Cookies and cupcakes Archives - Page 4 of 15

Lemon Rhubarb and Almond Muffins

16|10|2018

When I think of Spring I can’t go past Rhubarb. Those bright, juicy stalks bursting with so much flavor add a pop of freshness to any baked item. By themselves too, they are the perfect ingredient for a cordial or a chutney. The best thing though is the they’re equally great with both sweet and savory dishes. A few days ago I made a rhubarb chutney that was the talk of my neighborhood. Paired with brie cheese and some fresh greens in a sandwich, they make a killer combo. Try it for yourself, you won’t be disappointed.

Adding them in sweet recipes, is of course as simple as chopping them and throwing them into your cakes, muffins, slices or tarts. They cook down upon heating in the oven and create the most gorgeous pink hued topping. This recipe is super simple and I’ve made the lemon muffins by themselves many times. Spring is in the air and since I never ever get tired of pink, I included rhubarb and some sliced almonds to make them exciting. Sweet, tart, crunchy, mushy…these muffins are everything and a delight to the taste-buds.

Lemon Rhubarb and Almond Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

2 and 1/2 cups self raising flour
1/2 cup castor sugar
1 and 1/4 cup milk
1 egg, lightly whisked
90 g unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup chopped rhubarb (chopped into 1 cm cubes)
1/3 cup thinly sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (160 degrees C for fan forced ovens). Line a 12- hole muffin tray with muffin/cupcake liners.

Place the flour, sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Make a well in the centre. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, milk, butter and lemon juice. Pour the wet mixture into the well. Stir until just combined (do not over-mix). Fold in chopped rhubarb leaving aside a little for the tops (about 1/4 cup).

Spoon batter into muffin liners till 3/4th full. Sprinkle leftover rhubarb pieces and sliced almonds on to the tops. Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Turn onto a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!

Chocolate, Hazelnut and Pear Friands

13|09|2018

I think the title says it all. This is one Heavenly combo that people find irresistible. Pears are fruits that we always have at home. My kids love them and it is their favourite lunchbox fruit as well. The best part however, is that they’re great at all stages- ripe, almost ripe and green. The ripe ones are a great filler for pies, tarts and smoothies as their sweet flesh yet neutral flavour makes them a perfect accompaniment to berries. So when I am making a strawberry or a blueberry pie, I usually throw in a few ripe pears.

We Aussies love our friands. Afternoon tea is incomplete without them. To those who have not tasted a friand, you can call them a nutty cousin of the muffins, though they are way easier to whip up. The two main ingredients are egg whites and nut meal or ground nuts. Any nut would normally work though each one would yield a different taste and texture. My favourites are coffee-walnut, raspberry-almond but chocolate hazelnut takes the top position.

These friands are moist, nutty, crunchy as well as chocolatey. The soft pears complement the crunchy texture really well. Have you ever tried a friand? What is your favourite flavour?

Chocolate, Hazelnut and Pear Friands
Makes 6-8 large friands

5 egg whites, lightly whisked
1 cup hazelnut meal
1/4 cup plain flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
180 g unsalted butter, melted
1 cup icing sugar
3 pears, cored, quartered (I used semi-ripe Packham pears),

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (160 degrees C for fan forced ovens). Lightly grease friand molds or any other mold or muffin pan you would like to bake them in.

Place all the ingredients together in a large bowl leaving out the pears. Whisk until well blended. Divide uniformly among molds (make sure to fill only up to 3/4th of mold). Slice the pear quarters and press onto the friand batter in each mold. Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on the size of your mold or until cooked through ( test with a wooden skewer, it should come out clean).

Remove from oven and leave aside for 5 mins. Then, gently turn onto a wire rack to cool. Best served warm or at room temperature.

Chocolate Hazelnut Friands with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

22|03|2018

I am really excited today for a multitude of reasons. First, because this post involves chocolate and I am posting a friand recipe after a long time. They are a super favourite treat of mine. And secondly because I have guest posted for the first time. I have blogged for 5 years now (where has time flown by) and it’s nice to do something different.

Kankana from Playful Cooking is not only a talented photographer but also a busy Mum like me. Despite that she manages to come up with food that makes you want to eat your screens, week on week. Her images are a visual treat! So you can check out the guest post and the recipe for these Chocolate Hazelnut Friands on her beautiful blog.

Hope you enjoy them and have a great weekend everyone!

Baked Lavender Doughnuts

9|09|2017

I have not been a fan of doughnuts in my childhood as much as I am today. Baked doughnuts are the perfect little portable treats that you can dress up, then wrap up in a pretty box (without fear of being ruined) to present to friends and family. Being known as a baker in my social circles, it’s not unusual for me to gift edible treats to people who love them over other things. After all hand made things have their own special significance. This year I’ve moved over cakes and made lots of doughnuts and tartlets for my favourite people. Taking a frosted, decorated cake along is such a challenge because they never reach the destination in one piece. It definitely works with patisseries and bakeries but being a home baker, you don’t really have that kind of equipment and packaging at home. Doughnuts on the other hand are easier and individually portioned so they a joy to all (other than my husband who thinks only children eat doughnuts).

As you can see I had a lot of fun with the glaze. The best part is that I glazed them all in one single bowl. So don’t worry about having to clean up multiple dishes which is my only concern always with ombre style desserts. Culinary lavender is worth stocking up in your pantry if you are a fan of the fragrance or just want to be creative. The buds usually last for a year so you can use them for a variety of desserts and treats. My girlfriends go gaga over floral treats so in my house lavender and rosewater need to be stocked up frequently. If you don’t have lavender at hand, you can substitute with pure vanilla extract.

Baked Lavender Doughnuts
Yields 6 regular doughnuts

1 cup self raising flour
1/3 cup castor sugar
1/2 tsp ground culinary lavender
1/4 tsp salt
30 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
100 ml milk (1/3 cup + 1 tbsp)

Vanilla Glaze

1/2 cup icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla glaze
1 tbsp milk (or more if needed)
Purple gel food colour

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. 160 degrees C for fan forced ovens). Spray a non-stick doughnut pan with cooking spray and leave aside.

In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, lavender and salt. In a different bowl, beat together butter, egg and milk. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well until fully blended. Do not over-mix.
Spoon the batter into the doughnut cavities till each cavity is about 3/4 full. Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes.
Remove from oven. Leave in pan for 2-3 minutes. Turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the Vanilla Glaze, in a medium bowl whisk the sugar, vanilla and milk. Mix well till blended. If mixture is too thick add a little more milk (remember mixture thickens upon cooling).
Add a very small qualtity of purple food colour (for the first two doughnuts). Dip two doughnuts, one at a time, letting the excess glaze drip off into the bowl. Place on the wire rack to set. Decorate with sprinkles and top with chocolate.

For the next two doughnuts, add a bit more food colour to the same bowl. Dip the next two doughnuts in the same way as the first ones. Add more food colour to the glaze for a deeper purple. Glaze the remaining doughnuts. Decorate.