Walnut Oat Biscuits

These Biscuits are light and not so sweet. Have them with some soft cheese or yoghurt and fresh berries.. MM... or have them plain. It still taste good.

Here we go-



Walnut Oat Biscuits (Goodfood Magazine)

Ingredients -

- 100 g of butter
- 85 g of brown sugar
- an egg
- 50 g rolled oats
- 50 g of finely chopped walnuts
 - 85 g of plain flour
- 1/2 tsp of baking powder

Method -

- preheat oven to 180c. butter and line baking trays
- In a food processor whiz up the butter and sugar for 2 min. (can whisk by hand for about 5 min)
- beat in the egg and add all the other ingredients and mix till combined
- drop spoonfuls of mixture and make sure to leave space in between
- bake for 15-20 mins
- cool and serve with some cheese and berries.

ENJOY :)

Apple streusal slice

These apple streusel slices are yum-malicious!! These slices are very flavorful and fruity.

Gotta admit I really need to work on my streusel making skills, I didn't freeze until very firm :D nothings wrong with the taste of course but it doesn't look as perfect as I like it to be. Well, no ones perfect and certainly not me, I know that I have a lot of room for improvement and I am more than happy to learn as I go. It is all to my benefit anyway ;)

Anyway, like I said they taste divine don't get put off by streusal, give it a shot you won't be disappointed. :)




Apple Streusal Slice (womens weekly)

butter - 220 g
caster sugar - 220 g
egg yolks - 2
plain flour - 200 g
self-raising flour - 75 g
custard powder - 2 tbs
apples thinly sliced - 4
honey - 1 tbs
lemon rind - 1 tsp

Streusel topping

plain flour - 75 g
self-raising flour - 35 g
brown sugar - 75 g
cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
butter chopped - 90 g

- for the streusel topping process everything until combined and cover in plastic wrap, freeze for 1 hour
- preheat oven to 180 c
- beat butter, sugar and yolks until fluffy. stir in the flours and custard powder.
- press the mixture into the pan and bake for 25 min-cool
- meanwhile, cook apples honey and rind in a medium saucepan covered for 5 min
- spread the apples over the base, coarsely grate the streusel and sprinkle on top and bake for 20 min.

Breakfast Loaf

This loaf is super healthy and a complete breakfast. These days I have very little time to make myself fancy breakfasts and enjoy eating it while watching tv (oh I miss those days,, *sigh*).

So I had to make myself something that is healthy and have all the nutrients to get me going all day and of course tastes divine. This particular loaf has all that.

Its feels great not running like a head less chook and having my breakfast on the train looking good without my bad-hair-day hat, Ahh! Life is swaying on the not-so bad side. :)

Oh and another good thing about this loaf is that you mix everything together, pop into the oven and you can go on with your while its getting baked.


Breakfast Loaf (GoodFood magazine)

wholemeal flour - 175 g
oatmeal - 50 g
butter - 100 g (can use margarine, but I like butter :P)
brown sugar - 100 g
baking powder - 2 tsp
cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
eggs - 2
ripe bananas mashed - 4
dates - 100 g (can use nuts instead)

- preheat oven to 180 c
- mix everything together well except the bananas and dates
- stir in the dates and bananas
- bake 60-70 min depending on the oven or until done

Raspberry macaroon slice

I love coconut, not so much in savory dishes but I would eat anything that is sweet and has loads of coconut in it.

Do you know that coconut is derived from a Spanish word coco and it actually means monkey face? Yup I never noticed it resembles monkeys face, however, I have never seen a whole coconut first hand so can't comment on that one.

Well, moving away from the history of coconut and onto this divine raspberry macaroon slice. A very simple yet very irresistible recipe.



Raspberry macaroon slice (women's weekly)

butter - 90 g
caster sugar - 110 g
egg - 1
plain flour - 100 g
self-raising flour - 35 g
custard powder - 1 tbs
raspberry jam - 160 g (or any other flavor)

Topping

egg whites - 2
shredded coconut - 190 g
caster sugar - 55 g

- preheat oven to 180 c and grease a line a rectangular pan
- beat butter, sugar and egg and combine flours, custard powder and spread into pan top with jam
- beat egg whites lightly and stir in the sugar and coconut and sprinkle over jam
- bake for 40 min or until done

Coconut and cashew cookies

What do you make of coconut + cashews + ginger?

