Sultana and Cornflake Cookies

Are you one of those people who has bits of unfinished cereal lurking in your pantry? A handful of cornflakes, a handful of museli, bit of rolled oats here, bit of Weetbix there?

If you are nodding your head (or am I the only one?), then this recipe is for you!

Next time you decide to bake cookies, don't fall back on the predictable chocolate chip cookie (nothing against CCCs, I love them). Try this one instead. It has fruit (sultanas), and vegetables (corn-flakes)! It's healthy! Ok, stretching it a little. Much like the waistband of my tracksuit.

But enough about my weight issues.

Bake this. Today.

Recipe from Taste.com.au

Ingredients:

• 125g butter, chopped, at room temperature
• ⅔ cup caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1¼ cups self-raising flour, sifted
• 1 tbs milk
• 1½ cups cornflakes
• ½ cup sultanas

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line two large flat baking trays with non-stick paper.
2. Using electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla essence in a mixing bowl until creamy. Add the flour and mix on low speed until just combined. Add milk and mix until dough comes together. Using a wooden spoon, stir in cornflakes and sultanas, and mix until well combined.
3. Using 1 tbsp of mixture, roll into balls. Place onto baking trays allowing room for spreading. Flatten slightly with a spatula. Bake for 12-14 minutes, swapping trays after 8 minutes or until light golden. Stand for 5 minutes on tray before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Notes:

• Don't overbake, cookies harden on cooling.
• Mixture was quite crumbly, adding a little more milk might help.

Happy baking!

Apple Crumble Apologies

I was a witch of a wife to Mr Pantry last week. The poor man, I'd bet he was thinking he'd gotten a very raw deal indeed. He was great though, and tried his best to cheer me up, but eventually decided that the best and probably safest thing to do was to leave me alone to fume, while he pretended to be a churchmouse (Geddit? He was quiet).

So, to say Sorry, I made him a dessert. If only he has a sweet tooth for chocolate, I could just share my chocolate stash, that would be so convenient. But this isn't about me. I'm trying to do a bit of grovelling, show that I am sorry, and I resolve to be less of a witch... next time. This can be done in under an hour, not bad for grovelling.

Recipe from adapted from Donna Hay Modern Classics Book 2 and Quinn's Baking Diary:

Prep time 20 minutes

Cooking time 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 apples (I used Pink Lady apples), peeled, cored and chopped
• ½ tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tbsp sultanas
• pinch of cinnamon
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 20g butter (I used 25g)
• 1½ tbsp dark brown sugar
• 2 tbsp rolled oats
• 2 tbsp crumbled walnuts (I used almonds)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
  

Method:

1. 
   
   Preheat oven to 180°C. Place the apples, caster sugar, sultanas, cinnamon and lemon juice in a bowl and stir to combine.
2. 
   
   Transfer apple mixture into 2 small oven-proof serving bowls or ramekins.
3. 
   
   To make the topping, place flour, butter, dark brown sugar, rolled oats and crumbled walnuts in a bowl and mix well to combine. Scatter topping over the apples, covering the apples completely.
4. 
   
   Bake for 15- 20mins or until the toppings are golden brown and crisp and the apple is soft.
5. 
   
   Serve warm, with thick (double) cream or ice-cream.

Notes:

• Serves 2.
• This is a very forgiving dessert, so feel free to play around with the ingredients. Plain flour can be substituted with self-raising flour or wholemeal flour. I used Pink Lady apples, but usually Granny Smiths (green apples) are used instead. I don't have them in the house because I find them a bit tart for eating. Don't like apples? Use pears, berries, cherries, peaches, plums... the possibilities are endless. No nuts in the house? Use almond meal, or omit nuts. You can even substitute with muesli if you want to.
• Lemon juice can be omitted. Or use 1 tsp lemon rind if you like.

Have a sweet day (hopefully not filled with witchy witches!)

Crème caramel

Cream

Get on top

Cream
You will cop
Cream
Don't you stop
Cream
Sh-boogie bop

This song from Prince pops into my head everytime I use cream in desserts. You're rolling your eyes at me. Lame, I know. OK, moving on.

I'd always thought it was fiddly to make crème caramel, but it was so easy! It is now one of the desserts I never order in restaurants anymore, since I can make it myself.

When baking or making desserts, go FULL FAT all the way. The taste is superior when you use full fat products, and because of the higher fat content, they keep better too.

However, in the interest of my waistline (I gotta stop pigging out on the cookies I bake!), I've used light milk instead. Gasp! Forgive me, my Sweet Tooth Fairy, but Mr Pantry does not think the muumuu is sexy. I'm afraid he might divorce me if the only thing I can fit into is a muumuu. Haha. And perhaps also put a paperbag over my head when we go out.

Anyhoo, this crème caramel is so luscious, so smooth, almost melting in your mouth - it blew my tastebuds out of this galaxy. Like they say in Hollywood, I die!

Recipe from The Australian Women's Weekly cookbook: Cooking Class Basic
Prep time 20 minutes
Cooking time 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup (165g) caster sugar
• ¾ cup (180ml) water
• 6 eggs (60g each egg, but I used 70g ones)
• 2 tsp vanilla essence (I used extract)
• ⅓ cup (75g) caster sugar, extra
• 1¾ cups (430ml) milk (I used light milk)
• 300ml thickened cream (err... I used full fat)

Method:

1. Combine sugar and water in medium saucepan over medium heat; stirring constantly without boiling until sugar dissolves. Use pastry brush dipped in water to brush any sugar crystals down from the side of the pan before mixture boils.
2. Bring sugar mixture to a boil; boil rapidly, uncovered, without stirring, about 5 minutes or until sugar mixture turns a light golden brown.
3. Pour caramel into a deep 20cm round cake tin, hold tin using cloth. Quickly tilt tin to coat base evenly with caramel. Caramel will set at this stage.
4. Lightly whisk eggs, extract and extra sugar in medium bowl. Don't overwhisk. Combine milk and cream in medium saucepan, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, allow bubbles to subside from side of pan. Gradually whisk milk mixture into egg mixture; strain into cake pan over caramel.
5. Pre-heat oven to 160 degree celsius. Place cake tin in baking dish with enough boiling water to come halfway up side of the tin. Bake about 40 minutes or until custard is just set; it will set further on cooling. Remove cake tin from water, cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate overnight.
6. Run a knife carefully around the edge of the custard. Place a dish deep enough to catch the caramel over the cake tin, invert the tin, and serve!

Notes:

• Serves 8.
• Recipe must be made a day ahead, to allow the caramel to liquify. It will keep for up to 4 days, refrigerated and covered.
• Instead of a cake tin, you can use individual ramekins.

Have a sweet day everyone.

Rainbows

I am obsessed with rainbows these days. As you can see from the design of this blog.

I have a kazillion rainbow related ideas for Miss Pantry's second birthday next year (which is 6 months away), and I can't wait to try them out. Obviously rainbow coloured food is involved.

Now if I can just stop singing Rainbow Connection!