I love a good Rocky Road. I love the heftiness and endless versatility. Though, unsurprisingly, I have views on what makes a good one! Ratios matter. So here’s my Rocky Road recipe. It’s easy. And it’s oh-so-good.

Rocky Road opinions

Rocky Road is about as simple as candy recipes get. Melt chocolate. Stir in add-ins of choice. Marshmallows, raspberries and peanuts are classic. Coconut is my must-have extra.

In other countries around the world (I’m in Australia, BTW!), cookies and dried fruit are common. And I’ve seen glacé cherries instead of raspberries.

No judgement. Rocky Road is a recipe to make your own!

The only firm view I have is to make sure there is enough add-ins. Rocky Road has heft to it, it’s not a thin, wimpy piece of candy. It’s a thick slab. Nobody wants to bite into an enormous block of plain chocolate. We want to sink our teeth into a delightful medley of textures – soft marshmallow, chewy raspberry, nutty crunch of peanuts.

So don’t skimp on add-ins!!

What you need for Rocky Road

Here’s what you need to make my Rocky Road.

Chocolate – EASY OPTION

Use chips or melts for an easy option. Upgrade to block chocolate for premium. I use a combination of dark and milk chocolate to get the best of both worlds: chocolate flavour intensity plus creaminess of milk chocolate!

Chocolate melts and chips are the easy option because there’s no chopping involved and they are made for easy melting. Equal amounts of both dark (US: semi-sweet) and milk chocolate is my favourite. You get the best of each type of chocolate: good chocolate flavour from the dark chocolate plus the creaminess of milk chocolate.

But feel free to use the combination you want!

PREMIUM CHOCOLATE

If you want to upgrade, for example, if you’re gifting or making to impress, use block chocolate instead. Lindt is my premium pick before moving into couverture (higher grade chocolate used by fine patisseries, chocolatiers etc), for flavour, quality and also it’s shiny because it’s tempered.

Plaistowe is probably the “best” in the baking aisle followed by Cadbury. And a couple of good US brands: Ghirardelli and Baker’s brand.

As with the chips, I will typically use a combination of dark and milk chocolate though if using Lindt, I usually stick with just one type. For the sake of purity! 70% for grown ups, milk chocolate for all-rounder crowd pleaser.

If using chocolate block, you’ll need to chop it up before melting. The finer you chop, the easier it melts.

Note: Lindt is not cheap and you need 5 blocks. I stock up when they are steeply discounted. It happens every now and then!

rocky road add-ins

And for the add-ins! Here’s what goes in mine. Classic Aussie Rocky Road – marshmallows, chewy raspberries and peanuts. Plus coconut. Reminiscent of retro Golden Rough (chocolate coconut candy here in Australia). Coconut isn’t always present in Rocky Road, but for me it’s a must!

How to make Rocky Road

Hot contender for the world’s easiest candy recipe!

1. Melt chocolate in 30 second bursts, stirring in between.

2. Stir until smooth. (Hot tip – use a chopstick during the initial stirring phases. Easier – and less surface area for chocolate to stick to. Switch to rubber spatula towards the end).

3. Stir through add-ins.

4. Spread in a 20cm/8″ paper lined square pan.

5. Refrigerate for 3 hours (or overnight, or days!) until fully firm.

6. Cut – Remove from the fridge 30 minutes prior to cutting into pieces. I cut into 5 bars, then into smaller pieces if serving to eat, and larger pieces if gifting.

Tell me your Gold Standard Rocky Road!

Thinking back, I’m pretty sure that the vast majority of the time I make Rocky Road is for gifting. Which is not surprising. Rocky Road is a sizeable piece of candy. There’s no such thing as a small nibble. Even breaking off a “small” hunk is a decent mouthful! Unlike, for example, my current favourite small-form candy to have around the house which allows me to take a small guilt-free nibble when the craving hits. (Never mind that I go back to the jar 10 times a day).

What about you? Is Rocky Road a gifting recipe? For parties? Or are you a committed candy monster who will make this for yourself?

But more importantly – SHARE YOUR GOLD STANDARD ROCKY ROAD add-ins!! I bet you make a killer Rocky Road! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Rocky Road

Recipe video above. I love a good Rocky Road. I love the heftiness and endless versatility of add-ins. Though, unsurprisingly, I have views on what makes a good one! Ratios matter. Too much chocolate and not enough add-ins is not good! So here's my Rocky Road recipe. Super easy.

Use chips or melts for an easy option. Upgrade to Lindt for premium. Excellent food gift. Think – Christmas, birthdays, thank you, get well present.

