The joy of not baking
This season, keep your cool with these genius no-bake treats.
DURING the festive season, it’s easy to get swept up by the cookie baking fever. Some call it the herd instinct, but if you stop to think about it, you’ll find a genius way to get your homemade festive treats and gifts – without even going near an oven.
It’s called the win-win solution: make some and buy some.
Start with everyone’s familiar favourite chocolate cookies like Julie’s Hershey’s Chocolate Waffles or Julie’s Hershey’s Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Cookies to bring the crunch factor.
Now add the wow factor: orange curd, or festive ingredients like cranberry, pistachio and white chocolate. And viola, you have two very do-able sweet treats!
These can be made ahead, and served at any time, or tied with ribbons as happy gifts.
les es hes Chocolate Waffles
These waffles bring smokey, dark chocolate flavours with every bite. You’ll love the fact that each waffle has an irregular edge that gives it a hand-made look. And you’ll also love that crisp and super thin look – tres chic. For a flavour made in heaven, pair dark chocolate with orange curd.
les es hes Chocolate Ch ae lt Coo es
The cookie is very crisp and studded with lots of Hershey’s dark chocolate chips and crushed hazelnuts. It’s not too sweet and when used in baking brings loads of chocolate hazelnut flavour and a nice crunch.
DIY gift ideas
A jar of orange curd paired with Julie’s Hershey’s Chocolate Waffles. Julie’s Hershey’s Christmas Truffles in gift boxes of six, eight, 10 or 12 truffles.
JULIE’S HERSHEY’S CHOCOLATE WAFFLES & ORANGE CURD For the orange curd
3 egg yolks
80g sugar zest of 1 orange
15g cornflour
3 eggs
135g orange juice, and 80g sugar 100g butter
1 packet Julie’s Hershey’s Chocolate Waffle
Icing (optional)
100g icing sugar, sifted 25g egg white
To prepare orange curd
In a mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks and sugar. Whisk until pale. Add in the cornflour, then the eggs.
In a saucepan, combine the orange juice and sugar. Pour the egg mixture onto it and bring to boil, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Make sure you mix it in well.
Transfer the curd into a bowl, cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to let the curd chill and set further. Keep refrigerated.
To serve
Fill the orange curd into a piping bag and pipe onto the chocolate waffles or use a spoon to scoop. Enjoy as open face sandwich or sandwich, or simply dip the waffle crisps into the curd.
To make the icing
In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar and egg white. Mix using a spoon until mixture forms a white paste. Fill into a piping bag attached with a fine nozzle – or fashion a simple piping cone using baking paper.
Have fun piping decorative snowflake designs on the chocolate waffles.
JULIE’S HERSHEY’S CHRISTMAS TRUFFLE Makes 24 small (22g each) or 12 large (11g each)
50g Julie’s Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Cookies
320g white chocolate, chopped into small pieces 75g unsalted butter, softened 1 pinch fine sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional) 45g UHT cream
20 dried cranberries 20g toasted pistachios, roughly chopped icing sugar for coating
Crush the cookies into roughly pea-sized crumbs.
Combine white chocolate, butter, salt and vanilla in a mixing bowl.
In a small saucepan, boil cream, and pour over the chocolate. Stir with a spatula until well combined. Fold in the cookie crumbles, cranberries and chopped pistachios.
Scoop the chocolate mixture to form rough balls using a tablespoon or ice cream scoop. You can make smaller or larger balls as you wish, scaling accordingly.
Place on a nonstick paper-lined tray and chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to firm it up before shaping.
Remove from fridge and shape into balls. Set in the freezer for 20 minutes before rolling in icing sugar.
Set in paper cups if desired. Serve or store in the fridge until needed.
The truffles can be kept for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container in the fridge, or longer in the freezer.