Baking Club - Episode One

My kitchen this morning was filled with a wonderful aroma. A couple of workmates and I decided last weekend we would start up a baking club where each of us would take turns to make a recipe to share on Saturdays. I woke up early this morning at 6am to specially make my chosen recipe. Butter, cocoa, sugar, caramel, freshly chopped pecans all combined together to create a chocolatey, warm brownie.

The brownies were well received; they had a firm chewy texture on the outside but were warm and soft on the inside. The flavour was perfect: not too sweet and the caramel flavour was quite subtle.

I think I'm going to look forward to work on Saturdays!

Caramel Choc Pecan Brownies

150 g butter
1/2 cup NESTLÉ Baking Cocoa, lightly beaten
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup self raising flour
1/2 cup chopped pecan nuts
3/4 cup NESTLÉ Top'n'Fill Caramel

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line an 18cm x 28cm lamington tin with baking paper.

2. Beat butter and NESTLE Baking Cocoa until combined. Beat in eggs, sugar and vanilla then stir in flour and nuts.

3. Pour mixture into prepared tin.

4. Spoon NESTLE Top ‘n’ Fill Caramel onto brownie mixture and swirl through.

5. Bake 35 minutes until cooked. Cool then cut into squares to serve.

This recipe was taken from the Nestle Australia website and features their wonderful, yummy product Top 'n Fill Caramel. This is the first time I have used the product and I will definitely be using it in the future!

I Love Apples: Part 2

Apples are probably the most commonly consumed fruit in the world. It was one of the first fruits to be cultivated and became more prized once grafted to make new, sweeter varieties.

I found this recipe the other day browsing different blogs; this one is from Oh She Glows. The muffin is sweet with a wonderful texture and crunchy sweet topping. I used macadamia nut oil and added the walnuts. If you can't find pumpkin pie spice in the store, you can make it by mixing 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/8 tsp allspice & 1/8 tsp nutmeg.

Apple Walnut Streusel Muffins

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups finely chopped peeled apples
1 cup of walnuts, chopped

Topping
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter or margarine

Method

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. Combine eggs, pumpkin and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in apples. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. For topping, combine sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; sprinkle 1 teaspoon over each muffin. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

I Love Apples

I discovered Daisy loves apples the day she hopped in my lap and started nibbling on the apple I was eating. It was funny to see her cute little face an inch from mine sharing my apple.

A few weeks later I bought a bag of apples and left them on the kitchen floor. I leave Daisy in the kitchen for 5 minutes by herself and I come back to find that she's ripped the bag open and has started nibbling on one of the apples.

Here she is today enjoying the rest of that apple:

Stay tuned tomorrow for an apple recipe!

Peanut Butter Fruit

I recently bought a new book: Edible, The Illustrated Guide To the World's Food Plants (see the side bar on the right). As I was browsing through, I noticed the name "Peanut Butter Fruit". Amazing... I had no idea there was such a thing! It's a tropical fruit that is native to South America. When it is just ripening into an orange colour, it gives the most crunchiest peanut butter flavour. It is typically used in preserves or blended into milkshakes or added to cakes.

How about that? You learn something every day.

Almond Apricot Oatmeal

I don't normally like oatmeal, I find it quite bland. However it is good for you; high in fibre, low in fat and complex carbohydrates. I love almonds and fruit, so this recipe was a perfect winter breakfast!

Almond Apricot Oatmeal

5og rolled oats
50g natural almonds or ground almonds
200ml low fat milk
1/4 cup Splenda or Sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
100g apricots, chopped + one apricot half
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Shredded coconut to garnish

Place almonds in food processor and process until it forms a fine crumb texture. Place oats in a pot with milk and simmer until oats are softened. Add almonds, splenda, vanilla essence, nutmeg, cinnamon and apricots. Cook until oatmeal reaches desired texture.

Remove from heat and pour into bowl. Garnish with an apricot half and shredded coconut. Enjoy!

Nutritional Information
Calories = 639
Fat = 29.1g
Carbohydrates = 70.3g
Fibre = 13.2g
Protein = 30.7g

Breakfast Berry Mousse with Almond Crumble

I stood in my kitchen this morning wondering what to have for breakfast. I didn't really feel like eggs, I'd had oatmeal quite a few times this week, but I did need to finish up the canned apricots I had opened the other day. I decided I wanted something fruity and as I started to get things out of my cupboard and fridge, this new recipe was created:

Berry Breakfast Mousse with Almond Crumble

200g mixed berries
100g chopped apricots
2 egg whites
200g low fat cottage cheese
1-2 Tbsp low fat milk
1/2 cup of Splenda or Caster Sugar (fine sugar)
50g rolled oats
40g raw almonds
20g butter (chopped)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

Mix berries and chopped apricots in a bowl and set aside. Place egg whites in a bowl and beat until they form stiff peaks. Beat in Splenda/sugar in batches until all mixed. Blend cottage cheese with low fat milk until smooth and then fold into egg white mixture. Fold in fruit and pour into an oven dish.

Place oats, almonds, chopped butter, cinnamon and nutmeg into a food processor and process until it forms a crumb-like consistency. Spread evenly over the fruit, egg white & cottage cheese mixture. Place dish in oven and bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes.

Nutritional Information (Total Recipe)
Calories = 901
Fat = 39
Carbohydrates = 87.7g (Fibre = 21g)
Protein = 54.7g

Chocolate Brownie Cake

This is a good one. I found it on a fitness forum almost a year ago and have only just made it now! I modified it slightly to suit what I had in the pantry.

No flour, a good amount of fiber and a rich chocolate taste. Using coffee accentuates the chocolate taste, so even if you dislike coffee do not omit it! Using Splenda cuts down on calories and carbohydrates but if you're wary of using artificial sugars you can substitute with regular sugar.

1 can of black beans

1.5 cups of Splenda (or sugar if you wish)

1 Tbsp baking powder

3 Tbsp Baking Cocoa

3 Tbsp espresso or strong coffee

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

3 Tbsp nut butter

1 handful of chopped nuts

Rinse the black beans well in water and set aside.

Separate the eggs and place the yolks in a food processor. Add baking powder, coffee, cocoa, vanilla bean paste and nut butter (your choice - I used cashew butter as that's what I had in the pantry). Blend until smooth. Add the black beans and blend again until smooth. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a clean bowl.

In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.

With a clean metal spoon, fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.

Pour cake batter in a greased cake tin and cover with chopped nuts (your choice - I used macadamia nuts, but walnuts would also be good). Place in an oven @ 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 35 minutes or until skewer comes out clean. Wait until slightly cooled before cutting and serving.

Voila!