Course Candy

Cuisine Australian, Western

Keyword rocky road, rocky road recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Chilling 3 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 387cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Chocolate (read Note 1!):

• 225 – 250g / 8 oz dark chocolate melts or chips (1 1/2 cups) or block, chopped (US: semi-sweet chips)
• 225 – 250g / 8 oz milk chocolate melts or chips (1 1/2 cups) or block, chopped (or more dark choc)
• 2 tbsp coconut oil or any plain flavoured oil (prevents cracking, adds bit of sheen, Note 2)

Nagi’s Rocky Road Add-ins (Note 3):

• 3 cups marshmallows, pink and white , most cut in half (firmly pack the cups!)
• 3/4 cup raspberry lollies , halved
• 1/3 cup desiccated coconut (or flakes), unsweetened
• 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts , very roughly chopped (ie almost just halved)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Line a 20cm/8" square pan with baking paper (parchment paper).
• Melt chocolate – Place chocolate and oil in a bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.
• Add-ins – Stir the Add-ins into the chocolate. Pour into pan, spreading out evenly.
• Refrigerate for 3 hours or until fully cool.
• Cut – Remove from the fridge 30 minutes prior to cutting. I cut into 5 lines, then into hunks for eating or larger pieces for gifting!

Notes

1. Chocolate options – using melts or chips is the easiest. No chop, and made for easy melting! Dark and milk chocolate combo is my favourite. Cadbury bags are 225g hence the amount.

Premium upgrade to block: Lindt (best before getting into couverture), Plaistowe, and a couple of good US brands: Ghirardelli and Baker’s brand. 70% cocoa for grown-ups, or 50/50 combo of milk and dark. Finely chop with knife then melt. More info in post!

Whatever you choose, it is safest to source the chocolate from the baking aisle which is designed for melting/cooking. Not all chocolate from the confectionary aisle (ie eating chocolate) will melt smoothly or easily, and some are prone to seizing / burning unless using a bain-marie. (Read blue block in post for more info!). But if you have used eating chocolate before and know brands that melt fine, by all means go ahead!

2. Oil – insurance policy to prevent cracking when cutting, and adds a bit of shininess to the chocolate.

3. These are my classic add-ins. Coconut is essential! Reminiscent of Golden Rough, a retro favourite. But…. you can use whatever you want. Biscuits, any other nuts, dried fruit, glace cherries. Add as much as you want as long as there is enough chocolate to coat everything.

PS I usually don’t bother cutting the raspberries and marshmallows in half. But when gifting, I do. Just better dispersement.

4. Keeps for weeks and weeks! Refrigerate if hot where you are.

Nutrition per serving, assuming 12 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 387cal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 20mg | Potassium: 265mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 19IU | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 3mg

Life of Dozer

Back to the vet for another check up with ongoing tummy issues. 😢 Clearly he’s gotten into something he shouldn’t have – again! It’s been over a week now, so I’m a little worried so I took him to the vet again. He’s had various blood tests and all have come back clear.

Here he is, wondering if the bandage is edible (the bandage was for the blood test patch).

For now he’s on a strict gastro-intestinal dog food diet. No treats, no taste testing, not even a drizzle of canned fish juices to make the dry food more interesting.

He’s so unimpressed with this new diet! Hopefully it won’t be for too long and he’ll bounce back to his normal self.

The post Rocky Road appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Apple Turnovers – handheld puff pastry pies baked with a cinnamon apple filling. Easy to make, the only question is: to fill with cream or not? There’s a case for both!!

Apple Turnovers

If you have golden flaky puff pastry and it’s stuffed with warm cinnamon apple cubes in a syrupy caramel sauce, you can’t really go wrong whichever path you go down for serving. But – options are a good thing – because wouldn’t life be boring if we all liked the same thing?

So, today, you have a choice of Apple Turnovers two ways – classic plain or cream filled!

1. Classic, plain – Served warm, fresh out the oven. Dusted with a little ice sugar to make it pretty with cream for dunking. The latter is not something you see in ordinary apple turnover recipes. In my world, I say it’s strongly, strongly recommended! Serving without is kind of like eating Apple Crumble without ice cream. You get it. 😇

2. Cream filled! Ah, the classic Aussie Apple Turnover. Now, here’s the thing! It’s cold – you can’t serve it warm else the cream melts. So you do lose out a bit on flavour – because warm filling tastes better than cold. But, you can’t beat the sentiment and total impracticality of biting into a giant cream filled apple turnover! Yeah, it’s messy. And we love it.

WHICH ONE I PREFER – While I have a big soft spot for cream filled turnovers, these days I tend to serve warm turnovers with cream for dunking. Easier and faster, plus the turnovers are extra good when warm!

Ingredients in apple turnovers

Here’s what you need to make apple turnovers.

Apple turnover cinnamon filling

• Apples – Granny Smith apples are my favourite apple option. Good balance of tartness with sweet, and they hold their shape. Most red apple varieties will break down more so you end up with a compote inside (which makes base soggy), and are sweeter. Also, not recommended to make this without pre-cooking apples, see post for more info.

• Cornflour / cornstarch – This thickens the apple juices to make a syrup so it doesn’t soak the base of the puff pastry. Nobody likes a turnover with a soggy base!

• Sugar – I use white sugar because I like to keep the syrup clearer. But brown sugar also works fine, and makes a slightly more caramely tasting syrup.

• Cinnamon – For flavour! Cinnamon plus apple is like basil and tomato, bread and butter, cheese and crackers.

• Vanilla – Also for flavour.