Coconut and cashew cookies with a kick of course :)

Yup! They sound great doesn't it. OH and let me tell you they taste twice as good.

So lets get these puppies baking :D




Coconut and cashew cookies (GoodFood magazine)

cashews - 140 g
dessicated coconut - 85 g
plain flour - 175 g
baking powder - 1/2 tsp
butter - 140 g
brown sugar - 125 g
ginger - 1 tbs
egg - 1

- preheat oven to 180c
- split cashews in half and set 3-4 tbs aside
- in a food processor, blend the flour, baking powder, butter, sugar, ginger and egg. mix in the coconut and nuts
- make into round balls and flatten slightly, make sure to leave fair bit of space in between.
- sprinkle with some nuts and bake for 10-15 min until golden



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Lemon poppy seed with lemon boiled frosting

I made this cake a while ago but misplaced the pictures. The recipe is a classic that's always a hit and you never get sick of eating it (I certainly don't :D). I must admit I love poppy seed. They are very addictive, especially in cakes :P

Pretty much everyone has made or eaten this cake with or without slight variations. The icing that goes with it enhances its flavor even more. There are various icings that are used with this cake, Lemon drizzle, butter cream ...... many more, and they all go equally well.

I however chose a very different frosting to compliment this gorgeous citrus cake, lemon boiled frosting. This particular frosting is a little bit tricky to make but the result is certainly awarding. They taste absolutely divine together.

Also, for this cake I got a bit carried away and added a dash of vibrant colors and made a rainbow lemon poppy seed cake :) I love pretty colors.


Lemon poppy seed cake ( Womens weekly)

butter - 200 g
self-raising flour - 2 c
eggs - 3
sugar - 1 c
milk - 180 ml
poppy seed - 45 g

- preheat to 180 c, line and grease baking pan
- combine milk and poppy seed and leave for 10 min
- beat the eggs, butter, sugar until pale and mix in the flour and mix in the poppy seeds
- bake for 45 min or until done

pretty flowers :)

Lemon boiled frosting

egg whites - 2
sugar - 1 c
water - 1/3 c
lemon juice 1/2 tbs
corn syrup - 1 tbs
salt - a pinch

- put the sugar, water, corn syrup and salt in a saucepan and sitr until dissolved
- boil without stirring until reaches 120 c
- in a bowl beat the egg whites until stiff, slowly add the syrup whilst beating
- add the lemon juice and continue beating for 10-15 min until very stiff and holds its shape

mmmmm.....

Pumpkin oatmeal cookies

I love pumpkin, especially in desserts. They taste great and have loads of benefits.

Did you know that they are low in calories? I certainly didn't. It only has 26 calories per 100g and so are used by dieticians in weight reduction programs. Besides being low in calories, it is also packed full of antioxidants.
Anyway, bottom line- Its is good for you and you should have more of it.

So this particular recipe is also good for you as it is made from oats and wholemeal flour and of course the low in calories pumpkin (I'm lovin it).

For this recipe I made my own pumpkin puree as I bought fresh pumpkins for only 50c a kilo (BARGAIN!!!). I bought quite a bit and they are now happily sitting in my freezer :) The good thing about buying fresh pumpkin is that it doesn't cost you as much (if you find yourself a bargain) and also canned pumpkins don't come seeds (my seeds are sun bathing atm :p).

Again, it is a very easy and stir-everything-together recipe that takes no time to make at all.



Pumpkin oatmeal cookies (homestyle magazine)

margarine - 1 c
brown sugar - 1 1/2 c
pumpkin puree - 1 c
egg - 1
chopped nuts - 1 c
wholemeal flour - 2 c
oats - 1 1/3 c
baking soda - 1 tsp
cinnamon - 1 tsp
vanilla - 1 tsp

- preheat to 180c, grease and line baking sheets
- beat the egg, margarine, sugar, vanilla until light and fluffy
- Add the pumpkin puree, flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and mix well-stir in the nuts
- drop table spoons on the baking sheets and bake for 15-20 min until done

Fig and almond tart with chocolate ice cream

This was my first time trying out fresh figs. I have had figs before but they were dried figs and they are much more sweeter than the fresh ones. In fact the fresh ones are hardly sweet (at least the ones I tried).

