Homemade Applesauce

Ingredients

5 medium apples

Hot water

1 tsp cinnamon

Method

1. Peel the apples and cut them into small cubes.
2. Place the apple cubes into a microwave safe jar and cover in hot water.
3. Cover the top of the container so that only a small amount of air can escape. You can use a small sandwich bag and a rubber band to do this.
4. Microwave for three minute intervals mixing each time. The apple cubes should become very hot and sticky.
5. Once the apples have softened, drain them so that all the water is gone.
6. Add the cinnamon.
7. Use a food processor or a stick blender to blend the apple cubes into a sauce.
8. Leave to cool and store in the fridge.

Cherry Lollipop Cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt

½ cup butter

1 cup sugar

50 ml vegetable oil

2 tbsp yogurt

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp cherry essence
Red food dye

Buttercream

2/3 cup softened butter
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
5-7 tbsp milk 
2 tbsp cherry essence
Red food dye
Cherry flavoured lollipops for topping

*Recipe makes about 20 cupcakes

Method

Cupcakes

1.   Pre-heat the oven to 160℃/320°F

2.   Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

3.   In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Because there is more sugar than butter, it won’t cream together completely. Just make sure that it isn’t lumpy.

4.   Add the vegetable oil and yogurt and mix on medium speed until the mixture is white and fluffy. This should take about 10 minutes.

5.   Add the eggs, milk and vanilla and and mix until well combined.
6. Add in the cherry essence and red food dye until you have the desired colour.

7.   Add in the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Do not overmix.

8.   Line a cupcake tin with cupcake holders and fill them about ¾ of the way.

9.   Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Buttercream

1. Add the soften butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high until the butter becomes creamy and whiter in colour.

2. Sift the sugar and add it to the butter 1/2 cup at a time.

3. Add milk and continue mixing until the buttercream is the right consistency. Do not be afraid to overmix. It should be smooth and fluffy. Make sure that there are no small butter pieces left.

4. Mix in the cherry essence.

5. Set aside half of the buttercream and add the red food dye to the other half.

6. Pipe alternating stripes of red and white buttercream onto plastic wrap. Roll the buttercream stripes onto each other using the plastic wrap and place it into a piping bag.

7. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes and top each one with a lollipop!

Homemade DIY Sprinkles

Making your own sprinkles sounds like a daunting task and it is. So many people ask me why I would do it and my main reason is because it’s much cheaper. Making a batch of royal icing and piping it into small dots is much cheaper that buying a small packet of sprinkles for a very high price. The good news about this daunting task, however, is that it gets easier every time you do it and that it produces more sprinkles than you think. The first batch may not be amazing, but the more you practice the better it gets.

Ingredients

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp meringue powder

Hot water

Food colouring

Method

1. Mix together the powdered sugar and meringue powder.

2. Add the hot water 1 tbsp at a time until the icing is the right consistency. It must be thick enough to hold its shape when piped into small dots, but still thin enough to be piped with a very small tip.

3. Split the icing into different bowls and colour how you wish.

4. Fill small piping bags with the icing or you can use small sandwich bags.

5. Pipe small dots onto parchment paper.

6. Leave at room temperature for 24 hours.

7. Peel off of the paper and place in an air tight container.

Blueberry and White Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe

Ingredients

Cupcakes
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
1/2 cup butter
1cup sugar
2 tbsp plain/greek yogurt
50 ml vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp Blueberry essence
Blue food dye
Purple food dye
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
White chocolate blocks for toping

Buttercream
2/3 cup softened butter
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
5-7 tbsp milk
3 tbsp blueberry jam
1 tsp Blueberry essence
Purple food dye
Blue food dye

Method

Cupcakes

1. Pre-heat the oven to 160℃/320°F
2. Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Because there is more sugar than butter, it won’t cream together completely. Just make sure that it isn’t lumpy.
4. Add the vegetable oil and yogurt and mix on medium speed until the mixture is white and fluffy. This should take about 10 minutes.
5. Add the eggs, milk, blueberry essence and food dye and mix until well combined.
6. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Do not over-mix.
7. Gently fold in the white chocolate chips.
8. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake holders and fill them about ¾ of the way.
9. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Buttercream