• Pinch of salt – This just brings out the flavours of everything else. It doesn’t make it salty at all. Standard practice in sweet baking.

Puff pastry

• Butter puff pastry is tastier than oil based puff pastry. It’s a little more expensive because butter is more expensive than oil, but it really is tastier.

  Size – Here in Australia, the most common way puff pastry is sold is in 25cm/10″ square sheets, frozen. There are some more premium brands sold in larger sheets that I use for special dishes like Beef Wellington. But for everyday purposes, I use the square ones which are handy for apple turnover because each sheet makes 4 nicely sized turnovers.

• Egg – This is for sealing the turnovers and brushing the surface so it comes out of the oven lovely and golden.

Cream

I have things to say about the cream options for Apple Turnovers. Read on!

For the cream – you’ll need either:

1. Soft whipped cream for dunking the plain turnovers (as mentioned above, optional but strongly, strongly recommended!). You want to use soft whipped cream so it’s dunkable; or

2. Stabilised whipped cream OR stiff whipped cream for the cream filled turnovers. You know how light and airy regular whipped cream is? Well, if you use that in apple turnovers, the cream will literally just squirt out completely with the first bite.

   So I recommend using stabilised whipped cream because it tastes like regular whipped cream but it’s stabilised so it doesn’t squirt out everywhere with the first bite. Plus the cream filled turnovers will last in the fridge for 24 – 36 hours without the cream melting and deflating. It’s really easy to make – just cream and mascarpone whipped together. Get the recipe here!

However, ordinary whipped cream tastes totally fine too. Just beat it so it’s stiff and pip-able. It will squirt out with the first bite. But that’s ok! Just mop it up!

How to make apple turnovers

Some recipes will skip cooking the apple filling on the stove. Tempting, I know. But it does make the base more soggy because the apple leeches more juices. Also, the apple pieces cook unevenly. It really is worth cooking the filling first!

Apple turnover filling

1. Cornflour / cornstarch – Put the apples in a large saucepan and toss with the cornflour / cornstarch. Tip: large saucepan is better because the apple juices evaporate faster so you get a thicker caramel coating on the apples. Small saucepan = more watery sauce.

2. Mix – Add the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and salt then mix to coat.

3. Cook for 5 minutes on medium (or medium high on weaker stoves) until the apples are softened but still holding their shape. The sauce should thicken into a syrup.

4. Cool – Spread the filling onto a plate and let it cool completely. Don’t use a bowl, it makes the apples sweat more and thins the sauce.

Making the apple turnovers

TIP: Use puff pastry when it is barely thawed. Much easier to handle! Overly soft puff pastry gets floppy and sticky, and is a total pain to handle. If your puff pastry softens too much, just stick it back in the freezer for a bit.

1. Cut the barely thawed puff pastry into 4 equal pieces (12.5cm / 5″ squares).

2. Egg – Brush two sides of the pastry with the whisked egg.

3. Filling – Place 2 tablespoons of filling on the egg brushed side. Avoid the apple sauce, it will make the base too soggy and if it leaks onto the edge where you brushed the egg, it will prevent it from sealing properly.

4. Fold the puff pastry over to cover the filling.

5. Seal the edges using a fork dipped in flour (prevents it from sticking to the puff pastry). By pressing down firmly and crimping the edge, it seals it well.
6. Refrigerate – As you complete each turnover, place them on a cutting board lined with paper. Then refrigerate for 20 minutes – this makes the turnovers puff up better. (PS Don’t chill the turnovers on a baking tray, it will compromise how well the base cooks because the cold tray takes time to heat up).
7. Egg wash and prick – Slide the sheet of paper with the turnovers on them onto a large baking tray. Brush with whisked egg (makes them nice and golden), then prick the surface 3 times with a small knife. Steam escape holes – reduces risk of the filling leaking out of the seams.
8. Bake for 25 minutes at 200°C/400°F (180°C fan-forced), or until the turnovers are golden. And they’re done! So now, eating options: plain, or cream filled!

How to serve plain apple turnovers (the easy option for impatient people 🙋🏻‍♀️)

If you are not making cream filled apple turnovers, they really are best served warm. I personally like to dust with icing sugar / powdered sugar to make them look pretty. And I really like to serve with cream for dunking! Warm apple turnovers with lightly sweetened whipped cream is a match made in heaven.

Making cream filled apple turnovers

To make cream filled apple turnovers, once the turnovers are cool enough to handle, use a small knife to cut the seams. Open it up and set aside until the inside is fully cool – else the cream will melt.

When ready to assemble, whip the stabilised cream (read above for why I recommend that) or make regular whipped cream but beat until stiff so it’s pip-able. Then pipe it inside!

So, there you go! I did not expect to write so much about the humble apple turnover. I actually decided to publish this recipe today thinking it’s a nice easy one.

Then of course, I go and make things more complicated by offering the recipe two different ways. Which sounds simple enough, then I get to the end of the post and am rather alarmed at how much I’ve written.

But – it’s a really simple recipe, I swear! 😂 Hope you give it a go. Let me know what you think if you do – and whether you dunk or fill with cream. – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Apple turnovers – with cream filled option!

