French Toast

I had Monday off from uni so I woke up late, and it was the perfect time of day for a nice brunch. I decided to make myself some French toast - quick and easy, and an excuse to have some sugar and ice cream for my first meal of the day!

Serves 1

Ingredients
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 thick slices of bread (I managed to get 6 slices of a sourdough baguette out of this recipe, though!)
1 tbsp butter
2 tsp sugar, extra
1/2 tsp cinnamon, extra

Directions

1. Heat a frying pan to medium. Place butter in the pan and allow to melt.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Soak a slice of bread in the mixture and place on the pan; repeat until the pan is full.
3. Brown both sides of the bread. Add more butter to the pan if necessary. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Combine the extra sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Serve the French toast sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, or with syrup, or with berries, or - like me - with raspberry ice cream!

Gingernut Biscuits

I love Arnott's Ginger Nut biscuits. I love them. They've been my favourites since I was a kid. So when I stumbled across this recipe, I had to give it a go. I didn't have any nutmeg, though, so I substituted that and the allspice for half a teaspoon of mixed spice.

The best thing about it is that it's super easy and super quick - no beating or cutting required. They don't taste exactly like the Arnott's biscuits, but they're pretty close!

Makes about 18

Ingredients
2/3 cup self-raising flour
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1/3 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
50g butter, chopped
2 tbsp golden syrup
Raw sugar

Directions

1. Line a couple of baking trays with baking paper and preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients (except the raw sugar). I sifted the flour, bicarb soda and spices together, then mixed in the brown sugar. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs Stir in the syrup, and then press to a dough-like consistency - use your hands if you need to!
2. Divide the dough into 18 pieces, roll each piece into a ball, and then press each ball down with your fingers on the prepared trays. Sprinkle a little raw sugar over the biscuit surfaces and press into the dough lightly with your fingers.
3. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool on the trays for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container, or eat them straight away!

Pizza Scrolls

These are my favourite snack, and so easy to vary. You can put whatever pizza-type toppings you like: try a Hawaiian with ham and pineapple, or add olives if you like olives, or diced capsicum. I love to freeze a batch and then take a couple with me to uni for lunch - they're thawed by lunchtime and are still super delicious cold.

Makes about 12 or more, depending on how thick you slice them!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
30g butter, chopped
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons tomato paste or pizza sauce
1 cup grated cheese (I use Colby)
100g salami or ham, finely chopped
1/3 cup semi-dried tomatoes, finely chopped

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celcius. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Combine the cheese, salami and tomatoes in a bowl.
   
2. Sift flour into a bowl. Rub butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre and pour milk into the well.
   
3. Mix with a knife until the mixture forms a soft dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.
4. Roll out to a 30cm x 23cm rectangle. Spread tomato paste over the dough. Sprinkle the toppings mixture over the sauce. Roll up like a Swiss roll. Cut into rounds about 1.5cm thick with a serrated knife, taking care not to squash the roll.
   
5. Lay scrolls flat on the prepared baking tray, about 3cm apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Scrolls will freeze for up to 3 months.

Enjoy!

Savoury Muffins

Being a poor uni student, I prefer to pack my lunch than to buy it. I love this recipe (which I adapted from here) because it makes a delicious muffin that's easy to freeze and throw into my lunch bag on my way out the door. You can substitute what you put in it, as well - try different kinds of cheeses, or ham instead of salami, or throw in some chopped olives if you like olives. It's a quick and versatile recipe!



Makes 12

Ingredients
80g butter, melted, cooled
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
2 cups self-raising flour
100g cheese, grated (I used Colby because I like the taste, but you can try cheddar, or tasty, or crumbled feta)
100g sliced salami or ham, diced (I used salami for this batch)
1/3 cup (50g) semi-dried tomatoes, finely chopped


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celcius. Lightly grease a 12-hole muffin pan.
2. Pour butter, egg and milk into a jug and stir to combine.
3. Sift flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre. Pour butter mixture into the well and stir until almost combined.
4. Fold through the cheese, salami/ham and tomatoes. Try not to over-mix!
5. Spoon mixture into muffin pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Set aside in pan for 1 minute, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Store muffins in an airtight container, or serve and enjoy!

Lemon Olive Oil Teacakes

It was Katy's birthday party last night and she requested non-chocolate cupcakes, so I decided to try out this recipe that I adapted from Just Jenn Recipes. It came out pretty well and had a nice texture to it - and it's also lactose free!



I managed to get 22 regular-sized cupcakes out of this recipe.

Ingredients
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large lemon (zest and juice)
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup self-raising flour
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
Icing sugar for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180 C. Prep a mini cupcake pan with liners.


2. Sift the flours together in a small bowl. Grate the lemon zest directly into the flour and set aside.


3. In a small bowl, squeeze all the juice out of the lemon and set aside.


4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until thick and pale:
   


5. On low, slowly add the flour mixture, then the olive oil, and finally the lemon juice. You will get a lovely, smooth, glossy batter.
   
