CHOCOLATE SQUARES

you know where most of my recipes comes from - this one in mum's old handwritten book - is so badly stained and used it took me quite a while to decipher - but here it is - JUST FOR YOU!

4oz (125g) butter
1 small cup brown sugar
1 egg
vanilla essence
1 cup plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup dried fruit (chopped dates, raisins or dried apricots)

Cream butter and sugar; add egg and vanilla, then dried fruit. Sift flour with baking powder and add to mixture. Cook in a Swiss Roll tin in a moderate oven for 30 minutes. When cold cover with chocolate butter icing.

CHOCOLATE (weetbix) SLICE

This recipe has an interesting tie as its come from two sources: mum and a Sydney friend. Many of you may remember mum comes from an Australian country town Wingham. So does my friend Michael who now lives in Sydney and when we discovered this common bond, both of original settler families, he sent me an email of recipes he had discovered on a visit 'home'. This was in mum's book, and in Michael's collection.

Chocolate Slice (with weetbix)

3 weetbix (crumbled)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut
1 cup plain flour
1 tablespoon cocoa
125g melted butter

Combine dry ingredients. Mix in melted butter. Press into baking tray and cook in a moderate oven for 10 minutes. Ice with chocolate icing while hot. Cut into squares.