Amaretto Brownie Muffins

 Für Rezept in Deutsch bitte HIER klicken:

These Brownie bites are an adaption of a brownie recipe that I make often but have not posted yet, this time in muffin form. A cake disguised as muffin, very rich in taste, not overly sweet (if you like it sweeter add more sugar), irresistable! Decorate them with a heart of icing sugar, and you will have lovely Valentine's Day Treats :)

Ingredients (makes 24 muffins):

125 g brown sugar (Muscovado or Demerara)
2 eggs 
125 g butter, melted
200 ml milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (I used homemade)
225 g plain flour
50 g cocoa, unsweetened
100 g semi-sweet chocolate
60 ml Amaretto liqueour
50 g almonds, chopped
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt


Method:

• Preheat oven to 180°C/ 350 F.
• Melt butter and chocolate (separate) until smooth and shiny. Set aside.
• Prepare muffin tin. Grease muffin cups or use muffin liners. 
• Whisk together eggs and sugar, using a wooden spoon or spatula (no mixer needed).
• Pour in melted butter, melted chocolate, milk, amaretto and vanilla extract. Add almonds. Combine. 
• Sift together flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt into the mixing bowl, incorporate with a wooden spoon.
• Fill greased muffin cups (or muffin liners) 2/3 full. 
•  Bake at 160° C for 12-15 minutes.
• Dust with cocoa or icing sugar before serving. 

Imam već godinama recept za brownies koji sam prilagodila svom ukusu, dodavala i oduzimala sastojke, smanijila šećer, dok nisam dobila ono što i meni i M. najbolje odgovara. Jučer sam ovaj kolač isprobala u formi muffina, čisto iz radoznalosti, da vidim kako će ispasti. Rezultat je odličan, kolačići su izgubili pomalo onu pomalo ljepljivu unutrašnjost, što im nije naškodilo, divno su meki, sočni, čokoladasti, ne previše slatki (ako volite više slatko dodajte još šećera), a kombinacija amaretta i sjeckanih badema savršena. Upravo grickam jedan kolačić dok pišem ovaj post, uz meni omiljeni čaj od mente... I idući dan su odlični! Meni su najbolji kad su posuti s puno kakaa, ali ih na primjer možete ukrasite srčekom i od prah šećera. Zgodan način da dragoj osobi na Valentinovo pokažete da je volite, zar ne?:-)

 Za 24 kolačića potrebno je:

125 smeđeg šećera (Muscovado, ili Demerara)
2 jaja
125 maslaca, istopljenog
200 ml mlijeka
1 žlica ekstrakta vanilije (koristim domaću)
225 g brašna, glatkog
50 g kakao praha (gorkog)
100 g tamne čokolade (70% kakaa)
60 ml amaretto likera
1 žličica praška za pecivo
prstohvat soli
50 g sjeckanih badema


Priprema:

• Zagrijte peć na 180 °C.
• Pripremite košarice za muffine, ili silikonske kalupiće. 
• Rastopite maslac, stavite u stranu. Istopite čokoladu.
• U zdjeli spatulom ili drvenom varjačom izmiješajte jaja i šećer. Mikser nije potreban.
• Umiješajte istopljeni maslac, rastopljenu čokoladu, mlijeko, vanilliju, amaretto liker.
• Punite kalupiće ili košarice (otprilike 2/3, tijesto će narasti). 
• Peći na 160°C otprilike 12- 15 minuta. 
• Prije serviranja posuti kakao prahom ili prah šećerom.
• Najbolji su još topli, ali i hladni, a sočni su i idući dan!

A Trip to Lainzer Tiergarten & Frozen Kiwi Pops

Last weekend was a long weekend for us, three free days with my husband, we had wonderful weather in Austria  and so we decided to go out and enjoy nature & culture on our free days. The first day we spent in Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens, but unfortunately I had no camera with me that day. I forgot it, shame on me!  The second day we decided to visit the Lainzer Tiergarten. Here are some facts (source: Wikipedia) that might be of interest: The Lainzer Tiergarten, is a 24.50 km² wildlife preserve in the southwest corner of Vienna, Austria, and  80% of it being covered in woodland. It dates back to 1561, when Ferdinand I of Austria created it as a fenced-in hunting ground for his family to use. Since 1919, it has been open to the public. Its name consists of its location by the Lainz district of Vienna's 13th District, and Tiergarten, which means zoo (literally, "animal garden"). Today the Lainzer Tiergarten is home to between 800 and 1,000 wild boars 200 to 250 fallow deer approximately 700 mouflons, and 80 to 100 red deer (elk). 

There is one museum located within Lainzer Tiergarten:  the Hermesvilla. Emperor Franz Joseph I gave it to his wife Empress Elisabeth (nicknamed "Sisi"), and he called it the "castle of dreams.“ The name of the villa refers to a statue of Hermes made of white marble that is located in the garden of the villa. Today, the Hermesvilla is noted for its art and natural setting, and is used by the Vienna Museum for special exhibitions on cultural history.

It was a fun day, no stress, just exploring and enjoying... If you have the chance to visit Lainzer Tiergarten, do it, you will love it!!

Prošli, produženi vikend smo suprug i ja proveli opušteno, bez stresa, iskoristili smo maksimalno lijepe, sunčane dane, uglavnom u prirodi. U nedjelju smo posjetili palaču i vrtove Schönbrunna,  Gloriettu iznad parka, i Paviljon Palmi, ali sam nažalost zaboravila fotoaparat pa ćete mi na riječ morati povjerovati da je bilo prelijepo.:) Imam u planu da nekad napišem post o Schönbrunn-u, a pošto nerijetko odemo u šetnju prekrasnim vrtovima, biće sigurno prilike da to i lijepo fotografiram.  U ponedjeljak smo po prvi put posjetili zoološki vrt "Lainzer Tiergarten", i to smo povezali s razgledavanjem dvorca i muzeja Hermesvilla.