I pre-planned everything for these gorgeous fresh figs. I wanted to make a beautiful fig and almond tart with chocolate ice cream that I had made the day before. So I went to the supermarket and bought all the things I needed.
I came home happy that I will be home all day by myself baking-but of-course to my disappointment I was told that we are expecting guests (had to happen didn't it).

But I had already made my mind that I'm having almond and fig tart with chocolate ice cream. And so I did but with few changes.

I used ready-made puff pastry. :D Yes, the good old ready-made puff pastry from the handy frozen aisle. They are there to be used right? So why not.

This is a quick recipe that I managed to pull off and indulge in the small time frame that I had. Honestly, I don't think I wanted anything better :)



Almond and fig tart

almond paste - 110g
cream cheese - 1/3 c
vanilla - 1 tsp
honey - 2 tbs
fresh figs - 4-5
Puff pastry sheets

- preheat to 180c
- mix everything well except the figs
- spread the filling on the pastry
- slice the figs how ever you like it and lay it on top of the filling and fold the sides of the pastry
- bake until golden




Chocolate ice cream

dark chocolate - 110g
milk - 1 c
cream - 1 c
sugar - 1 c
coffee flavor - 1 tsp (or other variations)

- Heat the milk and remove from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until smooth-cool
- whisk the eggs until fluffy and in the sugar and mix well
- add the cream, coffee and the chocolate mixture and blend well
- chill and freeze according to the ice cream maker and set.

Cherry muffins with passion fruit glace icing

The famous box of cherries :P

Yes, I Still have plenty of cherries left from that big box.
And no, I am not whinging about it at all.
In fact, I am excited and thankful for that big box of cherries because that means I can try out many different recipes out there and have fun.

And so continuing my hunt for recipes that use cherries I came across various gorgeous recipes including this soft and fluffy Cherry Muffins. These muffins are totally a breeze to make, only a matter of a quick stir with simple easily accessible ingredients.

These muffins are a hit by themselves but you can make them extra special by topping them with passion fruit glace icing, which will make them deliciously glossy.

I know youll find these muffins completely irresistible (coming from experience :D)

Just out of the oven :)

Just as good by itself

Cherry Muffins (readers digest)

cherries pitted - 400g
butter - 125
eggs - 3
brown sugar - 140g
vanilla - 1tsp
sour cream - 150g
self-raising flour - 350g


- preheat oven to 180c and line muffin pans
- whip up the butter, sugar, vanilla, sour cream and eggs just to combine
- sift in the flour and fold in the cherries
- bake for 20min or until done

The glace icing looked a lot vibrant in real

Passion fruit glace icing

- passion fruit pulp - 4tbs
- icing sugar - 360g

- mix the icing sugar and passion fruit pulp in a bowl
- stir the mixture over a bowl of simmering water until its smooth and glossy.
- simply dip you muffins in the icing and your done (told you its a too good too quick recipe)

And the fluffiness :D

Banana oat bran muffins

Another healthy snack.

Seems like I am totally after a fiber and protein filled healthy diet doesn't it. Well its not that really. I just bought a big bag of oat bran (it was on sale, never miss out on a bargain :D) and thought what a better way of using it than in a muffin. And having bananas ripening away, I thought, let's make banana oat muffins.

This recipe uses all the good stuff, ripe banana, nutritious carrot, healthy oat bran, wholemeal flour, honey, and not to mention the amount of butter it has (only 2 tbs) and I'm sure it can easily be swapped with vegetable oil for even healthier result.

They are gorgeous, they are simple, they are irresistible and the best part is they satisfy your taste buds AND provide nutritional benefits.

you can enjoy them for breakfast along with a glass of milk or a cup of earl grey. These muffins you can never have enough off. You can simply swap the fruits and try different variations, which I am planning to next time I make these munchkins. :)




Banana oat bran muffins (adapted from homestyle magazine)

butter, melted - 2tbs
brown sugar - 1/3 c
wholemeal flour - 3/4 c
baking powder - 1tsp
salt - 1/4 tsp
oat brain - 1/2 c
egg - 1
honey - 2 tbs
buttermilk - 1/2 c
vanilla - 1tsp
ripe banana - 1
carrot, grated - 1
applesauce - 3tbs

- preheat oven to 180c and grease and line 6 muffin pan.
- beat the egg, honey, butter, vanilla, buttermilk and the brown sugar.
- sift in the flour, add the oat bran, baking soda, salt, the mashed banana, carrot and applesauce. combine well
- spoon mixture onto into the paper liners and bake for 30 min or until done


* I added sultanas to these muffins and turned out they are not a family favorite. Next time I'll stick to the recipe :)

Pumpkin and Ginger Loaf with Caramel swirl Ice Cream

School has started and it is the second week already (time sure flies). Sleeping early, waking up early, argh don't like it at all, lucky for me though I still have two weeks til my Uni starts.

