Afghan Biscuits

Afghan biscuits are a classic Kiwi favourite.  My Mum used to make them when I was little :)
David (Simon’s brother) was confused between Anzac and Afghan biscuits so I made these to teach him the difference.

Biscuits:
200 grams butter
½ cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 ½ cups flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 ½ cups cornflakes

Icing and decoration:
walnuts
1 cup icing sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon butter
Dash of hot water

Preheat the oven to 180°C.  Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Cream the butter and sugar together and then add the vanilla.  Combine the dry ingredients together and then add to the butter mixture and mix well.  Roll spoonfuls of the mixture into balls, place on the prepared tray and press down slightly.  Bake for 10-15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.   Ice with chocolate icing and place a walnut on top. Store in an air-tight container.
Prepare the icing by combining the icing sugar, cocoa powder, butter and water in a bowl.  Mix well until the mixture is free of lumps and a thick paste is formed.  Add more water as necessary.  Spoon the icing onto the biscuits and top with a walnut on each.

Maple and Bacon ‘Breakfast’ Cupcakes

Bacon on a cupcake? Yup, and it is delicious! For those of you who are a little apprehensive there is no bacon in the actual cupcake so you could omit it for a maple buttermilk cupcake and then top with chopped pecans, however, I thoroughly encourage you to be brave and try it with bacon – you will thank me or curse me as you may find yourself having second and maybe third helpings!

Ingredients:
Cupcakes – Makes 18-20
2  ½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
100 grams butter, softened*
½ cup light-brown sugar, packed tightly
2 large eggs
1 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
¾ cup buttermilk
* I used the new to the market butter from Lewis Road Creamery that Mel and I received via courier last week – divine!
Maple Buttercream Frosting
250 grams unsalted butter, softened
100 grams cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla essence or paste
2 cups icing sugar

Method:
Pre heat oven to 180°C and line muffin pans with 18-20 cupcake papers.
Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl together.
In another large bowl or the bowl of your electric mixer beat butter until creamy then add brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
Add eggs, maple syrup and vanilla, beat until combined.
Mix in four in 3 batches, alternating with the buttermilk until everything is combined.
Fill cupcake cases just over half way with mixture and bake in your pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes, or until you can touch the centre of a cupcake and it bounces back/remove a skewer cleanly.
Remove from oven and leave to cool on racks.
Once cool cupcakes can be topped with buttercream frosting and crispy streaky bacon.
To make the buttercream beat your butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add first cup of icing sugar, maple syrup and vanilla, combine and then add second cup of icing sugar.
Decorate as you wish.

“Mmmmmmm bacon makes things better!”

These are the perfect thing to take along to a brunch as something different or maybe something you could whip up for your Dad for Father’s Day (coming up in September).

Chocolate Peanut Butter Slice

This slice is soooo rich!  Which means it went down a hit with the people I know.  Cut it into little squares because you don’t need much.  This is actually a no bake slice so it is easy to make.  Sometimes, sweet things on their own without the baking part can make things better too!

Base:
200g plain biscuits
80-100g unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
50g dark brown sugar
200g icing sugar
50g unsalted butter
200g smooth peanut butter

Topping:
200g milk chocolate
100g dark chocolate
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Line a 20cm square tray with baking paper.  To make the base, crumb the biscuits in a food processor, then add the butter until the mixture sticks together when compressed.  Press into the bottom of the tin.
Beat the sugar, icing, butter and peanut butter together until combined.  Press on top of the biscuit base and smooth the top.
Over the top of a double boiler melt the chocolate and butter together.  Spread the chocolate over the top of the peanut butter layer then refrigerate.  Once the chocolate layer has set cut the slice into small cubes.

