Get creative with... CHOCOLATE CRAVINGS

4 large, ripe firm pears (800g),

peeled, quartered and cored ¼ cup pure maple syrup

2 cups frozen blackberries (250g) 100g white chocolate, broken into

squares

Icing sugar mixture and softly

whipped cream, to serve TOPPING

1¼ cups self-raising flour

1 tsp ground ginger

⅓ cup brown sugar, firmly packed 50g cold unsalted butter, cut into

1cm pieces

1 egg, lightly beaten

½ cup milk

1

Grease an ovenproof dish (8-cup capacity, top measures 24cm). Add pears, syrup and 2 tblsps water in a bowl. Toss well. Spread out over base of dish. Cover tightly with foil.

3

4

6 250g unsalted butter, chopped, at room temperature

½ cup caster sugar

½ cup brown sugar, firmly

packed

1 egg

¼ cup desiccated coconut 2 cups plain flour

¼ cup cocoa powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 150g packet Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (Miniatures), chopped ¾ cup mini marshmallows 2 x 50g bars milk

chocolate, finely chopped

1 Grease and line two large oven trays with baking paper.

2 Beat butter and sugars in small bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in egg until combined. Transfer to a large bowl. 3 Stir in coconut and combined sifted flour, cocoa and soda. Stir in the Peanut Butter Cups, marshmallows and chocolate. 4 Roll two tablespoons of mixture into balls. Place about 6cm apart on prepared trays. Flatten slightly with fingertips. 5 Cook in a moderate oven (180°C), swapping trays halfway, for 15 minutes. Biscuits are cooked when set and will firm on cooling. Remove from oven.

6 Cool biscuits completely on trays before serving.

An

Biscuits can be made up to five days ahead. Store in an airtight container. Try replacing milk chocolate with hazelnut milk chocolate or use White Choc Bits. For a delicious, syrupy fruit base, it’s important to use ripe pears that are still slightly firm but not too soft. Hard, under- ripe pears take longer to cook and won’t release as much juice during cooking.