The Ultimate Flapjack

This is one of the easiest things to make. A great one for beginners as it doesn’t require much skill and uses minimal equipment, basically if you have a pan, wooden spoon, tin and oven you’re set to go 🙂

The only thing that could go wrong with this recipe is not trusting that the flapjack is done. You really want it to look quite soft in the middle and still very pale so you get the amazing chewy texture- not a piece of oat brick!!! :):)

Flapjack
175g salted butter
150g Demerara sugar
2 tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch Maldon flaky salt
250g porridge oats

Preheat the oven to 150’C and line an 8 by 8 inch tin (or any other of a similar size.)
Place the butter, sugar, syrup And vanilla into a medium saucepan and heat to melt the butter. The sugar won’t dissolve bit that’s what you want to get a nice texture at the end.
Take off the heat and add the salt and oats. Give it a good stir to combine and place in the prepared tin. Bake for about 20 mins. When you take it out it should appear slightly golden around the edges but still look a bit underdone in the centre, don’t be tempted to bake it for longer or you’ll end up with flapjack that will break your teeth!!! Not ideal 🙂
Leave it to cool in the tray and cut into squares or fingers. Enjoy will a nice cuppa!

Dairy and Wheat Free Marshmallow Moon Pies

Again i made these for Beth- not antisipating how well they would go down with my family. So Beth only ending up getting half, the others were down various family members gobs before i got a chance to say “not for you”!
Though this does prove how delish they are, as none of my family (expect my mum) have any allergies and normally turn their noses up at anything remoetly ‘freefrom’.
So give these ago and if you are allowed dairy try using a normal ganache as the dairy free may not be to your taste 🙂

Moon pies

2 1/4 cups Spelt flour
1/4 cup Soyamilk powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup Soya margarine
1 cup caster sugar
2 egg whites
1/2 cup rice milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup marshmallow fluff
1 recipe of ganache (to follow)

Preheat the oven to 170’C and line 2 baking sheets with greaseproof paper.
Cream the marg and sugar with the vanilla until light and fluffy. (Either by hand or with a hand mixer.)
Add the egg whites and mix to combine. Then stir in the milk. Finally sift in the dry ingredients and fold in to make a siftish batter.
Drop about 1-2 tbsp of the batter for each pie onto the baking sheet about 2 inches apart, and vake for 10-12 mins turning halfway. Should be firm to the touch when cooked. Leave to cool slightly on the tray before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
When completely cool sandwich together with a dollop of marshmallow fluff and spread the tops with some ganache. place into the fridge for about 20 mins to set before digging in 🙂

Ganache

1 cup plain Soyamilk
2 1/2 cups dairy free dark chocolate chips

Warm the milk to a simmer and take off the heat. Drop in the chocolate chips and stir to combine. If for any reason not all the chocolate melts put back onto a very low heat and stir all the time till it has.
Use straight away for the moon pies, but its also great over dairy free ice cream or drizzled over anything- Go crazy!!! 🙂

Dairy and Wheat free Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes

It’s my friend Beth’s birthday today and shes had a pretty crap time with her health. She’s just come out of hospital and i thought she might appreciate a little tummy tlc in the form of cake!!
So here’s a yummy dairy, wheat free cake recipe that actually doesn’t make you feel like you’re missing out! 🙂
Hope you enjoy.

These also make a lovely loaf cake, just bake in a lined loaf pan and bake for about 30 mins. Or in little ramikins and served with ice cream and raspberries for a special dessert.

Lemon Drizzle Cupcake

1 cup plain soya milk
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 cups Spelt flour
1 tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2 tbsp lemon zest
3/4 cup soya margarine
2 cups caster sugar
2 medium cooking apples or 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
4 large eggs

For the drizzle:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 180’C and line 2 12 hole muffin trays.
Peel and core the apples and cut into a small dice. Place into a microwavable dish with 2 tbsp water and microwave for 3 mins stirring every minuite. It should be completely smooth and mushy. Set aside for later.
In a small dish mix the soya milk and lemon juice (makw sure you zest the lemons before you juice them) ans mimx together. This will instanly become lumpy and look every odd but have no fear!! It is meant to look like this 🙂
Set aside for later.
Into a bowl sift the dry ingredients.
In a large mixing bowl cream together the Soya marg, suagr and the lemon zest until nice and fluffy. You can use an electric mixer if you have one. Add the eggs 1 at a time until incorporated.
Add 1/2 the dry mix to this and mix well, then add the milk mixture and 1/2 cup of the applesauce and mix again. finally add the last of the dry ingredients and fold together.
Then 2/3 fill each muffin case with the batter and bake for 10-15 mins. They come out a little lighter than a ‘normal’ cupcake. When they come out prick with a cocktail stick all over to allow the drizzle to seep right in.
Mix the drizzle together and pour over the cakes. Then leave to cool in the tray and devour!

Custard and White Chocolate Biscuits

I love to make cookies, traybakes or any other sweet treat for my friends and family- hopefully they like them too 🙂 The first time i made these particular ones was for the golden jubilee last year and one of my neighbours loved them so much he actually requested a batch a few days later, so i know they are a winner 🙂

So tonight i’m staying at my nans house and thought what to make this time??
Although my gramps proclaims not to have a sweet tooth, he doesn’t seem to mind munching his way through what i make 🙂 … but anyway this is what came to mind.