Single Serve Cookie

It’s winter, some nights it’s just so cold and miserable that you crave comfort food but you don’t have the time (or can’t be bothered leaving your warm comfy spot on the couch) to make and then wait for something like a delicious batch of cookies to bake.  What if I told you that I had a solution? That you could be enjoying warm delicious cookie in under three minutes!?  This recipe is for a single serve cookie that you make in the microwave.  I hope you enjoy this little treat for one as much as me!  I have to thank Facebook for this idea, there was a picture with a recipe similar to below floating around but no instructions so I had a little play and this is what I came up with…

Ingredients:
25 grams of butter, melted
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
pinch of salt
⅛ teaspoon vanilla essence
1 egg yolk
¼ cup flour
2 tablespoons of chocolate drops

Method:
Melt butter in ramekin (bowl or cup).
Add sugars, salt, vanilla, egg yolk and flour to melted butter and combine using a large spoon.
Stir the chocolate drops through evenly.
Place ramekin in the microwave for 50 seconds.  Check it, then continue cooking and checking for up to 1 minute 20 seconds depending on wattage (I did mine for 1 minute 10 seconds in a 1000W microwave).
Allow to cool for a couple of minutes before digging in!

It’s that easy and so, so quick!  I think this would also be fabulous with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a delectable dessert, go on – spoil yourself, I know you want to.  Remember if you try this or any of our other yummy recipes you can leave a comment and let us know what you think.  We also love to see your photos – you can email them to bmtbblog@gmail.com or facebook us.

The Tea Lady

I visited this pretty place a couple of weeks back when I met Rachel who blogs at Made from Scratch.  I couldn’t resist taking some photos and sharing them with you.

The Tea Lady is a quaint little tea shop on the North Shore of Auckland.  Inside, the place is decorated with cute formica tables and chairs, which reminded me of visits to my Great Nan’s house when I was a kid.

The Tea Lady has a large selection of teas to try out. After umming and ahhing over the tea menu I ended up having a cup of the ‘Grandma’s Garden’ tea blend. This was a beautiful dark pink fruity tea.  It was so delicious that I purchased a little jar to take home. There is also a range of baked goods to choose from to accompany your tea.

While visiting The Tea lady I also got myself a cute wee tea cup and saucer set (I’ve got the beginnings of a collection happening at home). The tea room has a few stands selling gorgeous tea pots, tea cup sets along with other kitchen and home wares.

The Tea Lady is a unique place to relax and catch up with your girlfriends or would be the perfect place to take someone such as your Mum (or Grandma), out for a treat.  It’s so relaxing to be able to sit down and have a break with a nice hot cup of tea and a sweet treat to eat.

The Tea Lady
100A Hinemoa Street, Birkenhead Point, Auckland
Ph: 09 419 6257
E: info@thetealady.co.nz
thetealady.co.nz

Lunchbox Bakes – Pumpkin Feta Muffins

 
These are delish.  They are super tasty and I will definitely be making them again (especially since there’s heaps of pumpkins waiting to be used up at my house).  Also, aside from the oil that the pumpkin is coated to roast in, there’s no sugar, butter or oil in the muffins :)

Makes 12 muffins

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups cubed pumpkin or butternut squash
salt and pepper to taste
1 large handful of baby spinach, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped parsley or cilantro chopped
3 tablespoons sunflower seeds kernels
¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
100g feta, cubed
2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
¾ cup milk
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat the oven to 200°C.  Grease a 12-hole muffin pan and set aside.
Sprinkle the olive oil and some salt and pepper over the pumpkin and toss well.  Spread the pumpkin in a single layer on a baking tray or roasting pan and bake for 15-25 minutes or until cooked through. Set aside to cool.
Transfer two-thirds of the pumpkin to a large mixing bowl along with the spinach, parsley, sunflower seeds, Parmesan, mustard, and two-thirds of the feta.  Fold the ingredients together.  In a separate bowl beat the eggs and milk together, then add to the pumpkin mix.  Add the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper to the pumpkin mix and fold together until the batter comes together.  Be careful not to over mix.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan, filling each hole ¾ full.  Top each muffin with a bit of the remaining squash and feta. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the tops and sides of the muffins are golden.  Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

You can find out more about Lunchbox Bakes and  how you can get involved here.

Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Truffles

These truffles accompanied the more traditional cookie dough truffles to the American themed pot luck dinner we went to the other week. Mel stumbled across the idea here, and passed it on to me to adapt when she heard about the dinner. They look good huh?! Well, it gets better, they are hiding something from you… every truffle has a rolo in the middle, deliciously wicked!