   


6. Pour the batter into the prepped baking cups. Bake for 10-15 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
   
   


7. Once cool and ready to serve, dust icing sugar over the tops of the cakes. Enjoy!

Choc-Mint Sandwiches

I was inspired by the mint slice cake to attempt something else minty and chocolatey, and also transportable. I adapted my favourite gingerbread recipe to make it chocolate (and not gingery at all), and then added some fun fillings to make a really tasty combination.

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For the Biscuits
1/4 Cup Golden Syrup
200g Butter, split into two 100g lots
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg
2 Cups Flour
1/4 Cup Self-Raising Flour
1 Teaspoon Bicarb Soda
1/4 Cup Cocoa

For the filling
1 Cup Icing Sugar
70g Butter
1 tsp Peppermint Essence
150g Dark Chocolate

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180C
2. Cream 100g butter and sugar
3. Mix the egg into the sugar and butter
4. Add the dry ingredients and mix well
5. Melt the Chocolate and second lot of butter together, mix into the rest of the ingredients.
6. Take the mixture out of the bowl, and knead it lightly.
7. Roll it out quite thin, and cut out an even number of circular biscuits. Place them on lined/greased baking trays
8. Cook for approximately 15 minutes.
9. Leave to cool in trays for around 15 minutes, then remove from tray.
10. Beat the icing sugar, butter for the icing, and the peppermint essence together to form a thick icing.
11. Melt the chocolate, and spread a thin layer on the underside of each biscuit.
12. Place a small dollop of mint icing on top of a layer of chocolate,

and then sandwich another biscuit on top, squashing together to spread the mint icing out.

13. Leave to set.
14. Eat.

Mint Slice Cake

Mint Slice biscuits is definitely up there in my list of favourite sweet treats. I took this recipe from Raspberri Cupcakes, and it's amazing! Mine definitely is not as pretty as hers, so take a look at her blog for better pictures and more delicious recipes.

I made the cake almost exactly according to her recipe, but I halved the mint icing and used less chocolate in the ganache topping.



Ingredients
2 large eggs
55g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
32g cornflour (cornstarch)
17g Dutch-process cocoa
2 tsp plain flour
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp bicarb soda
25g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the mint icing:
50g butter, removed from the fridge 30 minutes before starting
1 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp milk
1 tsp peppermint essence

For the chocolate ganache topping:
150ml pure cream
100g 70% cocoa dark chocolate (I used Lindt)


Directions

1. Grease and line one 20cm round cake tin. Preheat oven to 180°C.


2. Whisk eggs and sugar in an electric mixer until thick and pale (5-6 minutes). Sift over cornflour, cocoa, flour, cream of tartar and bicarb soda, fold in with spatula. Fold in butter, spoon into prepared tin.


3. Bake in centre of oven until cake springs back when lightly pressed (this took me 15 minutes). Turn onto baking-paper-covered wire rack and cool completely.


4. Prepare the mint icing: beat butter and icing sugar together until light and fluffy, then add mint essence and milk and beat until smooth. Spread over the top of cake and smooth with a spatula.


5. To make the ganache, place cream in a small saucepan on low heat. Just as it starts to come to the boil, remove from the heat and cool for a couple minutes. Pour hot cream over chocolate and set aside to allow chocolate to melt. Mix cream and chocolate together until smooth using a whisk, then cool until it reaches room temperature and thickens.


6. Pour ganache over the top of the cake, using a spatula to ensure the ganache covers all the top and sides of the cake. Chill in the fridge until the ganache sets, then peel off the bottom baking paper and serve cake at room temperature.
   

Katy's Extremely Chocolate Brownie

Katy's Extremely Chocolate Brownie
(adapted from a recipe by Donna Hay)

*picture coming next time I bake this :)*

Ingredients
200g 70% Cocoa Dark Chocolate
250g Butter
1 3/4 cups Brown Sugar
4 Eggs
1/3 cup Cocoa Powder
1 cup Plain Flour
1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
150g White Chocolate Chips

Directions

1. Preheat Oven to 160C.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter together, allow to cool slightly.
3. Place the sugar, eggs, cocoa, flour and baking powder in a bowl.
4. Add the melted chocolate mixture and mix until combined.
5. Mix in the white chocolate chips.
6. Pour into a 23cm (9 in) square lined tin.
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until set.
8. Cool in the tin.
9. Cut into slices and eat!

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Make this recipe gluten and lactose free by;

1. Ensuring your chocolate is gluten free - Lindt or Whittakers can be good for this.
2. Using lactose-free margarine instead of butter.
3. Using a gluten-free flour (White Wings gluten free flour is good)
4. Omitting the white chocolate chips, or replacing them with chopped nuts of your choice, or more of the chocolate used in the batter chopped roughly.

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