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.

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.

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.

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!

Easy To Use, No Mess Marshmallow Fondant Recipe

Ingredients

80g mini marshmallows
1 tbsp cold water
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp glucose/corn syrup
Food colouring (optional)
3 1/2 cups icing/powdered sugar
2 tbsp corn flour/corn starch
200g satin fondant (optional)

*Makes about 650g of fondant without the added 200g.

Disclaimer

Depending on what you want to use this fondant for, you can decide on whether you want to add the last ingredient or not. I know that the whole point of making your own fondant is so that you don't have to use store bought fondant, that and it tastes much better. However, when you want to use your fondant to cover cakes, marshmallow fondant is a bit tricky as it hardens very quickly. For smaller things like covering cupcakes or making toppers, this fondant recipe is completely sufficient. However, if you want to cover cakes I will highly recommend adding a bit of store bought fondant. This will give it more elasticity, making it easier to work with, but will also still eliminate the taste of store bought fondant.

Method

1. Place the marshmallows in a microwave safe mixing bowl and add the water. Give it a quick stir.

2. Place the marshmallows in the microwave for 20 secs. Remove it from the microwave and stir it again. Keep it outside for at least 30 secs before placing it back in the microwave for another 20 secs.

3. Remove from microwave and stir in the butter. Microwave it for another 10 secs.

4. Remove your mixture from the microwave and stir it again to ensure that the butter is incorporated well. Check that the marshmallows are completely melted and that the mixture is smooth. If there are lumps, try to stir them out or microwave the mixture again for about 8 secs at a time until the lumps disappear.

5. Transfer the mixture to your electric mixer's bowl and attach the flat beater.

Left- flat beater. Right- dough hook.

6. Add the glucose/corn syrup and mix on medium speed until incorporated. Note that if you are using a very thick form of glucose you may need to add it in during step 3 so that it can melt with the butter.

7. Add food colouring to your mixture and mix until incorporated. 

8. Add the icing/ powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time and continue mixing.

9. When your mixture starts coming together, switch your mixer attachment to a dough hook. At this stage you can also add another 1/4 cup of icing/powdered sugar if your mixture is still sticking completely to the bowl.

Mixture coming together.

10. Knead your mixture for about 5 mins and then add the corn flour/corn starch.

11. Knead in the store bought fondant if you wish to add it.

Store bought fondant.

12. Continue kneading until your fondant forms and is no longer sticky to the touch. Add more corn flour/corn starch if your fondant remains too sticky.

13. To work with this fondant, dust a surface with corn flour/corn starch and begin the creating. When the fondant hardens place it in the microwave for about 10 secs to soften it up again.

14. You can store this in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just allow it to defrost and then place it in the microwave to soften it again.

Notes

• In the ingredients list, I added '/' many times, these ingredients are all exactly the same thing, they just have different names here in South Africa than they have in some other countries.
• Same thing with the measurements, South Africa uses a different system, but if you'd like to know, 650g=23oz and 200g=7 oz.
• See the picture above: Roses- without added store bought fondant. Cake- with added store bought fondant.
• If you are curious as to how I made the above cake look like a chalkboard, I simply melted some white chocolate onto a spoon and once it hardened I used it to draw on the fondant.

Feel free to leave any questions in the comments below or send me an email and I'll get back to you! :)