Ingredients:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
100 grams butter, softened
⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
3 tablespoons cream
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
24 Rolo chocolates
3 tablespoons sugar
¾ teaspoon cinnamon

Method:
In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, ½ teaspoon cinnamon and salt, set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together butter, brown sugar and ¼ cup sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Mix in cream and vanilla extract.
Add dry ingredients and mix until combined.
In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk together second measures of sugar and cinnamon.
Scoop dough out one even tablespoon at a time, then press one Rolo  into the centre of each scoop of dough and roll into a ball.
Roll each dough ball into cinnamon sugar mixture. Chill or serve immediately.
Store Cookie Dough Bites in refrigerator. 

If you like these and haven’t tried the biscuits I suggest you give them a go or make this blondie – snickerdoodle style!

Chocolate Courgette Cake

I spotted courgettes on special at the supermarket so I grabbed them because I wanted to try using them in some baking.  I’ve used them a bit in the Lunchbox Bakes stuff so I knew I would find a use for them.  However, I wanted to do some sweet baking with them because the Blueberry Courgette Loaf I made was super delicious (the courgette makes it really moist).  And that is how you now have a recipe for a Courgette Chocolate Cake :)

125g butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
2 ½ cups flour
½ cup cocoa
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon mixed spice
½ teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
½ cup plain yoghurt
3 cups grated courgette (zucchini)
½ cup chocolate pieces (optional)

Preheat the oven to 170°C.  Grease and line 22 cm round spring-form tin.
Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl. 
Combine the remaining dry ingredients, excluding the chocolate pieces in a separate large sized bowl. 
Add the eggs to the butter mixture, one at a time, along with a spoonful of the flour mixture with each addition.  Add vanilla and yogurt and mix well. 
Sift in the dry ingredients and stir in with the courgette. 
Pour into the prepared tin, and sprinkle with the chocolate pieces if desired.
Bake for 45 minutes.

Cookie Dough Truffles

These delicious bite sized morsels are quite popular right now.  I had seen them around pinterest and on other blogs I follow and had been wanting an excuse to make some, it came in the form of an American themed pot luck dinner last weekend!  I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like to “taste test” the cookie dough while they baking but you can’t eat too much, as raw egg can be dangerous (and is an absolute no go during pregnancy).  However, this recipe for cookie dough truffles is perfect and you can eat as many as you’d like without the risk of getting sick from raw egg, although I can’t guarantee you won’t get a tummy ache if you gorge yourself on them!

Ingredients:
100 grams butter, softened
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar, packed tightly
3½ tablespoons cream
½ teaspoon vanilla paste
1¼ cups all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup dark chocolate drops
¼ cup milk chocolate drops
200 grams milk chocolate melts

Method:
In a the bowl of your mixer (or in a large bowl if using hand held electric beaters), beat butter and sugars with your paddle attachment until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Mix in cream and vanilla.
Sift in flour and salt and mix on a low speed until combined.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Using a small ice cream scoop make 24 even balls.
Place rolled balls on a wax paper lined baking sheet and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes or if like me – you don’t have room in your freezer – place in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight.
Melt your chocolate for the coating in the microwave in short burst stirring in between or in a double boiler.
If you want to cover the balls in chocolate dip each ball in chocolate and then place on a wax paper to set. Alternatively you can just drizzle the top with chocolate, to do this just place melted chocolate in a plastic zip lock bag and snip a small hole in the corner, then drizzle.
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a week – but I really don’t think they’ll last that long!

Delish!  If you like these then keep an eye out over the next week as I have a second cookie dough truffle recipe coming your way…

When life gives you lemons…

It’s that time of year when Lemon trees around New Zealand are producing lots of yummy fruit.  Sure, you could make lemonade or a gin and tonic, but I say when life gives you lemons GET BAKING!  Why not try out one of these delish recipes:

Dirk's Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon meringue pies look tricky.  Trust me, they're not.  So simple in fact, that this is now quite often our go to dessert to make if we are in a rush and off to someone’s house for dinner.

