Cake Pops

1 pkt Oreo cookies

1 pkg cream cheese

Baking chocolate/ candy melts/sprinkles to decorate

Lollipop sticks

Blend cookies until fine then add to bowl

 Add cream cheese to cookies and mix up with your hands until evenly mixed

Chill mixture for 10-15 minutes

make small ball shapes from mix by hand rolling them, set on some wax paper 

Place balls back in fridge/freezer to chill for 20 mins......

melt candy melts, dip lollipop sticks into candy melts then stick into the middle of cake ball

Place back in fridge for 5 Min's to set the stick in the cake

Holding the stick dip the cake pop into the melted chocolate and coat evenly letting any excess choc drip off

Decorate with whatever u like, sprinkles, coloured sugar, icing, coconut?

To dry sit on some wax paper or in a cup/ homemade stand? ( you can make a stand from Styrofoam covered with gift wrap)

once dry store these in the fridge

You can even make these from ready made doughnut holes or timbits!!

Coffee Brownies

1/2 cup butter 
1 cup sugar
2 squares unsweetened baking chocolate (60g)
2 teaspoons instant coffee 
2 tablespoons hot water
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour

For Icing

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon hot water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coffee Mixed with 1/2 teaspoon hot water
1/2 cup icing sugar

Preheat oven to 325 F, Melt butter, sugar and choc squares in metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, stir a few times as its melting.

Dissolve your 1 + 1/2 teaspoons of coffee in to 2 tablespoons hot water 

Then add to butter and choc mixture and stir until evenly mixed then remove from heat and leave to cool.

When cooled whisk in your 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

In another bowl mix flour and salt, mix into chocolate mixture until smooth

Spread mix into 8x8inch greased baking tin and bake in centre of oven for 26 mins, or until top is just set

For cakier texture bake brownies for extra 5mins

Make icing by combining butter, icing sugar and cocoa into a small bowl add coffee (mixed with water) and vanilla extract and stir until smooth.

Ice brownies whilst still warm, then leave to cool then cut into squares 

Lemon and Poppyseed cupcakes

1 cup self raising flour

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup ground almonds

1/4 cup poppy seeds

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup softened unsalted butter

3/4 cup pure cane sugar

2 teaspoons lemon zest

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C/gas 4).
Line your 12 cup muffin/cupcake tin with paper liners.
Combine both flours, almonds, poppy seeds and salt in a small bowl.
Beat butter, sugar and lemon zest in medium bowl with a mixer on medium high until pale and creamy.
Add eggs one at a time, beating after each one.
Mix with mixer on low speed and add dry ingredients alternating with milk and lemon juice.
Spoon into prepared cups, filling 3/4 full

Bake for 20-25 mins, until golden brown and firm to touch
Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely

drizzle with icing sugar if desired

School days

Edan's 1st Day at school in Canada!!

                                               

walking to school....

Almond And Honey Power Bars

( Recipe from Eating Well)
active time to make-30 mins and 30 mins chilling.

1 cup oats
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 tbsp flax seeds, preferably golden
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 cup unsweetend whole-grain puffed cereal (see note)
1/3 cup currants
1/3 cup dried apricots
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup creamy almond butter
1/4 cup turbinado sugar (see note)
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Step one
Preheat oven to 350 and coat 8-10 inch square pan with oil.

Step two
Spread oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds and sunflower seeds on a large rimmed baking tray and bake until lightly toasted...shaking pan halfway through, about 10 mins.

Step three
Transfer above to a large bowl and add cereal, currants, apricots, raisins; toss to combine

Step four
Combine almond butter, sugar, honey, vanilla and salt to a small saucepan. heat over medium-low heat until the mixture satrts to bubble lightly ( around 3-5 mins)

Step five
Immediatly pour the mixture over dry ingredients and mix with spatula until no dry spots remain. transfer to greased pan ( I lined mine with parchment paper), lightly coat hands with oil and press the mixture down to make an even layer, then refridgerate until cool :-)

Cut into whatever size pieces or bars you wish!!

Mmmmm...

Tips and notes

• Store in an airtight container at room temp or in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month

• For this recipe I like unsweetened puffed cereal such as Kashi's 7 grain whole grain puffs
• Almond butter can be found at natural food stores or near the peanut butter
• Turbinado sugar is a steam cleaned raw cane sugar

Homemade Lemon Curd

120g Butter

400g Caster Sugar

4 Eggs

6 Lemons (unwaxed)

                        This will make 1 litre of Lemon Curd.

The first step is to zest all 6 lemons trying not to zest fingers :-), then cut in halves and squeeze juice out.

 Step two is to put the juice, zest, sugar and butter all in a heavy based pan and stir over a medium heat, mix until butter and sugar is dissolved, remove from heat.

Step three beat eggs in a jug then slowly pour into the mixture bit by bit whisking well after each bit is poured, once all the eggs have been poured in return to heat stirring frequently. Heat for another 4-5 mins until the mixture thickens.

 Pour mixture into a container to cool

 I like to place on window ledge to cool quicker ;-)

Once cooled pour into jar or container, decorate if you wish? 

This will last up to 3 months kept in the fridge

Yesterdays task was making a candy tree!!

 For this I used some florists Oasis ( I bought a round one, you could use square and cut down if you cant find the round, or use a styrofoam ball)  inserted a wooden dowel  covered with some curling ribbon.

 I Then inserted lollipops all over the ball until full and Placed in pot then weighed down with decorative stones then I covered the stones with lollipops and added more ribbon for decor