Sweet Adventures

A blended love affair of baking and travel.

[ileilua]

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

  These cookies turned out perfectly.  They are crunchy on the outside and still soft and chewy inside.

Makes 25 cookies.

Best dunked in a glass on cold milk.

INGREDIENTS

200g softened unsalted butter

½ cup of brown sugar

½ cup of caster sugar

1 tsp of vanilla essence

2 eggs

1 tsp of baking soda

1 tsp of sea salt

2 ½ cups of plain flour

2-3 cups of good quality chocolate chips (I used a combination of milk, dark and caramel)

METHOD

1) Preheat the oven to 180C and line two trays with baking paper.

2) Melt the butter in the microwave on high for 30 seconds or until it just starts to melt around the outside.  Set it aside to cool.

3) Once the butter has cooled, add not sugars and beat until light and fluffy.

4) Add the vanilla and eggs, beating together after adding each ingredient.

5) Add the flour, baking soda and salt and mix together until just combined. If the mixture is sticking to the sides of the bowl, add a tablespoon of flour at a time until the dough comes together and is no longer sticky.

6) Fold in the chocolate chips.

7) Roll medium sized balls and place them onto your prepared baking trays, allowing room for spreading.

8) Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly and enjoy!

Adapted from Butter Baking.

[ileilua]

Banana Berry Bread with Lemon Curd

This bread is so delicious and when topped with the lemon curd, is irresistible.  I've made plenty of fruit breads and loaves, but this was my first time attempting lemon curd. I must admit I was pretty happy with how it turned out, the balance of sugar and the lemon zest is perfect.

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 cups self-raising flour

1/4 cup plain flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 mashed overripe bananas

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs, lightly whisked

50g butter, melted and cooled

1t vanilla essence

1/2 cup fresh or frozen berries (I used raspberries & blueberries)

FOR THE LEMON CURD

100g unsalted butter, chopped

1/2 cup caster sugar

 finely grated lemon rind from 3 lemons

 lemon juice from 2 lemons

2 eggs, lightly beaten

    METHOD

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Lightly grease a loaf tin and set aside.

Sift together the flour in a large bowl. Stir in sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine the bananas, milk, eggs, butter and vanilla.

Add the banana mixture and berries to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and smooth the surface. Bake in oven, covering with foil if necessary to prevent overbrowning, for 50-55 minutes.

Prepare the lemon curd while the loaf is in the oven.

  FOR THE LEMON CURD

Place butter, sugar, lemon rind and lemon juice in a heatproof bowl.

Place bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves.

Remove from heat. Whisk in eggs and return to heat to cook.

Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 8 minutes or until mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon.

Remove from heat. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool.

Strain into a hot, sterilised jar. Refrigerate for up to 1 month.

  FOR THE LOAF

Remove the loaf when a skewer or butter knife has been inserted into the centre and comes out clean.

Set aside in the tin for 5 minutes to cool before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Cut into slices and toast, if desired and serve with the delicious lemon curd.

[ileilua]

Apple and Cinnamon Muffins. Makes 12. INGREDIENTS - 2 cups of plain flour, plus 4 tsp for coating the apples - 1 1/2 tsp baking powder - 1/2 cup of milk - 2 tsp of ground cinnamon, plus 1/2 tsp for coating the apples - 2 eggs - 2 apples, diced - 1/2 tsp of salt - 50g of butter, at room temperature - 1/2 cup of sugar - 2 tsp of vanilla essence FOR THE TOPPING - 30g of butter, melted - 1/4 cup of brown sugar - 1/4 cup of cinnamon METHOD 1) Preheat the oven to 160C. 2) Lightly coat muffin trays with butter or oil spray and set aside. 3) In a bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon then set aside. 4) In a separate bowl, toss the apples with the flour and cinnamon to coat them. 5) In a different bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add an egg, combining well, then add the other egg and mix together to a smooth consistency. Lastly, add the vanilla essence. 6) Gently fold the butter mixture into the flour mixture, then add the milk until just combined. Be careful not to over mix the batch. 7) Lastly fold in the diced apples. 8) Fill the mixture 3/4 full in the muffin trays and bake for 20-30 minutes. They are ready when a butter knife can be inserted in the muffin and come out clean. 9) While the muffins are baking, melt the butter for the topping and set aside to cool slightly. 10) Mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl. 11) Let the muffins cool slightly before firstly dipping them in the melted butter, then rolling in the cinnamon sugar to coat the tops of each muffin.