1. Add the soften butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on high until the butter becomes creamy and whiter in colour.
2. Sift the sugar and add it to the butter 1/2 cup at a time.
3. Add milk and continue mixing until the buttercream is the right consistency. Do not be afraid to overmix. It should be smooth and fluffy. Make sure that there are no small butter pieces left.
4. Mix in the food dye, blueberry essence and blueberry jam.
5. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes and enjoy

*Recipe makes about 20 cupcakes

Fluffy Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe

I’m so happy that I can finally post this recipe. I really wanted to create my own, one that includes everything I feel a vanilla cupcake should include. Moisture, just the right sweetness and a good shape. Now, after many failures, from pointy rising cupcakes to cupcakes that peel away from their holders, I finally have a recipe I’m happy with. So here it is.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt

½ cup butter

1 cup sugar

50 ml vegetable oil

2 tbsp yogurt

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla essence

*Recipe makes about 20 cupcakes

Method

1.   Pre-heat the oven to 160℃/320°F

2.   Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

3.   In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Because there is more sugar than butter, it won’t cream together completely. Just make sure that it isn’t lumpy.

4.   Add the vegetable oil and yogurt and mix on medium speed until the mixture is white and fluffy. This should take about 10 minutes.

After mixing for 10 mins

5.   Add the eggs, milk and vanilla and and mix until well combined.

6.   Add in the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Do not overmix.

7.   Line a cupcake tin with cupcake holders and fill them about ¾ of the way.

8.   Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Unicorn Popcorn Recipe

This popcorn recipe was a quick after school experiment for me and I am so happy with the way it turned out. It was inspired by a friend of mine who made up a story about a unicorn who loved strawberries and started telling it to me as she was writing it.  Unfortunately the bell rang before she could finish it, so I had to take it further myself. While her talent is writing, mine is baking, so of course I made some unicorn sweetness.

This popcorn has the crunchiest texture and a delicious flavoured sweetness to it. Also, it has beautiful bright colours. I’m positive that the bowl will be finished before I’m done typing the recipe, so here it is.

Ingredients

·         1-2 tbsp oil

·         60g popcorn kernels

·         1 ½ cups powdered sugar

·         6-7 tbsp hot water

·         1 tsp flavouring/essence (I used tutti frutti)

·         Pink, blue and purple food dye

*Recipe makes 2 portions

Method

1. Add the oil to a large pot and place on medium to high heat.

2. Allow it to warm up for about a minute.

3. Once warmed, add the popcorn kernels and spread them out evenly.

4. Add the lid and wait for the kernels to pop.

5. The popcorn is done when the pops are 2 to 3 seconds apart.

6. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

7. Add the powdered sugar to a mixing bowl.

8. Add the hot water 1 tbsp at a time, mixing well each time. The mixture  should be very runny.

9. Add the flavouring and mix in well.

10. Pour the mixture equally into 3 cups/small mixing bowls.

11. Add a different food dye to each one and mix well.

12. Separate the popcorn equally into 3 different bowls.

13. Pour one colour icing over one bowl of popcorn and mix it thoroughly, ensuring that all the popcorn is well covered.

14. Repeat this with the other two colours.

15. Spread the popcorn out evenly on a greased baking plate.

16. Bake at 150°C/ 300°F for about 5 mins. 

Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

Chocolate Chip Cookies:

1 cup softened butter

¾ cup brown sugar

¼ cup white sugar

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp golden syrup

1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp milk

1¾ cup flour

¼ tsp baking soda

Pinch of salt

½ cup chocolate chips

Brownie Filling:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 egg white

2 tbsp cocoa

1/3 cup flour

Method:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:

1.   Add all the dry ingredients together and set aside.

2.   Cream together the butter and the brown and white sugars.

3.   Add the egg yolk, golden syrup, vanilla and milk and mix until well combined.

4.   Fold in half the dry ingredients and mix until well combined, then add the rest of the dry ingredients. Add more milk or flour if the mixture is too dry or too wet.