Recipe video above. There's nothing like a fresh homemade Apple Turnover! The flavour of the filling is so much better than store bought.

While I adore the sentiment of cream filled turnovers, these days I tend to serve warm turnovers with cream for dunking. Easier and faster, plus the turnovers are sooo good warm!

Course Dessert, Sweet Baking

Cuisine Western

Keyword apple turnovers, puff pastry dessert, turnovers

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Filling cooling 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8 turnovers 10cm/4″

Calories 336cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Apple turnover filling:

• 4 Granny Smith apples , peeled, diced into 1.25cm cubes, 6 cups (Note 1)
• 2 tsp cornflour/cornstarch (thickens sauce)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch salt

Apple turnover:

• 2 square puff pastry sheets (25 cm/10"), butter best (Note 3)
• 1 egg , whisked

Cream filled version:

• 2 batches Stabilised whipped cream OR stiff whipped cream (Note 3)

Optional serving extras:

• 1 batch Whipped cream for dunking – for easy option (Note 4)
• Icing sugar / powdered sugar , for dusting (optional)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Filling – Put apples in a large saucepan. Toss with cornflour. Add everything else. Cook on medium to medium-high heat, stirring regularly, for 5 minutes. Apple should be softened but not mushy or losing shape, with some but not too much caramel.
• Cool – Spread the filling on a large plate then let it fully cool. (Note 5)
• Line a large cutting board or upside down tray with baking/parchment paper.
• Make turnovers – Working one puff pastry sheet at a time, barely thawed, cut into 4 squares (12.5cm/5"). Brush 2 sides with egg, then pile filling on the egg brushed side. Avoid using sauce, soaks base and if it leaks onto edge it will not seal. (Save leftover sauce & apple for pancakes, french toast, ice cream etc!)
• Wrap – Fold over, seal with fork dipped in flour (prevents sticking to pastry). Transfer to paper lined cutting board.
• Refrigerate for 20 minutes (cold = better puffing).
• Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F (180°C fan).
• Bake 25 min – Slide the paper with the turnovers on it onto a large baking tray. (Note 6 for why) Brush turnovers with egg. Stab 3 times. Bake 25 minutes or until golden.
• Serve warm, dusted with icing sugar and whipped cream for dunking.

Cream filled option

• Transfer turnovers to a cooling rack. Fully cool. Split seam side open with knife. Pipe in cream. EAT!

Notes

1. Apples – Granny Smith apples are my favourite apple option. Good balance of tartness with sweet, and they hold their shape. Most red apple varieties will break down more so you end up with a compote inside (which makes base soggy), and are sweeter. Also, not recommended to make this without pre-cooking apples, see post for more info.

2. Butter puff pastry is tastier than oil based puff pastry. Tip: Use barely thawed. Much easier to handle! When it’s fully thawed, especially on hotter days, they get too sticky and floppy. Nightmare to handle!

Standard size of puff pastry sheets here in Australia is 25cm/10″ squares.

3. Cream filled apple turnovers – Best to use stabilised whipped cream which has more structure than plain whipped cream which is so light and airy, it squirts out everywhere the moment you bite into it. Also you need to eat immediately because plain cream starts weeping within 15 minutes or so. Stabilised whipped cream will hold its shape for 24 – 36 hours. Super easy to make, recipe here!

4. For an easy version of everybody’s favourite cream + apple turnover option, just serve with cream for dunking. You’ll only need one batch (1 cup) of whipping cream (doubles in volume).

5. Don’t use bowl, apple sweats and drops too much liquid.

6. Tip – Don’t bake on the tray you put in the fridge (if that’s what you used). The tray gets too cold and takes too long to heat up so the base of the turnover doesn’t cook through properly. It’s easy to transfer – watch the video!

7. Storage – Non cream filled turnovers will keep for 3 days, recommend baking to freshen up. Cream filled will last 24 – 36 hours in the fridge as long as you use stabilised whipped cream. If you fill with plain whipped cream, best to eat immediately (plain whipped cream will start weeping within half an hour).

Nutrition per turnover, excluding cream.

Nutrition

Calories: 336cal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 113mg | Potassium: 132mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 80IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

I have a thing for baking with apples…

See?

Apple Crumble

Easiest Ever MOIST Apple Cake

Magic Stay-Moist Apple Muffins

My Perfect Apple Pie

Cinnamon Apple Bread

Magic Caramel Self Saucing Baked Apples

Cinnamon Apple Teacake

Apple Crumble Bars

Life of Dozer

I shouldn’t do this – do you remember what happened the last time I teased him with dessert I have no intention of sharing with him? See below.

THIS happened:

Yep, Dozer had the last laugh!

The post Apple Turnovers – with cream filled option appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Here’s a copycat recipe for Australia’s (current) favourite confectionary – Golden Gaytime Popcorn! Caramel popcorn drizzled with chocolate and sprinkled with biscuits crumbs, it’s ridiculously addictive but rather expensive. Save a fortune by making it yourself!