Lemon Bars

These are super yummy.  This is a fave recipe which I really need to get around to making and photographing again as this picture doesn’t do it justice.

Lemon Loaf

Again, this is another beautiful recipe that I need to remake and photograph as the picture is rubbish.  Trust me, the loaf it not :)

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

These are delicious and impressive.  Fill them with your own home made Lemon Curd to really be fancy.

Lemon Poppyseed Cake  and Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

I love the texture that the poppy seeds give to these two recipes.  The cupcakes are particularly divine – really moist and a nice flavour.

Lemon Tart

This lemon tart is just beautiful.  If you really want to go for gold, you can make your own short crust pastry too (however, store bought stuff will work just as well).

Lemon Tea Muffins

How cute are these?  They are almost too darling to eat.  Almost.

Lemon Whoopie Pies

So far, this is my fave whoopie pie recipe.  They have a lovely lemon flavour, but it is not too overpowering.

Sour Cream Lemon Cake

This cake is beautifully moist.  Who could resist tucking into that with a side or cream or yoghurt?

Here’s a couple of recipes to help you add a little something special to your baking:

Lemon Curd

Candied Lemon Peel

Hopefully that gives you a few ideas on how to use your lemons up :)

Doughnut Muffins

The last time I made these little beauties was about a month before Mel and I started blogging about our baking adventures.  I got so caught up in constantly baking something new that I almost forgot about them – I don’t know how, they are delicious!  I whipped these up to take to my friend Dahl who has just had a gorgeous baby girl (Congrats again Barry family xx) along with some mini potato, bacon and cheese frittatas.  Of course I had to keep a couple for Shane and I to taste test and photograph so I could share with you.  The recipe has been adapted by me from ‘The Muffin Bible’.

Ingredients:
1¾ cups flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
⅓ cup canola oil
¾ cup raw sugar (can use the same amount of white sugar if you don’t have raw)
1 egg
¾ cup milk

Topping:
3 tablespoons butter, melted
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Method:
Preheat your oven to 180°C and line a muffin tray with papers or spray with cooking oil to grease.
In a large bowl mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
In a separate bowl mix together oil, sugar, egg and milk.
Add oil mixture to the dry ingredients and combine gently as not to overwork the flour.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin tray and place in your preheated oven.  Bake for 15-20 minutes. You will know they are ready when they are golden and the centres bounce back when touched.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before removing from pan.  Combine the sugar and cinnamon for topping and prepare butter.
While muffins are still warm brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

I think these are best served warm like the doughnuts you can get from your local takeaway but they are still delicious once cool.  Another thing you can try with these (which I didn’t do in this batch) is filling the your muffin tin up with batter to just over half way and then placing a teaspoon of raspberry jam in the middle and then covering mix more muffin batter, this way when you open the muffin up it has a jam filling just like some doughnuts!  Cute huh?!  If you give the muffins a go leave us a comment or if you want to share a picture of them, especially if you give them a jam centre you can email us – bmtbblog@gmail.com or find us on facebook.

PIE: 80+ Pies and Pastry Delights

Who can resist a steaming-hot home-baked pie?  Whether it’s savoury or sweet, humble or gourmet, individual or family-sized, a tasty pie is an enduring Kiwi favourite.  Particularly good in winter, there is nothing more satisfying than eating a piping-hot, freshly baked pie, tart, quiche or even sausage roll which has just come out of the kitchen oven, brimming with various fillings enclosed in a buttery pastry. - Dean Brettschneider

I have to say, I agree with the above sentiments.  Doesn’t that little bit of gravy oozing out of that perfect golden pastry on the book cover make your mouth water?  Every time I look at it I wish I could smell or taste that pie. PIE is the newly released book by Dean Brettschneider, who you probably know as one of the judges on New Zealand’s Hottest Home Baker.

PIE is a beautiful book; hardcover and full of nice thick pages.  The photography by Aaron McLean is stunning.  I mean, pies are mostly brown in colour, yet every picture in the book looks different and appealing to the eye.