[ileilua]

Hobnobs. My new favourite biscuit after living in London. All we do now on a cold day is look forward to coming home to a cup of tea and hobnobs mmm. They are pretty much like crunchy Anzac biscuits with a chocolate coating on one side, in other words you'll fall madly in love with them. INGREDIENTS - 2 cups of self raising flour - 2 cups of rolled oats - 3/4 of sugar - 250g of butter - 5 Tbsp of golden syrup - 1 Tbsp of hot water - 1/2 tsp of bicarbonate soda - 100g of chocolate (I chose to ice half milk and half dark choc) METHOD 1) Preheat the oven to 180C. 2) Line two trays with baking paper and set aside. 3) In a large bowl, mix together the flour, oats and sugar. 4) In a small saucepan, melt the butter, golden syrup and water. Once melted mix in the bicarbonate soda. 5) Add the butter mixture to the dry ingredients and combine well. 6) Roll walnut sized balls onto the oven trays and flatten. 7) Bake for 10-15 minutes until they are golden brown. 8) Melt the chocolate and spread on one side of the biscuits. 9) Cool in the fridge for 45 minutes so the chocolate can set, then enjoy!

[ileilua]

Afghan Biscuits

A great Kiwi classic!

I cannot even begin to describe how amazingly good these biscuits are. They have a nice bitter cocoa taste but are sweetened with the melted chocolate icing.  I tend to use less sugar in my recipe compared to others, or else they can turn out sickly sweet once topped with the icing.  Seriously, try these, but they are too tempting to resist.  It's always good to make a double batch, especially with all of the Kiwi's living in my flat!  

Makes 12 delish biscuits.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of plain flour

1 1/2 cups of unsweetened corn flakes

200g of butter, softened at room temperature

1/4 cup of castor sugar

3 Tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup of milk chocolate chips or buttons

12 walnut halves (optional as a topping, or use dessicated coconut sprinkled on top)

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180C.  Line two oven trays with baking paper and set aside.

Cut the butter into cubes and cream together with the sugar until smooth and light.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and cocoa powder then combine with the butter mixture with a wooden spoon.

Fold in the cornflakes, they will break up and crumble in the mixture.

Roll the dough into small balls and flatten them slightly on the tray. Roll them firmly in your hands as the cornflakes can make the dough quite crumbly. 

Bake the biscuits for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.  If they are still a bit soft, they will harden once they start to cool.

While the biscuits are still warm, spoon the melted chocolate onto each biscuit and spread to the edges.  Place a walnut while the chocolate is still runny so it can set.  Enjoy! :-)

[ileilua]

Peach Cobbler

This was my first time making any kind of cobbler and it turned out to be so delicious and a huge hit with the flatties.  It was sweet, juicy, spongy and crispy on top - perfection!  

This recipe uses tinned peaches so it can be made all year round.   I will definitely be making this again, but trying other fruits such as apples, apricots and berries mmm!   The recipe uses mixed spice, but I didn't have any so I used cinnamon and it still tasted amazing. 

I've found an amazing bakery/cafe in London, that has THE best carrot I have had in a very long time!  We're so addicted to it that it's become the generic birthday cake for any one who has a birthday in the flat.  Unfortunately we've all had ours for the year and now we have to wait until March for the next birthday :-( uhhh may have to make a casual visit to the bakery for a slice (plus a take away one). 