Golden Gaytime Popcorn

Popcorn and candy lovers alike were in a tizzy of excitement with Golden Gaytime Popcorn was first released. Yours truly included. The chatter between closet popcorn-loving friends, however, quickly moved from “Far out, this is crazy good!” to “OMG can you believe it’s so expensive”??

Named as such because it’s a popcorn version of a beloved Australian’s ice cream called Golden Gaytime, one packet of the Gaytime popcorn is $5.75 for 100g (3.5 oz). A small bag with just 2 cups of Gaytime popcorn. I can’t afford to feed my addiction!!

Which, of course, lead to what was affectionately dubbed The Gaytime Popcorn Project – a homemade version I was confident I could create for 80% cheaper. How’d I do? My report card is at the bottom of the post!

Store-bought Golden Gaytime popcorn

A quick inspection of the ingredients label was all I needed to come up with a copycat recipe. It’s really just caramel popcorn with a drizzle of chocolate and sprinkling of biscuit crumbs.

However, my homemade Gaytime Popcorn is far more generous on the chocolate drizzling (oh, why not? 😇). And you won’t break the bank!

Hmm, I did a “sprinkling of biscuit crumbs”, didn’t I. But it looks more like I’m assertively throwing biscuit crumbs in the photo below. You want biscuit crumbs? Here’s your biscuit crumbs!!! 😂

Ingredients you need

Here’s what you need to make this. The first part covers the caramel popcorn, then the second part covers the chocolate drizzle and biscuit crumbs.

Caramel popcorn ingredients

Here’s what you need for the caramel popcorn:

• Corn syrup – This stabilises the caramel to ensure sugar crystallisation doesn’t occur, gives the caramel a nice shiny finish that’s crisp rather than sticky. Common grocery item in the US and Canada ! It can be purchased online in Australia from USAFoods.com.au and Amazon.

  Glucose is a perfect substitute for corn syrup which is available in Australian supermarkets (baking aisle, clear thick syrup with honey consistency). Just a little harder to measure out because it’s so thick. However, the popcorn needs to be baked for 15 minutes longer to make sure the caramel coating dries out and becomes crisp. This is because glucose has slightly higher water content.

• Baking soda / bi-carb – This makes the caramel coating become sort of foamy and increase in volume when you whisk it in. It helps get even coverage of caramel on the popcorn. Without the baking soda, you end up with big globs of caramel. It can’t be substituted with baking powder.

• Toffee, caramel or vanilla essence – Store-bought Gaytime popcorn has a stronger albeit more artificial caramel flavour than homemade. To replicate this, use a caramel or toffee essence. Otherwise, just stick with vanilla like normal caramel popcorn. It’s honestly not a big deal, the popcorn still has a lovely caramel-y flavour.

• Brown sugar rather than white sugar, for better caramel flavour.

• Butter – For flavour. Not margarine or other alternatives. I can’t predict what that will do to the crispness of the caramel coating.

• Oil – Anything neutral flavoured like vegetable, canola or peanut oil. This is for cooking the popcorn. It doesn’t work as well with butter (because butter is ~15% water and dairy, not just fat).

• Popping corn! It’s usually sold in the potato crisps aisle in grocery stores here in Australia.

Chocolate drizzle and biscuit crumbs

For the chocolate drizzle and biscuit crumbs, you just need chocolate suitable for melting and some plain biscuits to crush up then sprinkle on the popcorn.

• Chocolate -You can use a combination of dark and white chocolate, as I have done (like the store-bought Gaytime popcorn mix), or just one or the other.

  Use a chocolate purchased from the baking aisle rather than eating chocolate. Baking chocolate is purpose-made for melting and cooking with, whereas eating chocolate is actually often designed specifically so it doesn’t melt when warm! I typically use “melts” for melting and chocolate chips for things like chocolate chip cookies as they are designed to hold their shape when cookies are baked.

  For those of you in the US, semi-sweet chocolate chips is perfect.

• Plain biscuits – A signature part of Golden Gaytime Popcorn is the sprinkling of crushed biscuits on the popcorn. The ingredients label specifies that it’s vanilla biscuits. Honestly though, any plain sweet biscuits will work just fine!

How to make Golden Gaytime Popcorn

Simply make caramel popcorn then finish with a drizzle of chocolate and sprinkle of biscuit crumbs. It will stay crisp and fresh for at least a week – I’m sure it will last for longer (caramel popcorn lasts for weeks). But every test batch I made mysteriously disappeared before I could finish testing the shelf life!!

1. Pop popcorn

Pop your popcorn kernels using your method of choice – stove or popcorn maker, if you have one (I do, but for some reason digging it out of the back of the cupboard seems like more effort than cooking the popcorn on the stove).

Here’s how to cook popcorn on the stove.

1. Test kernels – Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add a few pieces of popcorn and wait until it pops, then quickly remove.

   Add remaining popcorn, elevate off stove to shake and spread corn out evenly. Cover with a lid.

2. Shake! Once the popcorn starts popping in earnest, shake the pot gently once. Remove from heat when the popping stops (when you can count to 3 between pops) and transfer to a (very!) large bowl.

3. To make the caramel melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar, corn syrup and salt. Stir until just combined.