As for my brother, he is not so lucky:P And typical of him he has already started whinging about everything school related. You see, he is into hardcore bodybuilding these days and whatever comes his way he gobbles it down and still feels hungry.

So yesterday he asked me to make him something in addition to the TWO good size chicken sandwiches I make him for school. And because he LOVES pumpkin (A family favorite), it was a no brainer to bake a beautiful Pumpkin and Ginger Loaf.

And for being such a nice sister, I rewarded myself with this velvety caramel swirl ice cream to go with the loaf (I can't have a loaf just by itself).

The pumpkin and ginger loaf adds a depth of flavor and the ice cream complements with a certain sweetness and lusciously moist texture. A perfect pair :)

Pumpkin and ginger loaf (adapted from good food magazine)

butter - 175g

Honey - 140g

egg - 1

grated pumpkin - 250g

brown sugar - 100g

self-raisinf flour - 350g

ginger powder - 1tbs

cinnamon - 1tsp

- preheat oven to 180c and line and grease a loaf tin

- whisk the butter, honey, sugar and egg till incorporated well

- mix in the flour, ginger, cinnamon and pumpkin

- bake for 50-60 min or until done

Caramel swirl ice cream

Sugar - 1 1/4 c
thickened cream 2 1/4 c
vanilla - 1/2 tsp
milk - 1c
eggs - 3

- heat 1c of sugar in a saucepan, make sure all the sugar melts and cook until the color is brownish
- add the 1 1/4 c cream and cook until dissolved-add the vanilla
- in another saucepan bring to a boil the milk, remaining cream and sugar
- whisk the eggs, add a little of the milk mixture to temper the egg and mix the mixture back into the milk and cook stirring until thick
- stir the custard into the caramel and chill for 3 hours until cold
- transfer to ice cream maker and before freezing combine in the caramel sauce.

Caramel sauce

Sugar - 3/4 c
water - 1/4 c
thickened cream 1/2 c
unsalted butter - 20g
salt - 1/4 tsp

- in a saucepan stir the sugar, water and salt. when dissolved cook on high without stirring till the color is dark brownish

- slowly mix in the cream and cool slightly- whisk in the butter

- heat 1c of sugar in a saucepan, make sure all the sugar melts and cook until the color is brownish

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Easy homemade Cherry Jam

Cherry is considered a fruit NOT a berry:P

No, this is not for you, its for me. Well, you see I always thought cherries were berries, and berries were cherries- in other words, I thought they were from the same family of fruit (silly you think?). Well, they do look like berries don't they?

However, now I know that cherries are not berries because they have a pit and they don't have dozen of tiny seeds embedded in their skin (AAHH!!) and they also grow on trees (berries grow on bushes).

In saying that, cherries are still good for you, in fact they are very good for you. Apart from containing all the important vitamins and minerals, they also have anti-aging benefits (gota love that).

Anyway, I love cherries (who doesn't?), I love eating them fresh by themselves, in a cake, muffin, slice, JAM :)

Yes- JAM, Homemade cherry jam. Sounds good doesn't it. And its fairly simple and quick too.

This is what I used to set the jam.


Here is the recipe ( adapted from here but with few changes)

JAM
Cherries, pitted - 1kg
Lemon juice - 1/4c
Cherry juice - 1/4c
Sugar - 850g
Vanilla - 2tsp
Jamsetta - 50g

- Place the cherries in a large saucepan, add the lemon juice and cherry juice and vanilla. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the cherries are tender (can mash them or leave them chunky). Add the sugar and cook, stirring, for 10-15 minutes or until sugar dissolves.

- Increase heat to high and boil for 4 min until the mixture thickens. Add jamsetta and cook for another 4 min until jam is at setting point (To test when jam is at setting point, spoon a little jam onto the saucer and freeze for a couple of min. If it is gel like its ready).

- Pour into jars (make sure to wash them thoroughly, you can boil them in a pot for a couple of mins)

* Note to myself- Please buy a cherry pitter next time before making jam. My fingers are still sore:(