Category Archives: Baking

Chocolate Cardamom Fete Cookies

Posted on by

0

Do you remember the joy of a school fete? I do.

Not my own school actually (we had an ‘arts festival’ – not quite as good really for reasons that shall soon become apparent), but I remember with particular fondness the school fetes of my cousin’s primary school. Every year we would go along one Saturday morning and see the school and churchyard transformed. Stalls would be set up in the grass and line the concrete paths, a miniature Ferris Wheel would spin around those under four feet, and items of all natures would be for sale: the second hand book stall, which I always came away from with a heavier bag and lighter purse; student artwork that had been completed over the semester; and, my favourite of all – the homemade sweets and baked goods.

(This is where it becomes apparent why my school fete/ arts festival wasn’t as good – there were never any baked goods. What?!)

Before glaze, and still yummy

Before glaze, and still yummy

There upon the wooden trestle tables festooned with plastic tablecloths would be the offerings of the parents and grandparents of the pupils: buttery shortbread rounds their tops patterned with forks, splodge-shaped jam drops with sweet raspberry jam, sugary caramel fudge, pink and white coconut ice, ANZAC biscuits, patty cakes with pink butter icing decorated with lollies, and always, always, chocolate slice – my favourite.

I would search among all the other treats, wrapped in plastic packets, or little cardboard boxes, to find the chocolate slice. Sometimes with coconut, sometimes without. Always with a thin cocoa glaze. And always, always, my favourite.

Many years have passed since the last school fete of my cousin’s primary days, and many years have passed since I have eaten chocolate slice (too many other treats to spoon/fork/hand-shovel into my mouth).

To be honest, when I made these biscuits I didn’t even have chocolate slice in mind. I had four egg yolks to use up and a yen for something with a chocolate content. But, when I took the first bite of this puffy, lightly-spiced, cocoa and hazelnut treat I was transported back to those fetes – back to the damp schoolyard lawn on a Saturday morning clutching a plastic bag burgeoning with books in one hand and a crumbling piece of chocolate slice in the other. They are a little dry, a little cake-like inside, and infinitely better with a tea/coffee/milk.

Enjoy.

Glazed and ready to devour

Glazed and ready to devour

Chocolate Cardamom Fete Cookies (gluten free)

Makes 9 large cookies, or 18 smaller ones. I suppose it depends how greedy you are feeling really. I made this using four egg yolks I had left over from a batch of seven-minute frosting, but it also works with whole eggs. Oh yeah, and these are gluten free!

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 75 grams brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • 1/2 cup no fat natural yoghurt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 80 grams hazelnut meal
  • 80 grams buckwheat flour
  • 50 grams cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 180C (350F) and line a cookie sheet with baking paper.
  2. In a medium bowl whisk together the whole egg, egg yolk, olive oil, sugar and vanilla essence until smooth and thickened slightly.
  3. Add yoghurt and incorporate well.
  4. Weigh hazelnut meal, buckwheat flour, and cocoa powder into a small bowl then measure in ground cardamom and baking powder. Use a clean whisk to beat together until no lumps remain.
  5. Add dry ingredients to the egg and yoghurt mixture and beat well.
  6. Use an ice-cream scoop or tablespoon to measure out mounds of dough onto the cookie sheet. Leave some room between scoops as they will spread slightly during cooking.
  7. Place tray in oven and cook for 10-12 minutes. Rotate tray 180 degrees halfway through cooking time.
  8. Remove cookies from the oven and cool completely on a rack.
  9. Once completely cooled mix up glaze and spoon on top of the cookies and allow it to dribble enticingly down the side. This is about childhood sweets, not perfection, after all.
  10. Eat.

Glaze: Beat together 1 cup icing sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons of milk.

Oh yum.

Oh yum.

Tell me, dear reader what were school fetes like at your school?

More importantly, what was your favourite homemade treat?

Life Happened, and So I Made Cookies Instead (and then ate 2)

Posted on by

1

Welcome, friends.