4. Simmer – When it starts to bubble, simmer for 4 minutes – DO NOT STIR! This may cause the sugar to crystallise so you won’t end up with a smooth caramel.

5. Baking soda “foamy” – Remove from heat then quickly whisk in caramel (toffee or vanilla) and baking soda. When you stop whisking, the caramel will foam and increase in volume. This is what makes the caramel coat the popcorn evenly. Without the baking soda, you end up with thick heavy globs of caramel on the popcorn and it’s impossible to toss.

6. Coat popcorn – Quickly pour the foamy caramel straight over the popcorn and toss to coat the popcorn as best you can until the caramel cools and starts to harden.

7. Bake for 45 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes or so. The caramel will remelt for the first 2-3 tosses so it coats the popcorn more evenly.

   REMINDER: If using glucose instead of corn syrup, bake for an extra 15 minutes.

8. Cool – Remove from oven, leave to cool on the tray for 20 minutes so the caramel hardens. Then break up the popcorn – no need to be too pedantic, clumps are great!

Gaytime the popcorn!

OK, so time to transform our caramel popcorn into Gaytime Popcorn! Here’s how:

1. Bash the biscuits into crumbs either in a ziplock bag or using a mortar and pestle.

2. Melt the chocolate in the microwave (I use this) or bain-marie (bowl set over simmering water).

3. Transfer the melted chocolate into a piping bag. This makes it easier to get even coverage and zig-zag chocolate drizzles like you get with the store bought Gaytime popcorn. But if you prefer, you can just use a spoon for drizzling.

4. Ready for drizzling!

5. Drizzle the chocolate all over the popcorn in whatever pattern you prefer. There are no rules! Except – aim for even coverage. Nobody wants to be the unlucky person who gets a handful of chocolate-less popcorn!

6. Sprinkle the popcorn with the biscuit crumbs while the chocolate is still wet. The biscuits will stick to the chocolate part only, and it kind of sticks in concentrated (albeit small) patches so you can taste it a little better. I preferred this method rather than sprinkling it on the caramel popcorn whilst in the oven (the crumbs kind of got lost).

   Once the chocolate sets – I speed things up by popping the trays in the fridge for 15 minutes – it’s ready to dive in!!

Storage

In theory, Gaytime Popcorn should stay fresh and crisp as long as Caramel Popcorn which has an excellent shelf life of several weeks.

Test batches made it to around the 1 week mark successfully before mysteriously disappearing. So I can’t say for sure, but I’m confident it should last for at least 2 weeks. Just make sure it is stored in an airtight container in a cool and dry place. If moisture gets in and/or it’s hot and humid, the caramel coating will get sticky and chewy so it gets stuck in your teeth.

This was a jar intended for gifting. It never got gifted. 🤭

REPORT CARD: Homemade is 68% cheaper!!

I boldly stated when I started on the Gaytime Popcorn Project that I believed I could make it for 80% less than store-bought.

We’ve run the numbers and the results are in.

One batch costs $8.96 to make which equates to 5 packets of store bought Gaytime Popcorn which costs $28.75 ($5.75 per packet). That’s a 68% saving!

So, I was 12% off. But still. I would never spend $28.75 for 5 packets of Gaytime. But I would spend $8.96 to make a batch of this any day of the week – and twice for movie night! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Golden Gaytime Popcorn – copycat recipe!

Recipe video above. I love Golden Gaytime Popcorn. But it's expensive. So I decided to create a homemade version – with a 68% saving! It costs $8.96 to make this recipe which equates to 5 packets of Gaytime Popcorn which costs $28.75 ($5.75 per packet). 

After inspecting the packet ingredients, it's just caramel popcorn drizzled with chocolate and sprinkled with biscuits crumbs. Easy!

One batch makes 780g / 28oz, 12 cups = 5 packets of store-bought Golden Gaytime popcorn.

Course Dessert, Sweet

Cuisine Western

Keyword caramel corn, Caramel popcorn, food gift ideas, golden gaytime popcorn

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 12 cups

Calories 339cal

Author Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Cost $9

Ingredients

For the popcorn

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil (not required if air popping with a popcorn maker)
• 1/2 cup popping corn

For the caramel

• 100g / 7 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 cup brown sugar , tightly packed cup
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup (sub glucose, Note 1)
• 1/2 tsp cooking/ kosher salt
• 2 tsp toffee or caramel essence OR 1 tsp vanilla (substitute) (Note 2)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda (bi-carb) (Note 3)

Golden Gaytime Finishes

• 1 1/4 cups dark or white chocolate melts or chips (US: semi-sweet chips), I used ~25% white and 75% dark (Note 4)
• 4 plain sweet biscuits (like Marie Crackers) (Note 5)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Popcorn

• Test oil – Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add a few pieces of popcorn and wait until it pops, then quickly remove.
• Pop – Add remaining popcorn, elevate off stove to shake and spread corn out evenly. Cover with a lid. Once the popcorn starts popping in earnest, shake the pot gently once. Then crack the lid a tiny bit – let's steam escape for crisper popcorn.
• Remove from heat when the popping stops (when you can count to 3 between pops) and transfer to a (very!) large bowl.

