Need a chocolate recipe for your picnic?

Enjoy!
without a gooey mess

A chocolate recipe is fabulous on a picnic if it’s the kind that’s supposed to be a bit squidgy. Of course if it’s a winter picnic then you can go overboard and indulge your chocoholicism! Warm mugs of chilli chocolate, together with chocolate cookies for example!

However, hot summer weather can play havoc with chocolate recipes so you need to choose carefully and have enough room in your cool-box.

Strawberries are typical summer picnic food and dipping them in a sweet sauce makes them more exciting, especially on a romantic picnic or a kids picnic.

To make such a dipping sauce, simply melt 100 grams of chocolate and whisk in 200 ml of double cream. Keep cool. You can vary the taste by using white, dark or flavoured chocolate.

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These crazy chocolate cookies (pic. at top of page) are just the thing to have in your picnic basket for a chocoholic treat. I call them crazy for two reasons. First off, they craze in the oven and secondly I went a bit crazy making them! I also thought the icing sugar would melt in this chocolate recipe and it doesn’t, so that's a bit crazy! Try them and see.

They’re rather rich but they keep well and don’t seem to get too gooey in hot weather.

Start making these at least a few hours before the picnic.

Pack them in a food box so they do not arrive in crumbs and if it’s a very hot day, I would keep them in the cool-box.

You need:

175 g of dark chocolate
15 g of butter
175 g of plain flour
half a teaspoon of baking powder
pinch of salt
2 eggs
150 g of caster sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
60 g of icing sugar

Put the chocolate and butter in a small bowl and melt gently by either microwaving it on the lowest possible setting or putting it over a bowl of simmering water. Melt until smooth when you stir it and then let it cool a little while you ..

Beat the eggs and caster sugar in another bowl until the mixture is very pale in colour. Then beat in the melted chocolate and vanilla extract. Add the flour, salt and baking powder and stir well combing everything.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour until firm. You can leave overnight if you need to.

When you’re ready to bake, heat the oven to 160 degrees C or 150 if you have a fan, or gas mark 3.

Shape the doughy mixture into small balls (this amount makes about 20) and roll in the icing sugar. Put them on baking paper or Teflon coated non-stick bakeware liners. Press down with your fingers to flatten. Bake for about 13 – 15 minutes.

Let them cool for a few minutes and then remove to a rack until cold.

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