A really tasty, can’t stop eating the, cookie. A slightly different texture than a normal chocolate chipper because of the cornflour in the custard powder, but just as delicious!! Give it ago a see what you think.

Custard and white chocolate biscuits
140g soft salted butter
175g granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
225g spelt flour or the same amount of self raising flour (just skip the baking powder if you use that)
2 tsp baking powder
85g custard powder
100g white chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 170’c and line a 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg and continue to mix until combined.
Then sift in the flour, baking powder (if using) and the custard powder. The mix will start to get quite firm then and crumbly (see the picture above)
If you start to find it to hard to mix with a spoon use your hands to bring it together into a dough. Then add the white chocolate chunks.
Roll into golf ball sized balls and place onto a tray about 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly with your hand and bake for 12mins turning halfway. the will look pale but resist putting back into the oven as the will continue cooking on the tray. after a few mins transfer to a wire rack to cool completly, if you can!!
Enjoy. xxx

Split pea soup

So my dads training for the Bristol half marathon and i was trying to come up with a recipe to help recover his body after the long 12 mile runs.
This is what i came up with, maybe not an obvious choice, but soup is so nurishing and this one is particularly hearty that it was perfect. It boosts your energy and helps repair muscle damage, whilst also tasting yummy!!

You do need to soak the split peas overnight but other than that its a very simple quick dish to make, either for a hearty luch served with crusty bread or crackers, or a lovely dinner for the family ( if your kids won’t eat veggies try blitzing the veg to a puree before stirring through the soup!) They’ll never know :):)

Split Pea Soup

350g yellow split peas
2 bay leaves
Sprig of thyme, rosemary and sage
1/4 of a whole nutmeg grated

1tbsp oil (any that you have is fine)
1tbsp butter
1 large carrot small diced
1 red and 1 white onion small diced
3 celery stalks small diced
5 cloves garlic crushed
1 sprig of thyme, rosemary and sage stripped and chopped finely
1/4 of a nutmeg grated
Salt and pepper to taste
50g butter
2tbsp malt vinegar

To start you will need to soak the peas overnight in cold water ( cover by 1 inch) The next day drain and rinse the peas well then cover with more cold water, by about 2 inches this time and put in the thyme, rosemary, sage, bay and nutmeg. Boil rapidly for 10 mins uncovered. Then cover and simmer for about 30 mins skimming off any scum halfway through. ( you want the peas to be soft but with a very slight bite.)
Whilst the peas are boiling finely dice all the veg and sauté in the butter, oil and a pinch of salt in a frying pan for about 10 mins until softened. At this stage add the garlic and herbs and cook for 2 mins more before setting aside until the peas are cooked.
Once the peas have cooked, blitz some of the peas with a stick blender to make it thick and creamy ( you want some to be completely mushed and some to be whole) the stir through the veg, the butter and vinegar and check for seasoning.
This is the time to add some more water if needed depending on the texture that you want.
Serve with crushy bread and butter or some nice crispy crackers and enjoy.

Blondies

A real family favorite, and a winner everytime! I make this often, it’s my brothers traybake of choice and you can see why!!
Gorgeously gooey on the inside (like a brownie) but crisp and crunchy on the outside (like a cookie) you really can’t go wrong.
Great for a quick teatime treat or tarted up with berries and clotted cream (maybe even a cheecky chocolate sauce) makes an amazing dessert.

Remember to take the blondie out before you think its ready- you really want a nice amount of goo in the middle 🙂

>

Blondie
2 1/4 cups plain flour
250g softened salted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup muscuvado sugar (light or dark- dark gives a deeper, richer flavour. Better for adults!)
1 tsp (level) baking powder
1 tsp flaky sea salt or 1/2 tsp of table salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
white, dark and milk chocolate chunks – as many as physically possible!!

Preheat your oven to 170’c. Prepare a 8 by 8 inch square tin (or any that the mix will fit in!) To prepare your tin butter and line with greaseproof paper.
Cream the butter with both sugars until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla and 1 egg, beat again to incorporate. Then add the other egg (if the mixture looks like its seperating a bit DON’T PANIC, just add a bit of flour and it will come back to being a lovely mix.)
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt in 2 stages into the mix and fold in- at this point you don’t want to overmix it as it will build up the gluten in the flour making the end result tough.
Put 1 tblsp of flour into the chocolate chunks and stir to coat each piece then add this to the mix and fold through again- don’t skip this step, coating the chocolate in flour suspends them in the mix and prevents them from sinking to the bottom during baking 🙂
Now its time to bake, your only 30 mins away from heaven!!
Bake in the middle shelf turning about 15mins into cooking. You will want to check the blondie after 25 mins, what your looking for is a crust to have formed ontop but underneath wants to be quite squiggy!! Leave to cool in the tray before cutting into squares, circles, triangles, whatever your heart desires!

Tips:
You can make these by hand or in a food mixer, but if you do it by hand make sure the butter is very soft. Ideally left out overnight.

I like to use bars of chocolate and cut them myself so i can cut them into sizable chucks, but you can use the bags of chunks or chips. Or try adding any of your favorite chocolate sweets- fudge, caramel, rolos, smarties, maltesers, anything goes!!!

HOpe you enjoy this
xxxx