Caramel:

• Preheat oven to 110°C/230°F (both fan and standard ovens).
• Combine – Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar, corn syrup and salt. Stir until just combined.
• Simmer – When it starts to bubble, simmer for 4 minutes – DO NOT STIR!
• Baking soda "foamy" – Remove from heat then quickly whisk in caramel (toffee or vanilla) and baking soda. When you stop whisking, the caramel will foam and increase in volume.
• Coat popcorn – Quickly pour straight over popcorn, toss until caramel cools and starts to harden.

Baking to crisp caramel coating:

• Spread popcorn on 2 large paper lined baking trays.
• Bake for 45 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes or so. Caramel will remelt for the first 2-3 tosses – tossing coats popcorn more evenly with caramel. (If using glucose, bake further 15 minutes).
• Cool – Remove from oven, leave to cool on the tray for 20 minutes. Then break up the popcorn – no need to be too pedantic, clumps are great!

Drizzle and crumbs

• Crumbs – Place biscuits in a ziplock bag and bash into crumbs.
• Melt chocolate – Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and microwave in 30 second increments on high, stirring in between, until melted and smooth – about 1 1/2 minutes. (If doing a small amount of white chocolate, reduce to 20 second increments).
• Piping bags – Transfer chocolate into a piping bag. Use scissors to snip a small opening at the tip. (Alternative: just drizzle with a spoon).
• Drizzle & crumb – Push the popcorn together but in a single layer. Drizzle criss-cross (or any pattern!) all over the popcorn. Sprinkle with biscuits crumbs while the chocolate is wet so it sticks.
• Fridge – Refrigerate for 15 minutes until the chocolate is firm. Gently break popcorn into pieces. EAT!
• Store in an airtight container in a cool place. Stays crisp for at least a week. Our test batches never lasted any longer!

Notes

1. Corn Syrup  stabilises the caramel to ensure sugar crystallisation doesn’t occur, plus makes it extra crisp and shiny. Common grocery item in the US and Canada ! Can be purchased online in Australia from USAFoods.com.au (here) and Amazon.

Glucose is a perfect substitute for corn syrup which is available in Australian supermarkets (baking aisle, clear thick syrup with honey consistency). Just a little harder to measure out because it’s so thick. However, the popcorn needs to be baked for 15 minutes longer (because glucose as higher water content).

2. Toffee or caramel essence – Store bought Gaytime has a stronger albeit more artificial caramel flavour than homemade. To replicate this, use a caramel or toffee essence. Otherwise, just stick with vanilla like normal caramel popcorn!

3. Baking soda/bi-carb – This makes the caramel coating become sort of foamy and increase in volume when you whisk it in. Helps with even coverage on the popcorn. Without, you end up with big globs of caramel.

4. Chocolate – Store bought Gaytime popcorn has ~50/50 white and dark chocolate drizzles. And rather skimpy at that! This homemade version is much more generous with the chocolate.

Use any mix of dark and white chocolate you want. I used about 25% white chocolate and 75% dark chocolate.

Be sure to use the right chocolate! Use chocolate purchased from the baking aisle (designed to melt smoothly) not eating chocolate (designed to NOT melt when warm!).

5. Biscuits – Any plain sweet biscuits will work here. Just something to sprinkle on the popcorn. The Gaytime Popcorn ingredients just lists “vanilla biscuits” for the crumbs used!

6. Storage – stays 100% crisp and fresh at least 1 week, probably more (caramel popcorn lasts 2 to 3 weeks). Be sure to keep it in an airtight container in a cool dry place. If it’s super hot and humid, fridge is best.

Nutrition per serving assuming 12 servings. It’s not diet food!

Nutrition

Serving: 46g | Calories: 339cal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 166mg | Potassium: 101mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 223IU | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Life of Dozer

I promise Dozer, there is nothing going on in here that would be of interest to you…..😂

The post Golden Gaytime popcorn (copycat) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Affogato – coffee, dessert and your after dinner drink, all rolled into one. This is what you have when you’re “too full for dessert”! Just pour espresso coffee over vanilla gelato or ice cream, enjoy the melty swirls and dig in. The Italians are genius.

Affogato

When was your last affogato? It’s my go-to dessert at restaurants. Even if I claim I’m too full, affogato doesn’t count as it’s practically liquid, right? It’s like having a glass of water! (Yes, really, that’s how my mind works – don’t judge me!😂)

For those new to affogato, it’s a traditional Italian coffee-dessert where hot espresso is poured over gelato or ice cream, with the option of adding a splash of liquor. It’s coffee, dessert, and an after-dinner drink, all rolled into one. The contrast of hot, bitter coffee with cold, creamy ice cream is utter perfection. And the fact that it’s so simple with a bonus DIY fun factor? Brilliant!

Ingredients in Affogato

All you need for affogato is a shot of hot espresso (coffee), ice cream or gelato and optional half a shot of liquor (Frangelico, amaretto, rum). A little more information on each of these below!

