Ingredients
Serves 6-8Chocolate Coated Almonds
250g Almond Splinters lightly roasted
25g Rice bubbles
30g Candied orange finely chopped
20g Chopped pistachios
65g Caster Sugar
50ml Water
50g Pure Icing Sugar
100g Callebaut dark chocolate
Gingerbread men
125g honey
77g sugar
9g gingerbread spice
18g butter
275g plain flour
5g baking soda
45g hot water
1 packet of 100s and 1000s
Royal Icing
1 egg white
125g pure icing sugar
Additional egg white
Christmas Tree Decorations
100g desiccated coconut
Green colour
Silver decorating balls
200g Callebaut White chocolate
200g Callebaut Milk chocolate
200g Callebaut dark chocolate
Materials required:
Assorted decorative balls
Star templates 3 graduating sizes
Gold cord
Paper piping bags
Scissors
Baking paper
7cm circle template on paper
Method
Chocolate Coated Almonds
Place sugar and water into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Place the sugar syrup in a bowl together with the slithered almonds and mix well. Place onto a baking tray and lightly roast, the oven set no higher than 160°C.
In short intervals turn over the almonds with a spatula to ensure even roasting.
When the almonds are cold mix through the chopped candied orange, pistachios and chocolate. Place onto a tray lined with baking paper and break into clusters when set.
Gingerbread men
Sift dry ingredients and mix together with honey and softened butter. Add baking soda dissolved in hot water and continue to mix until all the products are incorporated. Allow to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes before rolling out. Cut out gingerbread men. Place on a lined tray and bake for 12 minutes at 175°C.
Royal Icing
Combine first group of egg white and icing sugar to create the icing. Royal Icing is used to construct the gingerbread house and to decorate your gingerbread people. Royal Icing will set very hard so any decorations need to be applied immediately.
Christmas Tree Decorations
Assembly of Christmas wreaths
Colour the coconut with green colour by applying a small amount of colour and rubbing it through the coconut until you achieve the desired colour. Place traced 7cm circles underneath a piece of baking paper. Fill a pipping cone with melted and tempered dark chocolate pipe over the 7cm outline and place a gold cord on top of the wreath and secure it with chocolate. Place silver decorating balls on the wreath and sprinkle with green coconut before the chocolate sets.
Assembly of Chocolate Stars
Temper dark chocolate if required and spread onto a sheet of baking about 2mm thickness when the chocolate sets cut 2 of each star size. Repeat this process with milk and white chocolate.
Pipe thin lines of chocolate on each of the largest stars using a paper piping cone. Place the largest star down and pipe a small amount of chocolate in the centre and attach the gold cord. Cover with a second smaller star in an alternate colour before the chocolate sets. Apply another small amount of chocolate on the second star before apply the smallest star on top.
We wish you a merry Christmas
Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School
22 Wilson Avenue Brunswick Victoria
P: 03 9380 9777 www.savourschool.com.au