Chocolate, orange and oat muffins

 

 

These absolutely delicious muffins are adapted from a recipe I found in a book when I was bored one day. I love the citrus flavour in the muffin and the chunky chocolate bits. I also love that when I make these I don’t have to share as my hubby doesn’t like chocolate and orange mix!

These are called muffins, but they are as great a treat as any cupcake.

Ingredients:

225g cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

finely grated rind of 1 orange

50g oats (whazzed a bit in a blender)

100g brown sugar

200g plain yogurt (Greek/Belgian will do. NOT low fat)

4 tablespoons sunflower oil

150ml milk

1 large egg

150g milk chocolate, chopped

75g dark chocolate, chopped

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl.

3. Stir in the sugar, orange rind and oats.

4. Beat the yogurt, oil, milk and egg together and add to the dry ingredients.

5. Add the chocolate pieces and fold it through the mixture. (Add milk if it seems dry, or flour if it seems wet)

6. Line your muffin tin with paper cases.

7. Divide the mixture between the cases, mixture should not go over halfway, and bake for 15-20 minutes or until risen and just firm.

Viola! Done! They are yummy hot or cold, but I prefer them hot! Then the chocolate is extra chocolaty

Crunchies

Here is a delicious and easy crunchie recipe. I like having a tin of this always as it is a delicious and healthy snack full of energy.
I made these on Saturday, and it is a good thing I took a photo while they were still in the pan, they didn’t last long once I took them out! Enjoy ♥

Recipe: Crunchies
Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 cup dessicated coconut
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbs syrup
1 tbs maple syrup
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 cups oats
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
150g butter
1/2 tsp salt

Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Mix all your dry ingredients together in a bowl
3. Melt the syrup, maple syrup and butter together
4. Mix this into your dry ingredients – add some more melted butter if you find it to be to dry
5. Place in a baking tray and bake until golden, approximately 25-30 minutes
6. Let it cool a bit, then cut it, let it cool down completely and take out and eat!

Chocolate Banana Bread

Here is a treat for everybody! It is one of my favourite things to make! Quick, easy and very yummy!
Oat, coconut, nut and chocolate chip banana bread:

Ingredients:
225g self raising flour
180g brown sugar
180g oats
125ml desiccated coconut
60ml chopped walnuts
125ml chocolate chips
2 medium bananas, mashed
80ml milk
60ml vegetable oil
10ml vanilla essence
2 extra large eggs, beaten

Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C Celsius
2. Grease your loaf tin ( I sometimes make cupcakes instead of the bread)
3. Mix the dry ingredients together, incl the nuts and chocolate
4. Stir banana, milk, oil, vanilla and eggs together in a bowl. (Add some milk if it looks dry)
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
6. Spoon into tin and bake for 45-55 minutes. If you made the cupcakes, bake for 15-20 minutes.

This is so delicious, and you can leave out the chocolate if you want. I usually don’t bother with making just one, I make at least double the recipe, and it doesn’t matter how much I make, it is always all eaten by the end of the day!

Shortbread

Recipe: Shortbread

This is my gran’s recipe. One of the things my gran always had in a glass jar in the kitchen was her shortbread. It was the best anybody had ever tasted, and it gave her quite a thrill to know that we all loved it so much.

“Seize the moment. Remember all this women on the Titanic who waved off the desert cart.” – Erma Bombeck

Ingredients:
1 kg flour
500g butter
310g castor sugar
Pinch of salt

Method:
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Sift the flour into a large bowl.
Knead the butter and castor sugar and some of the flour, about 200g, into dough.
Add the remaining flour gradually into the dough.
Knead well.
Bake for approximately 1 hour.
Cut them while they are still hot in the pan.
Once they’ve cooled, sprinkle them with some castor sugar.

Apple Roesti

Here is the recipe for the Apple Roesti! Served them with honey today, but they are fantastic when still really hot and with some ice cream 🙂

Apple roesti:
This is so delicious for breakfast! It is also a great way to use those apples that you bought, that nobody is eating, and have gone a little bit dry.
Ingredients:
5 medium apples, grated, and excess juice squeezed out – skin on!
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ cup self raising flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
Oil for frying

Method:
Mix the beaten eggs well into the grated apple.
Add the cinnamon and brown sugar.
Add the flour and mix it well, making sure it has the texture of slightly runny dough.
In the oil, fry about a tablespoon’s worth at a time. The oil shouldn’t be too hot, they burn easily.
Drain well and serve with honey!

Fudge Biscuits

And here are the fudge biscuits! They almost didn’t make it to the tray to set. Too yummy! They are very sweet, so you won’t want to eat a lot of them. If you want to add a bit of a twang, give it a good squirt of lemon juice. Alternatively, use cocoa instead of the white chocolate powder. Scrumptious! 🙂

Recipe: Fudge biscuits

Ingredients:
250g butter
500g icing sugar
2 tablespoons white chocolate powder (I use white hot chocolate powder)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 and 1/2 packets of Marie biscuits
2 eggs
Some whole hazelnuts

Method:
Melt the butter and the sugar, but don’t let it boil.
Stir in the white chocolate powder, vanilla and the well beaten eggs.
Crush your Marie biscuits, and stir them into the mixture. (I didn’t make them powder, but if you want to you can, it will have a more fudge-e texture then)
Put it in the pan, put your hazelnuts on, let it cool in the fridge, cut and enjoy!

It is a gooey biscuit, don’t expect it to set rock hard.