• Espresso – This is a small concentrated shot of hot coffee. The standard size for a shot of espresso is 30 ml (1 ounce).

  It goes without saying that the better your coffee, the better your affogato!

• Vanilla gelato or ice cream – Traditionally gelato though ice cream is just as good, in my opinion! More important is the flavour. Vanilla is the classic choice because it pairs so well with coffee. Feel free to experiment!

  How much ice cream – Use one large(ish) or two small(ish) scoops for one shot of coffee, for a good balance of the two. Though if using liquor, I lean towards two medium scoops, as pictured.

• Liquor (optional) – To roll your after dinner drink into this all-in-one dessert, add half a shot of liquor! Amaretto (almond flavour) and frangelico (hazelnut) are probably the most common. Rum, sambuca and Kahlua are also standard offerings at Italian restaurants, and multiple readers suggested orange liqueurs (such as Grand Marnier and Cointreau). Though really, you can add anything you think/know goes well with coffee!

  PS A shot of liquor is 30 ml / 1 ounce so half a shot is 15 ml / 0.5 ounce which is 1 tablespoon. Though nobody will hold you back from dialling the quantity up.

Optional extras

The traditional affogato is nothing more than espresso, gelato and optional liquor. However, even in restaurants these days there’s all sorts of optional extras. So adapt to your taste and make affogato your own! Here are some suggestions:

• Chocolate grated or shaved on the ice cream (I did this)

• Biscotti for dunking (I also did this!) – or Italian Almonds cookies (thank you to the reader who suggested this!)

• Whipped cream

• Melted chocolate – I’d drizzle across the ice cream

• Crushed or chopped nuts – pistachio and hazelnuts would be on theme here

I know I’m missing a stack of other ideas – drop suggestions in the comments below so I can come back and add to the list!

How to make affogato

I need more recipes with so few steps!

1. Brew hot espresso using your coffee making appliance of choice. That’s 30 ml/1 ounce for a single shot.

2. Put a scoop or two of ice cream in a glass.

3. Pour over hot coffee. Enjoy watching the ice cream swirls melting into the hot coffee!

4. If using liquor, pour that over next. Eat!

PS I used a small beaker to do the pour shot so I could do a neat pour for the photos. I don’t use a beaker in real life!

Serving – for DIY pour

From a practical perspective, as restaurants do, serve the glass with just the ice cream in it and the espresso on the side. So the eater can pour then dig straight into the affogato before the ice cream fully melts.

Oh, and a side of biscotti for dunking wouldn’t go astray either. Recipe coming up soon. Never been fully happy with my biscotti attempts! Need to put some time into it, and it’s currently on my radar.

Share your affogato twists! Do you like yours straight up, classic, just coffee and vanilla gelato? Or are you all about the toppings and getting creative with ice cream flavours?? Don’t let anyone tell you how you should or shouldn’t take your affogato – make it your own! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Affogato

Recipe video above. The world's fastest and smartest dessert, courtesy of the Italians. This is what you make when you claim you're too full dessert! It's coffee, dessert and optional after dinner drink, all rolled into one. Genius.

Hot coffee and melty gelato or ice cream is a match made in heaven.

Course Cocktail, Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Keyword affogato, affogato al caffe, coffee dessert, italian dessert

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Calories 183cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 1 large or 2 small(ish) scoops vanilla gelato or ice cream (Note 1)
• 1 shot (30 ml/1 oz) hot espresso coffee (short black) – Note 2
• 1 tbsp frangelico, amaretto or other liquor (optional) – Note 3

Instructions

• Put ice cream in glass suitable for affogato eating (Note 4).
• Place shot of espresso and liquor (if using) on the side.
• Pour the hot espresso then liquor over the ice cream. Enjoy swirls of melty ice cream blending into the coffee. Dig in immediately!

Notes

1. Gelato is traditional, ice cream is perfectly acceptable. Vanilla is the classic flavour and a dead-set perfect match with coffee flavour. However, feel free to use any flavour you want!

2. Espresso (short black) – Make sure it’s hot (so it melts the ice cream) and strong (so your ice cream coffee “soup” isn’t weak and bland)

3. Liquor – Kahlua, sambuca, rum and Bailey’s are also common offerings. Use what you know works with coffee!

4. Glass – Fancy restaurants use shallow cocktail glasses which I find impractical and poontsy, just for show. I like the glass taller than wider so you can dig in. Try to find one not too tall, it’s easier to eat out of.

5. Optional extras (not traditional, but nobody can stop you!)

• Biscotti (excellent for dunking)
• Chocolate shavings – use microplane or potato peeler
• Whipped cream
• Melted chocolate – on ice cream
• Nuts – roughly chopped pistacchio and hazelnuts on theme

Leftovers – nobody keeps half eaten melted affogato, do they??

Nutrition per serving, assumes 1/2 cup of ice cream which is a little on the generous side.

Nutrition

Calories: 183cal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 55mg | Potassium: 151mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 278IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 0.1mg

Life of Dozer

Going to town on ice cream garnished with a liver treat and doggie friendly sprinkles (pinched off another doggie treat!).

The post Affogato appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.