I know I promised you a recipe for a cake today. A carrot-y, nutty, moist, gluten-free carrot loaf that makes a rather pleasant breakfast for both rushed mornings and calm; however, when I tested the recipe (and my memory as I hadn’t written the recipe down the first time I made the loaf) the result was, well, tasty but just a little lack-lustre. (if you really want a breakfast-appropriate loaf cake see here, here, and here; or, go for these scrolls if you have the time)

And lustre is something that a thoroughly nourished life (and, by extension, a thoroughly nourished recipe) should never lack. So, in the spirit of fortitude (and greed) I turned to a cookie for comfort. Upon first bite the skies cleared (actually no, it was raining), the roses bloomed, and all was well in the world again. All memory of the (almost) failed carrot cake was gone.

DSC00294

 

I am sure that when you taste these you will agree that a cookie is a great comfort in a world where sometimes your cake recipe kinda sucks, or you get a run in your stockings when you hop out of your car at work, or you spill your tea all over your laptop and printer minutes before you have to call a patient (hello 9am), or you forget to return your library books for the third week in a row (hello 11am), or sleep in an hour past your alarm and your boyfriend only makes it to work 15 minutes before his boss (hello Thursday morning).

A cookie reminds you that despite these (rather minor) disasters this is also a world where you have jam to make the cake (or anything really) taste better, no-one expects you to wear stockings and if you have hairy legs people shouldn’t be looking that close anyway, your patients are sweet and understanding and your laptop is somehow miraculously semi-waterproof, the library understands that you have never (like, ever) returned a book on time in your entire 22-year library history, and your boyfriend’s boss doesn’t care that he was 15 minutes late (and your own co-worker – the sweetest Jenny – makes sure you get a coffee just as you are about to defenestrate your computer, which you can’t anyway because you have a window-less office).

Cookies are good. Life is good.

IMG_4939

Softly-Comforting Coconut and Sultana Cookies

Makes about 14 cookies. You can use 100 grams of plain flour in place of the rice and coconut flours if you do not need these to be gluten-free. They will be just as delicious.

Ingredients:

  • 75 grams butter, softened
  • 60 grams brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • 1/4 teaspoon coconut essence
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
  • 1/3 cup moist shredded coconut (use dessicated if you can’t find this)
  • 80 grams almond meal
  • 50 grams brown rice flour
  • 50 grams coconut flour
  • 1/3 cup sultanas

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 180C (350F) and line two baking sheets with baking paper – now you’re all set, time to get mixing.
  2. In a medium-size mixing bowl weigh in the butter and brown sugar and add vanilla essence and coconut essence. Cream these together until light and fluffy.
  3. Add the egg and beat until fully incorporated.
  4. In a separate bowl whisk together the salt, baking powder, coconut, almond meal, brown rice flour, and coconut flour.
  5. Add flour mix to the egg-and-butter mix and stir until the dough forms.
  6. Sprinkle in the sultanas and mix these through.
  7. Scoop out rounded tablespoons of dough and roll into balls. Place on baking sheet and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. Make sure you distance the cookies as they will spread slightly.
  8. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.
  9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the sheet (you may need to eat one at this point for quality control purposes of course…)
  10. The cookies will keep in  an airtight container for a few days – if they last that long.

DSC00297

Of course, as a scientist I must give the last word to an expert in the field.

Tell me, dear reader, are you a cookie for comfort person, or cake, or do you have a healthier way of dealing with first-world problems? On a different note, who was your favourite Sesame Street character? (I think we can all guess mine…)

A Little Piece of Calm and Zucchini, Hazelnut, and Cranberry Bread (Gluten free)

Posted on by

7

There is much to be done. The freight train of the year is gathering speed and the scenery is flashing by. Why, it’s already the middle of March don’t you know. My little desk is gathering stacks of paper – lectures and journals to read, books to fill with assignment-worthy words, receipts and bills to be filed, story ideas to be tucked safely away until I have a moment to flesh them out more. Every day I wonder which bags I need to pack into the back of my car, which role am I acting in today? Am I the dietitian/runner/university student (Monday and Tuesday)? Am I the runner/social-media intern/writing race co-ordinator (Wednesday)? Am I the dietitian/runner (Thursday)?

I am lucky to fill my life with so many wonderful things; I am lucky that every day I get to play the role of daughter, sister, girlfriend, and pet owner. Sometimes it helps to have a moment to sit back and look at the scenery that surrounds me. Just a few minutes in the garden in the late afternoon, when the sun is slanting through the palm trees and dancing in patterns on the grass and the breeze ruffles my hair away from my face just right, there is a deep sense of privilege in affording myself a moment like that. I breathe in and all sense of stress falls away. My shoulders straighten and a smile blooms unbidden on my face. I sit on the paving stones with my feet in the grass that has become overgrown after our record rain the past few weeks. I nibble on a slice of cake and sip at my tea and just listen to the faint sounds of life gathering in the houses surrounding ours. The suburb is coming home, settling in for the afternoon, anticipating the weekend and all its pleasures. The time comes for me to return to my desk, but before I leave the garden I tuck away a little piece of the calm that has washed over me for when I need it later in the week.

 

Fresh out of the oven.

Fresh out of the oven.

Zucchini, Hazelnut, and Cranberry Bread (Gluten Free, Naturally Sweetened)

If you are gluten-able then you can use 150 grams of wholemeal plain flour in place of the buckwheat and rice flours. Don’t be tempted to replace the hazelnut meal with flour or you will miss out on the nutty, dense texture in the crumb of the cake. Also, ensure that you use real maple syrup, not maple flavoured syrup; one is a product of nature the other is a product of a lab. If you can’t get your hands on maple syrup you can use honey or agave nectar, or my fellow Aussies can use golden syrup instead (this may yield a sweeter result).

 Ingredients:

  • 100 grams buckwheat flour
  • 50 grams brown rice flour
  • 80 grams hazelnut meal
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 3/4 cup low fat milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons rice bran oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)
  • 1 zucchini
  • 1/2 cup cranberries
  • 1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 180C (350F) and line the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5-inch loaf tin with baking paper.
  2. Prepare your zucchini by coarsely grating it using a box grater. Bundle zucchini shreds into a few paper towels and squeeze over the kitchen sink until you have removed most of the liquid. This will ensure that your dough doesn’t get sloppy. Set aside for later.
  3. In a large bowl weigh in the buckwheat flour, brown rice flour, and hazelnut meal. Measure in the salt, baking powder, and mixed spice and then whisk all the ingredients together until well incorporated.
  4. In a separate bowl combine maple syrup, milk, eggs, rice bran oil, and vanilla bean paste.
  5. Add milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until nearly all combined. Add zucchini, cranberries, and hazelnuts to the batter and mix until fully incorporated.
  6. Pour batter into the prepared tin and slide into the oven.
  7. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean then remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.
  8. Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes and then remove from the tin and cool to room temperature before slicing.

 

Sliced and ready to take to the garden.

Sliced and ready to take to the garden.

The last step in this recipe isn’t really necessary though. You can allow the cake to cool in the tin for the amount of time it takes to boil the jug for a cup of green tea, then remove it from the tin, slice yourself off a heal of bread from one end, and then pop out to the garden and enjoy the fading light of the sun. I am also planning to have a slice for breakfast in the morning. It should go perfectly well with my Saturday morning skinny cap.

Sit a while and notice the small things that make you smile.

Sit a while and notice the small things that make you smile.

So my dear readers, do you feel like you play many different roles from day to day? I know I get dizzy just thinking about how many hats my Mum wears every day (and how many more she must have worn when we were little).

Where do you take yourself for a moment of peace and gratitude (and perhaps a slice of cake)?

Promise Me This: Gluten-free Coconut Banana Bread

Posted on by

5

In two weeks she will be gone. Out of the home we have shared for nearly twenty-three years and into her own nest. As I watched them erect the floor, the walls, the roof, and then fill the inside with bathrooms, kitchen, laundry, and every tiny finishing touch, I started to learn how to let go, how to not hold on so tightly. You see, I have held on so tightly, and sometimes when you hold someone that close, they only yearn to be free even more. So I will watch you go, and help you make your new house into the cosy castle you deserve.

Just promise me this. Promise that you will still think of me when you are craving Peanut m&ms. Promise me you won’t watch Steel Magnolias with anyone else. Promise me that you will still come over at Christmas time and help me put up the tree (I can’t do those lights on my own). Promise me that when you have ‘nothing to wear’ you will drive over and steal something from my wardrobe, or text me ‘help’. Promise me that you won’t be too grown-up and responsible to bust out a Beyonce impersonation. Promise me that we will still find time to make cookies together and eat most of the dough before it makes the oven. Promise me that you’ll save a little space in your life, and a little time in your week, just for me.

Little sis and me in the kitchen

Little sis and me in the kitchen

Gluten-free Coconut Banana Bread

Jess and I take slices of this to the markets every Saturday morning for breakfast. Once the cake has cooled, slice into portions and wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap, then freeze and remove the night before you would like to eat it for breakfast.

Ingredients:

  • 80 grams coconut flour
  • 50 grams almond meal
  • 100 grams brown rice flour
  • 100 grams caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup dessicated coconut
  • 2 large bananas
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 250mL milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
  • 1/2 teaspoon coconut essence
  • 2 tablespoons rice bran oil (or other flavourless vegetable oil)

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 180C and line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with baking paper.
  2. In a small bowl mash bananas with lemon juice and set aside. This will soften the bananas and stop them from browning as well.
  3. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together coconut flour, almond meal, brown rice flour, caster sugar, salt, baking soda, and dessicated coconut.
  4. In a separate bowl beat together eggs, milk, vanilla, coconut essence, and oil. Add bananas and mix to combine.
  5. Add banana and egg mixture to dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
  6. Spoon mixture into lined loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Check loaf every 10 minutes; you may need to cover the top with aluminium foil if it is browning too quickly.
  7. Once cooked remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin then turn out onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before slicing.
Gluten- free coconut banana bread

Gluten- free coconut banana bread

I suppose I am a little anxious about the change and what it means for my sister and I. No one can live in Neverland forever and I have been lucky to have her so close for so long. If, as the Danish proverb says, ‘the road to a friend’s house is never long’, then the road to my sister’s home will never truly be more than a heartbeat away.

me dear reader, how do you cope with someone you love moving away? Are you better at dealing with change than I am?

Crossroads and Bittersweet Chocolate-Espresso Bundt Cake

Posted on by

3

Although at times in my life I am happy to ride the rails, seek adventure, and revel in the joie de vivre of each day; the time for reflection and self-assessment is always close behind. These periods can be helpful: a congratulatory assessment of how far I have come toward a goal, and how far I have yet to go; or, they can be periods of self-doubt where I question every step I have taken and whether I will ever reach the end.

Here between congratulations and self-doubt lies the bittersweet crossroads of life: the consequence of being an adult in an ever-changing world, of being a woman with dreams and ambitions to make her little piece of the world a little more beautiful, and having an eternally-curious spirit.

Los Angeles skyline from Runyon Canyon

High above the world. Where will the path lead?

Recently I have had cause to reflect on the direction of my career and how to juggle my love of words with my passion for health. At the end of this year I will graduate from my Master’s program. Once again I’ll be out in the world, no longer a student (for the moment…), and ready to make my mark on my little patch of earth.

At the end, at the beginning, in the middle of it all. I have to take a step, and I’m ready for the next adventure, but I just don’t know which path will lead to the happiest ending possible. I suppose that is the lesson of the crossroads; you have to make a decision, any decision, to work towards that happy ending, or risk standing still and never knowing where your life could have lead.

Tell me, dear reader, when is the last time you stood at a crossroads? How did you know which way to turn?

 

Bittersweet Chocolate-Espresso Bundt Cake

Bittersweet Chocolate-Espresso Bundt Cake

Bittersweet Chocolate-Espresso Bundt Cake

Makes one 9-inch bundt cake. This cake is not overly sweet. I didn’t want it to be, rather I wanted to serve a cake that you could eat for morning tea with a cup of coffee that wouldn’t be cloyingly sweet to your tastebuds, but satisfied the need for a little indulgence early in the morning (or late at night like my Dad…).

Ingredients:

  • 280 grams plain flour
  • 120 grams raw sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 50 grams cocoa powder
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup rice bran oil (or other flavourless vegetable oil)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
  • 3/4 cup yoghurt
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 75 grams dark chocolate, melted and cooled

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 180ºC and grease a 9-inch bundt pan.
  2. In a small bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. Measure yoghurt, milk, and cooled dark chocolate into a jug and mix thoroughly. Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl place oil, caster sugar, eggs, vanilla essence, and instant coffee. Using a hand mixer on medium speed beat ingredients together until smooth and thick. This will take about 3 minutes. I set my oven timer just to make sure I beat it for long enough.
  5. Switch to low speed and add dry mixture in three parts alternating with the yoghurt and chocolate mix.
  6. Beat until smooth after each addition.
  7. Pour batter into bundt tin. This is quite a solid mixture but it will rise in the oven. Gently smooth the top of the mix with a spatula but be careful not press down or you will lose some of the air you’ve just beaten in.
  8. Bake cake for 45-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
  9. Remove cake from oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out and allow to cool completely before glazing.
Ready for Mum to taste test.

Ready for Mum to taste test.

Chocolate ganache glaze

In a small microwave-proof bowl place 3/4 cup of chopped milk chocolate. Heat in microwave in 20-second bursts stirring between each burst. When the chocolate is melted add 1/4 cup of pouring cream and 3/4 cup of icing mixture. Whisk until smooth and pour over cooled cake.

Cottages and Cookies

Posted on by

2

When I was a little girl surrounded by my colouring pencils with nothing but blank white paper and empty hours to fill my afternoon I dreamed of a cottage to call my own. A dark grey pencil sketched the outline of thick stone walls. Walls that would keep me warm during the long, cold winters, which I imagined essential for a landscape where such a cottage would exist. A chimney, too essential, poked up from one end of the house with a little puff of smoke to indicate that the colouring-pencil Amy was home somewhere within and baking something delicious in the hearth. Windows with diamond panes and rounded tops. Lead glass that would colour the sunlight streaming in on my wooden floors. A red front door, always a red front door, would greet any guests who meandered up the winding cobblestone path.

Out and about in Hobart

Out and about in Hobart

Every brightly-hued pencil was recruited to create the garden of my dreams: cerulean bluebells blossomed next to spears of lavender; fuchsia peonies unfurled their baby-soft petals under swaying smiley-faced sunflowers; and tall, leafy trees surrounded the borders of the property lending shady spots perfect for summer picnics and populations of birds and squirrels.

IMG_4456

Bright flowers on a dreary morning

I imagined that I would tread the boards of this house with an apron tied over floral skirts that would swish about my knees as I crept barefoot out to my vegetable garden to harvest produce for dinner. I would spend long afternoons walking over the emerald green hills and down to the ocean that always appeared in the background of my imaginary home. Evenings would be spent curled up in my favourite red tapestry wingback chair with a book in one hand, and a cup of tea balanced beside a pile of volumes yet to be read. I would fall asleep in my white-curtained canopy bed listening to gentle rains fall down to nourish my garden.

Friends would be always welcome to my scarlet door, and there would be tea parties galore. Especially in the heady days of late summer when all you ever really want to do is wear a big hat, lie in the garden, and sip iced tea while nibbling on dainty treats.

While I don’t have the cottage quite yet, I do have the perfect sweet treat to whisk me off to colouring pencil dreams again.

I couldn't resist a bite before I took the shot...

I couldn’t resist a bite before I took the shot…

 

Cranberry, Orange and Poppy Seed Cookies (gluten free)

If you aren’t catering for a gluten-free diet you can of course replace the gluten-free flour with 300 grams of ordinary plain flour.

Ingredients:

  • 150 grams butter, softened
  • 150 grams caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • Zest of one orange
  • 1 large egg
  • 300 grams gluten-free plain flour (I used Orgran brand)
  • 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 180C (350F) and line two cookie sheets with baking paper.
  2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, poppy seeds, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl cream butter, sugar, vanilla, and orange zest until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat to combine.
  4. Add flour mixture and cranberries to the batter and mix until completely incorporated.
  5. Pinch off tablespoons of mixture and roll into balls. Place on lined cookie sheets and press down gently with your fingertips to flatten slightly. Leave a few centimeters between cookies because they will spread a little during baking.
  6. Place in preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden. The tops may crackle a little.
  7. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on cookie sheets before storing in an airtight container.

 

Davey Street, Hobart

Davey Street, Hobart

Tell me dear reader, where did you dream yourself away to as a child? Any treats that bring back tea party memories?

Ready to Climb. Ready to Fall. Four Days to the Cadbury Half Marathon.

Posted on by

4

Four days until the Cadbury Half Marathon and I must admit that over the past few days I have been a little apprehensive/nervous/freaked out. Now, this is not unusual for me in the countdown to a major event, and I have learned to recognise this as part of the process of training for a race or preparing for other big moments. Still, I can’t help feeling a little panicked and when Casey asked me how I was feeling about Sunday I couldn’t hide the emotion from my voice. Once again, she was the voice of reason and told me to stop thinking about this as a massive race, and just think about it as another run, just another wonderful holiday opportunity, and to remember why I run in the first place.

Of course, she is absolutely right. Thank you Case.

Casey may taste-tested these while giving me a pep talk.

Casey may have taste-tested these while giving me a pep talk.

I took a moment and looked back at my training schedule. In the past couple of weeks I’ve successfully completed 16km, 18km (by two!), and 20km training runs, so I know I can physically do this. The mental game is the only one left to play.

At the end of the day I know I am not a contender to win the race, but that was never why I started running in the first place. I run because I love the way it makes me feel. I run because doing these races over and over that I am a runner, that I belong out there on the road. I run to remind myself that I love my body and I am so grateful for the things it can do, and the way that it has changed over the past couple of years, and the fact that it belongs to me so much more now because I know its limits and I’m not afraid to push them.

In this moment I am reminded of a line from Ben Lee’s brilliant song ‘Into the Dark‘:

‘You can’t climb ’til you’re ready to fall’.

So as I step out onto the road on Sunday I am ready to fall.

Fall into the rhythm of the road. Fall into the pursuit of the finish line. Fall into the beauty of my life at the moment. Fall into the wonderful possibilities that this new year has brought to my door.

I am ready to fall so that I may climb.

Not burnt: caramelised.

Not burnt: caramelised.

Spiced White Chocolate Muffins

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup plain flour
  • 1 cup wholemeal plain flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup low fat plain natural yoghurt
  • 1/4 cup low fat milk
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup rice bran oil
  • 3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 200C (390F) and line 18 cups of two 12-cup capacity muffin tins with pretty papers.
  2. In a large bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder, sugar, and cinnamon. Form a well in the centre.
  3. In a separate bowl whisk together the yoghurt, milk, vanilla, egg, and oil until they are well blended.
  4. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until almost combined. Do not over mix your muffins or you will end up with a tough crumb.
  5. Sprinkle chocolate chips into batter and mix in until distributed. If there are a few streaks of flour in the batter this is okay as long as there are no large pockets of flour. This is quite a thick batter.
  6. Distribute batter between muffin cups and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly pressed.
  7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tins and then place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Just gotta trust these babies and the work they've done over the past months.

Just gotta trust these babies and the work they’ve done over the past months.

Share with loved ones who give you the courage to fall so that you can climb again.

Tell me, dear reader, do you ever have to remind yourself to let go and just fall? Where do you find the courage to let go? Is there anything you are falling into at the moment?

At Her Table: Caramelised Onion and Cumin Scones

Posted on by

7

‘Excuse me, is this seat taken?’

‘No, come sit next to me. Hey, you’re one of the other…’

And so started our first lunchtime conversation, and a friendship that has seen us through eight years of every hill and valley of life’s path. Casey is one of the beautiful people that you chance across in life. A force of nature in every wonderful way, she doesn’t ease into conversations, or tip-toe around the edges. She lives as she cooks: everything in, trying as she goes, and with a voracious appetite for the process as well as the end product. I have been lucky enough to be by her side in the kitchen, at the dining room table, and in the big wide world since we met all those years ago during our first year of university. We have travelled the USA together and been wide-eyed young women at the splendour of cities like we have never seen before; we crammed for chemistry, exercise physiology, and dietetic exams together; watched each other choose to go back to university when we decided that we simply had to know more about the world, she to medicine (almost Dr Casey, almost) and me to the world of words; we have held each other through showers of tears, flooding, soaking tears, and she has dug me out of pits in my soul that are too deep to plumb alone; together we have danced, and tasted, and delighted at the offerings of the world.

In two weeks my best friend marries the love of her life, Matthew, and my soul is alight with happiness for them. I can’t wait to stand by her side in the church and watch this precious moment in their lives.

This weekend we are going away on a girl’s weekend before the pre-event preparations get into full swing, and I have made a batch of these, Casey’s favourite accompaniment to a wedge of strong cheddar or feta, to take away with us. My recommendation: make a batch of these, call one of your best friends, and talk the night away with one of those you love the most right by your side.

Caramelised Onion and Cumin Scones

This recipe makes about 20 scones. They are best served fresh, or the next day, and they freeze particularly well. Simply wait for them to cool, pop into an airtight bag and squeeze all the air out, then freeze until required. They only take about 20-30 seconds to warm up in the microwave and will keep in the freezer for about 2 months – if they last that long. They are delightful as part of a cheese platter, or warmed up with some melting butter for a peckish Casey…

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small brown onion (or red)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 3/4 cups self raising flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 6 tablespoons butter, chilled
  • 1/4 cup rolled oats
  • 2 teaspoons raw sugar
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2/3 cup buttermilk

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 200C (400F) and line a baking tray with paper.
  2. Heat olive oil in a small saucepan and add onion, reduce heat to low and sauté until the onion becomes translucent. Then add 1/2 teaspoon of the ground cumin and cook for a further minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
  3. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, remaining 1/2 teaspoon cumin, salt, pepper, oats, and sugar.
  4. Add the chilled butter and use a butter knife to ‘cut’ the butter into the dough until it resembles pebbly breadcrumbs. Keep a light touch here, and don’t worry about a few small lumps of butter.
  5. Add the walnuts, thyme, and cooled onion. Mix in using your butter knife.
  6. Make a well in the centre, and pour in the buttermilk. Stir with the knife until a shaggy, damp dough begins to form.
  7. Turn out onto a floured bench and pat into a disk that is about an inch thick. Use a 1 1/2 inch pastry cutter to cut out the scones and place on the lined baking tray.
  8. Slide into the preheated oven and cook for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden on top.
  9. Remove and serve right away, or wait until they are room temperature.

My dear reader, how did you meet some of your best friends? Is there any meal that brings them to mind?

If you really knew me…

Posted on by

14

You would know that I always use the pedestrian crossing because I am incredibly unlucky when it comes to oncoming traffic.

You would see that I get dressed up to go to the local shopping centre for baking ingredients, because there is nothing wrong with wearing heels when you just need some butter and sugar.

It’s called joie de vivre.

You might have seen that I love to dance, even though I’m not very good, and I am not afraid to bust out some moves in the middle of Target.

You would know that I never eat blue m&ms, and that all other m&ms must be consumed in colour pairs.

You would keep the tissues handy because I cry in an instant: an inspiring television ad, a line of poetry, a memory traipsing across my mind elicited by a strain of music.

You would know that I always write in pink pen because it makes me happy. That I know all the words to Piano man, American pie, and Country roads.

You would know that I am a hug-giver, an arm-toucher: I seek to connect through texture.

You would realise that when I do laundry, make dinner, clean the dishes, I am saying I care, for you.

You would know that deep in secret places the fact that you read my words counts more than anything else some days.

If you really knew me, you would know that when I offer you something I have cooked, I am offering you my heart.

The thousands of little things that we innately or overtly know about each other are real connection. They are the riches of everyday life, the anchor for memories, connection, and affection. Open your eyes to the little things about the people around you, what do you really notice about them, what do you really know?

Mocha Pecan Biscotti

This recipe was adapted from the luminous Dorie Greenspan’s volume ‘Baking: from my home to yours’. 
To roast the pecans: spread over a cookie sheet and bake at 180°C for about 8-10 minutes. Then remove from oven and allow to cool before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
This recipe makes about 24 biscotti, but this will depend on how thickly you cut the dough before its second baking. I prefer a thicker biscuit, but you may have a penchant for a lighter wafer of mocha pecan goodness.

 Ingredients

  • 1 cup plain flour
  • 1 cup wholemeal plain flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons finely ground espresso beans
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 80 grams butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup caster sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup roasted pecans (see note), chopped
  • 100 grams dark chocolate, chopped
  • For finishing: 50 grams of milk chocolate

 Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line two cookie sheets with baking paper.
  2. In a medium bowl whisk together flours, cocoa powder, espresso beans, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  3. Fit a handheld mixer with the paddle blades. On medium speed beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
  4. Add eggs and vanilla and beat together until thick – about two minutes.
  5. Reduce mixer speed to low and add flour mixture in three lots. The dough will thicken rather quickly and you may need to finish mixing it by hand.
  6. Add chopped chocolate and roasted pecans and use a wooden spoon to mix these additions through the biscuit dough.
  7. Divide dough into two balls. Place each on a baking sheet and shape them into logs about 24cm long and 10cm wide.
  8. Bake logs in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes. The surface may crack and this is fine.
  9. Take logs out and leave the oven on. Cool the biscotti logs for about 20-30 minutes.
  10. Slice logs into pieces about 2cm thick (see header note). Stand each slice back onto baking tray and the bake again for about 10 minutes.
  11. Remove biscotti from oven and allow to cool completely.
  12. To finish: place milk chocolate into a small glass bowl and melt in the microwave in two 20-second bursts. Drizzle across cooled biscotti and allow to set.

These biscuits will keep in a well-sealed container on the bench for about a week. I doubt they will last this long though as they are the perfect accompaniment to a mid-morning cup of coffee. Perfect for dunking in a mug of hot chocolate as an after dinner treat, and could even be acceptable as a little bit naughty Sunday morning breakfast with an espresso. They also wrap up very well as a gift for someone you love.

Tell me dear reader, what would you want someone to really know about you?

Vanilla bundt cake with coffee-cream glaze

Posted on by

16

High tea has always been special in my family. I still have vague childhood memories of starched tablecloths, fine bone china, buckled-patent leather shoes, and the colourful hats that filled the window of the milliner’s shop that once occupied the space adjacent to my favourite tea room in Brisbane. When the lovely Jennifer at Delicieux announced that she was hosting the Sweet Adventures Blog Hop and that the theme was high tea, I just knew that I had to take part. Please hop over to check out Jennifer’s gorgeous Triple Chocolate Honeycomb Cake and the other yummy entries!

While most high tea platters are filled with scones, finger sandwiches, and other individually portioned small treats, I love the idea of having at least one larger cake present at high tea. Not only for the pleasure of slicing into a freshly baked and glazed treat and sharing with your friends, but also because when all the scones are gone and only creamy crumbs remain, and the finger sandwiches have sneakily been fed to the dog after everyone has gone home, there is always cake leftover for the next day.

 

Vanilla bundt cake with coffee-cream glaze

This recipe was adapted from ‘More from Magnolia’ by Alyssa Torey. This volume is a quintessential addition to the shelf of any sweet tooth.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups plain flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup rice bran oil (or other flavourless vegetable oil)
  • 3/4 cup caster sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup milk

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 180ºC and grease a 9-inch bundt pan.
  2. In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  3. In a large bowl place oil, caster sugar, and eggs. Using a hand mixer on medium speed beat ingredients together until smooth and thick. This will take about 3 minutes. I set my oven timer just to make sure I beat it for long enough.
  4. Beat in vanilla. Switch to low speed and add dry mixture in three parts alternating with the milk. Beat until smooth after each addition.
  5. Pour batter into bundt tin. This is a very liquid mixture.
  6. Bake cake for 45-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
  7. Remove cake from oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out and allow to cool completely before glazing.

Coffee-cream glaze

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup cream
  • 1 heaped teaspoon instant coffee
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups icing sugar

Method:

  1. Measure cream into a small microwave-proof bowl. Heat on medium power for 30 seconds, remove and stir, and then heat for another 20 seconds. Be careful as the cream will be very hot at this stage.
  2. Add vanilla and instant coffee to the cream and stir until smooth.
  3. Add coffee cream to the icing sugar and whisk until smooth. Cover, and refrigerate until cool.
  4. Pour over cake. Reserve any extra coffee-cream glaze for dipping slices of cake into after your guests have gone home….

 

Now, head over to Delicieux and enjoy the sweet treats from other Sweet Adventures Blog Hop guests!