So I got given The Hummingbird Bakery Home Sweet Home recipe book (thank you Dylan) and this is the first recipe I've tried from it.  I cannot wait to work my way through it!  They've got the best carrot cake, this peach cobbler was amazing, therefore every other recipe must be to die for. 

FOR THE FILLING:

3 tins of sliced peaches (in juice)

2 Tbsp soft light brown sugar

1/2 tsp mixed spice OR cinnamon

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp cornflour

FOR THE TOPPING:

170g plain flour

3 Tbsp caster sugar (for sprinkling)

50g soft light brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

120g cold unsalted butter, cubed

60ml boiling water

1 tsp mixed spice OR cinnamon

Strain the peaches of any juice.  In a large mixing bowl, mix together the peach slices, sugar, mixed spice/cinnamon, lemon juice and cornflour.  Mix well, coating the peaches in all the ingredients.

Place the peach filling into a deep pie or baking dish.  Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.  

To make the topping, mix together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.  

Rub the butter in with your fingers until the mix forms a coarse breadcrumb consistency.  Add the boiling water, mixing it through with a fork until just combined.  This should form a soft, doughy consistency.

Using a spoon, drop small pieces of the dough over the top of the peaches, covering the entire dish.

In a small bowl, mix together the 3 tablespoons of caster sugar and the mixed spice/cinnamon.  Sprinkle this over the top of the dough.

Bake the cobbler for approximately 35-40 minutes or until the topping is a rich golden brown.  Allow to cool slightly before serving with thick custard or ice cream :-)

This recipe is adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Home Sweet Home recipe book.  

[ileilua]

Anzac Biscuits

This recipe makes 15 scrumptious biscuits.  They're deliciously good dunked in milk or a cup of tea.

The best thing about Anzacs are they keep for such a long time, so it's even worth making a double batch and keeping them in an air tight container for an everlasting supply he he. 

I once made 500 of these beautiful biscuits in two days for a cafe, when I was living in Melbourne.  I felt like I wanted to give up after the tenth batch, but I was trooper!  After the very last batch I felt like my wrists were going to fall off and I swore I never wanted to see another Anzac biscuit again!  But soon enough I was back at it, I just can't stay away from them, or should I say my partner won't stop asking for them :-)  Making these golden treats will be a breeze compared to my experience.  All the best!

,INGREDIENTS

1 cup of plain flour

1 cup of rolled oats

125g of butter

1/2 cup of coconut

1/2 cup of brown sugar

5 Tbspn of golden syrup

1 Tbspn of water

1/2 tspn bicarbonate of soda

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.  Line two trays with baking paper and set aside.

In a bowl combine the flour, sugar, rolled oats and coconut.

In a saucepan, melt the butter.  Then add the golden syrup and water and take off the element.

Stir in the bicarb soda into the butter mixture.

Add the butter mixture to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.  If you find the dough is quite buttery then add more rolled oats.

Roll the dough into golf sized balls and flatten slightly with a fork.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Place on a cooling rack and the biscuits will harden when cool.  

[ileilua]

The best pizza I've had in London!

[ileilua]

Cable carts, London

[ileilua]

Zurich, Switzerland

[ileilua]

I went exploring today and saw this beautiful old monument peeking behind some tall buildings. It's the monument commemorating the great fire of London from 1666.

[ileilua]

Healthy Muesli Cookies

There's absolutely no added sugar or butter in these cookies, hence the well deserved 'healthy' in the title.  The worst thing for you in these cookies are the dark chocolate chips! They taste so good and you won't feel guilty after eating two or three :-)

This recipe, also known as 5 cups, is so basic as you only need five ingredients measuring to a cup each (get it?).  Feel free to add any dried fruits, I'm sure apricots and cranberries would go well.  I just couldn't add them as the boyfriend is very fussy (I'm surprised he even ate them because of the raisins).  He later told me that he picked out the raisins and enjoyed the remainder of the cookie..

This lovely healthy recipe was given to me by my Dad (thanks Dad, oh and Belle for reading it out to me via skype).  I love how versatile it is, you can literally make it as healthy as you want it.  You have the choice to make it with rolled oats or peanuts, depending if you like oats or nutty muesli bars.  Also you can use either condensed milk or alternatively banana, I went with the mashed banana as a healthier option.  It tastes amazing, you can actually taste the banana in every bite, so I'd recommend it over the naughty condensed milk.

This recipe makes 12 scrumptious cookies.  Best served with your morning or afternoon cuppa :-)

Ingredients 

1 cup of rolled oats OR natural peanuts

1 cup of coconut

1 cup of mashed bananas (2 big bananas) OR condensed milk

1 cup of raisins

1 cup of dark chocolate chips

Method

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius.  Line an oven tray with baking paper and set aside.  

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl until it becomes a good consistency - easy as! 

Place tablespoon sized balls on the tray and press them down with a fork.

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

[ileilua]

Notting Hill Carnival in London in the weekend. Music, food and dance.

[ileilua]

My home made DIY vanity tray.

[ileilua]

Bananateaser Muffins

Say hello to the hot cousin of the banana and chocolate chip muffin.

Introducing banana and malteaser muffins!  

These are delish, so be prepared to have a new addiction.  Who would have thought bananas and malteasers would make such a good combo.

This recipe only requires seven ingredients and is great if you have any old bananas that have been untouched in the fruit bowl for weeks.  I refuse to let bananas go to waste, so I always feel obliged to bake something new when I see our bananas going off.  I think the flatties purposely leave them to go old so I have an excuse to bake.

Ingredients

50g of butter

1/2 cup of milk

1/3 cup of castor sugar

2 cups of self raising flour

2 eggs

2 bananas, mashed

A big bag of malteasers, 100g or 120g

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.  Line a muffin tray with muffin cups and set aside.

Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, sift in the flour.  Mix in the sugar and make a well in the center.

Using a whisk, lightly beat the eggs, milk and butter together in a small bowl.

Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients, along with the mashed banana and gently mix with a wooden spoon until just combined.

Take out 12 malteasers if making large muffins, or 18 malteasers if making mini muffins for decoration.  I smashed up my malteasers in a tea towel using a rolling pin to leave big broken bits but you can use a food processor too.  Fold the malteasers gently into the mixture.

Spoon the mixture into the muffin cups, filling 3/4 of the cup.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and a knife comes out clean after being inserted.

Take the muffins out and place a malteaser on the top of each muffin, pressing down firmly so they can melt and stay in place.  Cool for about five minutes before eating them all up!

[ileilua]

I see the light

[ileilua]

Chewy Coconut Macaroons

A taste of home!

My friends and I were reminiscing about New Zealand treats that we really miss and can't find in London, and macaroons popped into the convo.  After one of my Kiwi friends, who will remain anonymous but shamefully knows who she is, had no idea what 'NZ macaroons' were.  I'm embarrassed to admit that I never even knew any other type of macaroon existed until I moved overseas.  So ever since her shocking discovery, I have been determined to bake some macaroons that taste like the macaroon biscuits we have at home.

This recipe is hands down the easiest thing I have ever baked.  You only require six ingredients, and the preparation time is about five minutes.  Perfect if you're looking for a quick treat to whip up.  Easy peasy! 

I drizzled half of my batch with chocolate to make them a little sweeter and left the other half plain, so adding chocolate is optional.

Makes 12 and best served with a hot cuppa.

Ingredients

1 cup of coconut

1/3 cup of sugar

3 Tbsp of plain flour

1/2 tsp of salt

2 egg whites

1/2 tsp of vanilla essence

Method

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius.  Line an oven tray with baking paper and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, lightly whisk the egg whites until fluffy.  Add the vanilla essence and combine.

Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well. 

Drop teaspoon sized balls onto the lined oven tray and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Cool on a wire rack and drizzle or dunk in melted chocolate.