Rainy Day Baking...

At the moment it has been raining non stop... which means perfect baking weather! Since it is Anzac Day this weekend I thought I should try out some Anzac biscuits to commemorate our Anzacs.

These Aussie classics are simply delicious and ridiculously simple and quick to make. Enjoy them this Anzac Day and all year around with family and friends.. and of course a lovely cup of tea!

It's your turn!

Anzac Biscuits

2 cups (180g) rolled oats

1 cup (150g) plain flour

⅔ cup (150g) caster sugar

¾ cup (60g) desiccated coconut

⅓ cup (115g) golden syrup

125g unsalted butter

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of (baking) soda

2 tablespoons hot water

Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F).

Place the oats, flour, sugar and coconut in a bowl and mix to combine.

Place the golden syrup and butter in a saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring, until melted.

Combine the bicarbonate of soda with the water and add to the butter mixture. Pour into the oat mixture and mix well to combine.

Place tablespoonfuls of the mixture onto baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper and flatten to 7cm rounds, allowing room to spread.

Bake for 8–10 minutes or until deep golden.

Allow to cool on baking trays for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Enjoy! 

Eat sweet, be sweet :)

Recipe from: Donna Hay 

Easter Treats

It's Easter this weekend so I thought I should whip up some hot cross buns to share with my family and friends. I have been watching Sorted Food on youtube for ages and always love what they create, so I was inspired to recreate this recipe in a recent video.

I added chocolate chips to half the mixture instead of sultanas to add some fun and chocolate goodness! (It is Easter after all!!) You could customise these to your liking by mixing chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, anything at all really! These are super tasty and sure to impress your family and friends this Easter, or even anytime during the year if you really want :)

It's your turn!

Hot Cross Buns 

300 ml warm milk

1 sachet of dried yeast (7g)

350g strong white flour

150g strong wholemeal flour

1 tbsp caster sugar

1 egg

1 tbsp mixed spice

2 tbsp mixed peel, chopped

75g sultanas

75g dark chocolate chips

Crosses

100g plain flour

Water

Glaze

3 tbsp apricot jam

3 tbsp water

Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk.

Mix white and wholemeal flours into one big mixing bowl and add the sugar, spice, egg and mixed peel.

Pour in the milk and mix until you have a dough.

Knead for 5-10 minutes until really elastic, you may need a little extra flour if it's too sticky.

Allow to prove for an hour at room temperature until the dough has doubled in size.

Separate mixture and knead sultanas into one half and chocolate to the other.

Divide and shape into 12 buns.

Arrange on a silicon-paper lined baking tray with about 1cm in between each bun.

Cover with a tea towel and leave to prove again for another 45 minutes until the buns have expanded and are now touching each other.

Preheat an oven to 200°C.

Mix a thick paste from the plain flour and transfer to a piping bag.

Use the paste to pipe a cross onto each bun then bake for 16-18 minutes until golden.

Allow to cool a bit.

Dissolve the apricot jam with the water in a small pan or microwave and brush over the buns to form a glaze.

Serve buns warm with butter.

Enjoy! 

Eat sweet, be sweet :)

Recipe adapted from: https://sortedfood.com

Summer Sandwiches

We are right in the middle of summer here in Australia... and it is really, really, really hot! So of course there is nothing better than something frozen to snack on. I decided to give some frozen yoghurt a try because I have had an ice-cream maker for quite a while and unfortunately I don't use it often enough. Also, frozen yoghurt is a slightly healthier option than ice-cream and sorbet as it has less sugar, in saying this it's in no way "healthy" it just has slightly more nutrients and less bad things.

If frozen yoghurt isn't enough of a treat already I thought it would be super cute and fun to put it between cookies to make a frozen yoghurt sandwiches. I think these would be perfect for a summer pool party with your friends and family or just to have in the freezer if you feel like a cheeky snack.

This recipe is simple but quite time consuming so I would recommend preparing them the day before if they are for a specific occasion. Also, do not worry if you don't have an ice-cream maker it is easy enough to make without.

It's your turn!

Mango Frozen Yoghurt 
7 cups plain yoghurt, strained 
2/3 cup caster sugar 
5 mangoes, peeled, pitted and chopped 
2 tsp lime juice 

Whisk the yoghurt and sugar together in a bowl. 
Blend the chopped mango, lime juice and 1 cup of the yoghurt mixture until smooth. 
Combine with the remaining yoghurt mixture. 
If you have an ice-cream maker pour in and churn for 30 minutes or until thick and creamy. Freeze until desired consistency. 
If you don't have a ice-cream maker pour mixture into a shallow tray and place in the freezer. Mix every 30 minutes until thick and creamy to ensure a smooth result. 
Store in an airtight container in the freezer. 

White chocolate and macadamia cookies

150g unsalted butter, softened 
1 cup brown sugar 
3/4 cup caster sugar 
2 tsp vanilla extract 
1 egg 
1 1/2 cup plain flour, sifted 
1/2 tsp baking powder 
1/2 tsp salt 
250g white chocolate, chopped 
150g macadamia nuts, chopped 

Preheat oven to 160°C. 
Beat butter, brown and caster sugar and vanilla in a bowl with an electric whisker until pale and creamy. 
Mix in the egg and beat until combined. 
Add flour, baking powder and salt and beat on low until a dough forms. 
fold through chocolate and nuts. 
Roll 1 tablespoon of the dough at a time into a ball and flatten slightly onto a lined tray. 
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. 
Allow to cool on trays before serving. 

To make sandwiches scoop the frozen yoghurt onto a cookie and top with another. 
Place in freezer before serving to set. 

Enjoy! 

Eat sweet, be sweet :)

Recipes adapted from: Cuisinart and Donna Hay