Ako vam se nekad pruži prilika da posjetite Lainzer Tiergarten i dvorac Hermesvilla, obavezno posjetite muzej, gdje se redovno organiziraju izložbe, ili posjetitie privatne odaje carice Elizabeth "Sisi". Evo i nekoliko sličica...:)

Na kraju posta ćete naći i receptić za savršeno osvježavajuće "grickalice"s kivijem za tople dane. Uživajte!

Hermesvilla- front view

Fountain in the courtyard of the Villa

Garden impressions

Restaurant "Artner" in the Hermesvilla

Coffee break :)

Posing with M. :)

And last, but not least, a very easy recipe, more an idea for frozen treats: Frozen Kiwi Pops! Dip a fruit of your choice (kiwi, strawberry, banana) in melted chocolate and freeze, it is so easy and delicious!

Frozen Kiwi Chocolate Pops

                Potrebno je:                    

kiwi (2-3 komada)

drveni štapići 

(u nedostatku štapića za sladoled sam upotrijebila čačkalice- 

ako pravite djeci, naravno one ne dolaze u obzir!)

čokolada po izboru (kvalitetnija)

1 žlica ulja 

kokos (po želji)

Priprema:

Isjeći kiwi na deblje kolutove, ako su prekiseli, pošećeriti, poredati na papir za pečenje.
Staviti u zamrzivač otprilike 20-30 minuta.
U međuvremenu istopiti čokoladu na pari, i dodati žlicu ulja.
U napola smrznute kolutove kivija zabosti štapić, pa umočiti u otopljenu čokoladu. Po želji uvaljati u kokos.
Poredati na papir za pečenje i vratiti u zamrzivač da se stegne.
Prije serviranja izvaditi i staviti u frižider 5-10 minuta, da kivi malo popusti, onda su najljepši! Uživati :)

Chocolate Delight Cookies

Für Rezept in Deutsch bitte scrollen:

I was baking this weekend. The WHOLE weekend. Christmas is so near, and there still are so many things to be baked until then, not only for us, but for our friends and working colleagues as well. Me and my darling have decideded to make the Holidays even more sweeter by making our own edible gifts for our dearest friends. Ok, we both have decided that, but I am the one who is going to make these edible goodies. :)  The first 3 gifts I made look like this:

This Cookie Jar consists of Sweet Trolley's Chocolate Delight Cookies, which are wonderfully moist and chocolatey, and some delicious White Chocolate Poppyseed Crescents. I will post the recipe for the Chocolate Delight Cookies today, the recipe for White Chocolate Poppyseed Crescents I will post next time!

These Chocolate Delight Cookies are scrumptious, they are a Hit in our family! Some of these cookies I have rolled in powder sugar before baking, which turns out to be very decorative! Try it out, you will love these black & white beauties :)

And here is the recipe, I sticked to the original recipe, the only change I have made was the usage of  powder sugar for some of my cookies:

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Dieses Jahr haben ich und mein Schatz beschlossen, unsere lieben Freunde, aber auch Arbeitskollegen mit "süßen Geschenken" zu beschenken, zum allerersten Mal. Das heisst, WIR haben es beschlossen, und ICH "darf" die Geschenke "produzieren" und verpacken. Ich bin ja eigentlich ziemlich spät dran mit Plätzchen backen dieses Jahr (was auch der Hauptgrund für meinen Wochenend-Back-Marathon war :D), aber es macht mir einfach unglaublich viel Spaß!

Meine ersten 3 Goodies bestehen aus den unbeschreiblich lecker schokoladigen Chocolate Delight Cookies, die ich bei der lieben Katie von Sweet Trolley gesehen habe, und aus meinen Lieblingskeksen: Mohnkipferln mit weissem Schokoüberzug. Das Mohnkipferl-Rezept gibt es dann im nächsten Post!

Und hier das Rezept, welches ich streng befolgt habe, außer das ich ein Teil der Cookies vor dem Backen in Puderzucker gewälzt habe. Sehr dekorativ und sehr lecker! Alle sind von diesen Schokobomben hellauf begeistert, es sind nur noch ein paar Stück da... Morgen backe ich sie noch mal! Vielen Dank Katie (& Sunny :)) für dieses tolle Cookie-Rezept!! 

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Ove godine po prvi put poklanjamo dragim prijateljima i radnim kolegama "slatke paketiće", a pošto sam u zaostatku s pečenjem blagdanskih kolačića i keksića provela sam cijeli vikend u kuhinji praveći svakakve slatkiše. Prva tri poklončića izgledaju kao na prvoj slici gore, sastoje se iz ultračokoladnih keksića koje sam otkrila na blogu Sweet Trolley, i koji su me oduševili ne samo jednostavnošću pripreme nego i okusom. Prave čokoladne bombice, nimalo suhi, naprotiv, fino su sočni i "čokoladasti".  Dragom sam morala skloniti kutiju s ovim keksima jer se on nije mogao zaustaviti da ih jede :) 

Držala sam se originalnog recepta, jedino sam jedno polovicu keksića prije pečenja uvaljala u šećer u prahu. Jako efektno i dekorativno! A recept ide ovako: