It's my first weekend back in the UK. The sun is shining, Wales kicked France's butt last night and I passed out at 10pm giving me 10 hours of blissful solid sleep.
Oh and I just made these gooey chocolatey trenzas again.
I am getting crumbs all over my laptop but it's oh so worth it!
Just look at this...
I knocked up these last week in Spain for the crew and they were greeted with uuuhs and aaahs of enjoyment. It was actually bloody freezing in Spain last week and we all needed a pick-me-up. The crew enjoyed them with big mugs of tea & coffee, and not a crumb was left so I guess they went down well.
But I never actually got to try a full piece except a little nibble of a corner, so I knew I needed to make them again in the comfort of my own home where I didn't have to share it with anybody! Muahaha
I retained my domestic goddess halo, which I'm now going to remove for a bit whilst I let you in on the secret of how they are made.
To start the sophisticated and complicated process you need....
* A sheet of puff pastry (
Jus-Rol is an excellent choice)
* A whole bar of chocolate
* 1 egg
* Grated/Chopped Almonds
Preheat your oven to 213° C (415° F).
Now roll out a square bit of puff pastry on a flat surface, it doesn't need to be perfect. Frankly the less time it takes to prepare, the quicker we can eat it.
If your whole chocolate bar can survive not being eaten by you or anyone in the household (not even a little square), then what is wrong with your house?
As soon as I turned around, my dad had already broken off a square and scoffed it down! Luckily I had 2 chocolate bar back ups.
Position in the centre and cut two vertical lines above and below the chocolate bar. Then cut away two diagonal lines from the corner of the bar to the corner of the pastry.
Now bring out your artistic side and create a puff pastry masterpiece.
Cut downward diagonal lines from the corner of the chocolate bar. Those perfectionists might want to make them even, but as long as they look similar you will be fine!
Now do the same on the other side.
Remove the rectangles at the top of the chocolate bar, both the left and the right side. Now remove the left and right triangles below.
Now it's time to plait!
Fold down the top rectangle over the head of the chocolate bar and plait one thread over the other like below.
Carry on until your plait looks something like this. Chop away any overhanging threads.
Before you reach the bottom, fold down the bottom flap and finish off the last few threads again chopping away any overhanging bits on either side.
Until you end up with a cocooned chocolate bar. Carefully place on greaseproof baking paper and on a baking tray.
Beat one egg up into a bowl and get ready to paint!
Gloss your cocoon with egg paint to give it that nice shiny glow once baked.
Sprinkle with grated or roughly chopped almonds and pop it in the over for 20-25 mins at 213° C (415° F).
When they are golden brown and whispering to be eaten, then you're ready!
Eat them warm as soon as they come out of the oven for that gooey chocolatey goodness but they are just as tasty if you eat them later (if your guests can be restrained to leave any leftovers!).
Nobody needs to know you didn't spend hours preparing them.
Alternatively you could prepare them the night before and pop them in the oven in the morning whilst you are getting ready and take them in to work for some serious year-long smarty-pants brownie points with your colleagues.
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