, and Pies on the Go!

Sweets on a Stick also available at the Bleeding Heart Brisbane: contact details info@bleedingheart.com.au

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Ava's Tea Party



I first read Ava Rosemeyer's story about a year ago, I was searching and came across some beautiful images and noticed a tab with the simple heading Ava and a link to her memorial site.


To say Ava's story is touching is a complete understatement, Ava was not yet 4 when she was unexpectedly taken from her family. One of the things that Ava had been looking forward to was a tea party she had been planning with her family.


A group of talented people have had the vision to create Ava's Tea Party in August each year, to inspire people to spend time together with their loved ones. Links to these groups are included at the end of this post.



So inspired, on Monday the 23rd of August some friends and I had a tea party in memory of Ava Rosemeyer.

Naomi from Naomi V Photography took beautiful images of this wonderful day and Daneve from Ah Tissue came and decorated with her gorgeous pom poms.


We remembered a little princess, we laughed, had fun and spent time with some people we love and some new friends.
 


We had rosewater cupcakes, chocolate macarons, oreo cookie pops, flower sugar cookies and Wizz Fizz sherbet icecream cones.


In memory of Ava I didn't stop the kids from wading in the mud and squishing it between their toes. Lilli told me this was the best part of the party......



Big bubble blowers.......always lots of fun.


Proving that not only princesses love a tea party Kye was the ultimate party boy.



Later while driving home Lilli asked me if I thought that Ava got the balloons up in Heaven that we had released.


I'd like to think she did.


Ava's Tea Party is held in August of every year. This year Details Details has a range of printable invites for $10 each designed by a group of super talented Australian Stationery designers. The whole $10 you pay is donated to Paradise Kids a community funded organisation which helps families through grief and loss.

Big thank you to Naomi V Photography and Ah Tissue for helping to make this such a wonderful day for the kids.

Ava's Tea Party 
Paradise Kids
Details Details Beauty Full Collection
Naomi V Photography - thank you for the images on this Ava's Tea Party post
Ah Tissue pom poms - thank you for the lovely pom pom decorations for this party and the balloons for releasing.

Update: The girls are wearing pettiskirts from Princess Ratbag - Australian Designed and owned - click here for the link to Princess Ratbag.