The book is not all meat pie recipes either.  It begins with a history lesson on the origins of pie and pie making in New Zealand.  Then comes the recipes.  There’s your classic Mince and Cheese and Bacon and Egg pies, then there are some more unusual offerings like a Coriander Chicken and Yoghurt Curry Pie or Shepherd’s Pies but cooked in jars.  PIE also contains a section called ‘not-quite-a-pie’ which covers recipes such as Sausage rolls and Cornish Pasties.  And, as I said, not all the recipes are for meat dishes either.  There is a huge selection of sweet treats to make ranging from whoopie pies to tarts and shortcake. 

Towards the back of the book is a ‘basic recipes’ section which includes recipes for a variety of different pastries.  Did you know you there was such a thing as Gingerbread Puff Pastry?  Well now you do and you can make it too.

Head on over to the Penguin website for a squiz at a few more recipes from the book (I’m thinking I need to try making the Bacon, Carried Egg and Ricotta Pie - it sounds delish!).  We’ve published one for a Roast Pear and Blueberry Pie below – it sounds like the perfect recipe to make on a cold Winter’s night.  Penguin are also running a competition on their Facebook page – bake something from the book, post up a photo and you can win an awesome prize.  Check out the entries and vote, or why not enter yourself?

Roast Pear and Blueberry Pie

Makes a medium sized pie, serving 4 – 6 people

Pastry
1 quantity of Sour Cream and Lemon Pastry (Recipe on page 195 of the book)

Filling
6 ripe but firm pears, peeled, cored and cut into 2cm cubes
30g unsalted butter, melted
50g brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
juice of 1 lemon
200g blueberries

Glaze
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water,for egg wash
1 tablespoon raw sugar, for sprinkling

Make a quantity of Sour Cream and Lemon Pastry ahead and rest it as required. Divide pastry into two portions (two-thirds for base and one-third for top). On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger portion to approximately 3mm thick to line a 22cm × 15cm pie dish (5cm deep). Lightly oil pie dish and line with pastry, allowing a little overhang.
Roll remaining pastry for the top of the pie so it’s just larger than the pie dish. Cut small holes in the top of the top pastry, 5mm apart. Place on a baking paper-lined oven tray. Refrigerate pastry base and top until chilled (30 minutes).
Put cubed pear in a bowl and add butter, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice, tossing well to combine. Transfer to a baking dish that holds them snugly.
Bake in a preheated 180°C oven for 20–30 minutes or until pears are softened but still holding their shape. Remove from oven and transfer to a bowl, adding the blueberries while the pears are still warm. Mix well. Allow to cool slightly (20 minutes), then drain through a sieve to remove excess liquid.
Take pastry from refrigerator and spoon fruit mixture into the lined pie dish. Brush the rim of the pastry case with egg wash, then drape remaining pastry over the pie dish. Trim, then press pastry edges firmly together to seal. Crimp the rim using your forefinger and thumb.
Brush the pastry with egg wash, then sprinkle with raw sugar.
Bake in a preheated 180°C oven for 35–40 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and golden-brown in colour.

Reproduced with permission from Pie by DeanBrettschneider. Published by Penguin Group NZ. RRP $54.99. Copyright© Dean Brettschneider, 2012. Copyright photography © Aaron McLean,2012

Lunchbox Bakes – Feta, Pesto + Sundried Tomato Pockets

These little parcels are sooo good.  They are something different and delicious for lunch, or you could make them as a light dinner and serve them with salad.  This is another one of those recipes where the food is easy to make but looks impressive – that’s always a winner in my books!

Makes 4

2 square sheets of pre-made puff pastry
200g feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon pesto
4 large sundried tomatoes (I use the Oil Free Delmaine variety)
1 egg, lightly beaten
Black pepper for seasoning

Preheat the oven to 200°C.  Cut each of the pastry squares in half.  In a bowl mix together the feta and pesto plus a sprinkling of black pepper.
Divide the feta mixture between the four pieces of pastry.  Place a sun dried tomato on top of the feta then fold over the pastry to encase the filling.  Press down on the edges with a fork to seal the filing in.  Brush the tops with the egg then bake for 20 minutes until golden.

Click here to read more about our Lunchbox Bakes feature and find out how you can be involved.