5.   Once the mixture has formed into a dough, fold in the chocolate chips (set some aside for garnishing.)

6.   Cover the dough with cling wrap and place in the fridge.

Brownie filling:

1.   Mix together the powdered sugar and egg whites until a paste forms.

2.   Add the cocoa powder and mix in  well.

3.   Add in the flour and continue mixing.

4.   The dough will be very sticky, do not add more flour.

5.   Make sure that the bowl is scraped down well, but don’t worry if some dough remains stuck to the bowl.

6.   Set aside at room temperature.

Stuffed Cookies:

1.   Cover a surface with flour and roll out the chocolate chip dough.

2.   Cut into circles using a round cookie cutter.

3.   Place half the circles on a greased baking plate and set the other half aside.

4.   Cover the surface in slightly more flour and roll out the brownie dough.

5.   Note that because of the stickiness of the dough, only roll out about ¼ of it at a time, this will prevent it from sticking to the surface.

6.   Use a slightly smaller cookie cutter than previously and cut the dough into circles.

7.   Place the brownie circles on the chocolate chip circles in the baking plate.

8.   Take the extra chocolate chip circles and place them on top of the brownie layers as if making a sandwich.

9.   Use your fingers to gently press down on the perimeter of the cookies and then press down slightly in the middle.

10.   Gently press the extra chocolate chips onto the tops of the cookies.

11.   Bake at 180°C/350°F for 18-20 mins.

Green Smoothie Bowl Recipe

When I need a quick, healthy snack, my go to is smoothies and smoothie bowls. I love these delicious mixtures of goodness and especially how you can hide the not so yummy, but good for you stuff in them. The typical green smoothie is probably the one that contains the most of those ingredients and I have yet to taste one I don't like. So of course I had to make my own! Here’s my green smoothie bowl recipe.

Ingredients

1 small pineapple/ half a large pineapple

1 small avocado

1 cup raw spinach leaves1 tbsp desiccated coconut

1 tsp chia seeds

2 tbsp plain yogurt

1 tsp honey

2 tbsp coconut milk

Method

Blend all the ingredients together and check the thickness. Add more coconut milk if the mixture is too thick for you.

Enjoy!

The Three C's Pasta Recipe: Cheese, Cranberries and Coconut

I know pasta isn't the healthiest food choice ever, but sometimes you just need a quick and easy bowl of deliciousness. For me, that bowl of deliciousness is pasta. Combine that with my favourite ingredients and I'm in foodie heaven.

Now, when it comes to cheese, there's no way I'm only including one type, hence this recipe contains both cottage and cheddar cheese. However, it doesn't only enhance the flavour. The cottage cheese makes for a thicker pasta sauce while the cheddar maintains that stringy cheese texture between the pasta bits.

As for the coconut, except for its many health benefits that help to overshadow some of the unhealthy parts of a pasta dish, the tinge of coconut taste it brings with it, makes for the perfect flavour combination.

Now, I can imagine what you were thinking when you read cranberries, probably something like eew, why, interesting, uhhm... These were the thoughts going through my mind when someone told me how good they were on pizza. But I tried it nonetheless and never again did I make pizza without it. There's just something about its sweetness mixing with the savoury cheese that lead your taste buds into happy dancing. I just had to incorporate this taste into pasta, so here it is!

Ingredients

400g pasta

1 tbsp vegetable oil

250g bacon bits

1 medium avocado

1 cup coconut milk

300g cottage cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp Italian herbs

1 tbsp dried oregano/origanum 

1 cup dried cranberries

150g cheddar cheese

Recipe makes 4-6 servings.

Method

1. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packaging.

2. While the pasta is cooking, place the oil in a small frying pan over high heat and add the bacon once its hot. Cook until slightly browned and remove from heat.

 

3. Make the pasta sauce by blending together the avocado, coconut milk, cottage cheese, salt, Italian herbs and oregano/origanum.

4. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and then add the bacon and cranberries.

5. Place the pasta back on low heat to allow the cranberries to soften a bit.

6. After about 2 mins, add the pasta sauce and mix it in well.

7. Add in the cheddar and keep mixing on low heat until it is completely melted.

8. Serve hot and enjoy!