Peanut Crunch Slice

If you ever need a quick and easy treat, this is the treat for you.  Get the recipe for this Peanut Crunch Slice over at Bakelife.

Puffed Rice and Pistachio Energy Bars - Gluten Free and Vegan

We all need a little hit of unrefined sugar, protein and carbs now and then to boost our energy levels and get us through to the next challenge... even if that challenge is just to make it through to 4pm without a nanna nap.



Puffed Rice and Pistachio Energy Bars - Gluten Free and Vegan
slightly adapted from here
Makes 8

45g puffed brown rice
80g natural almonds, roughly chopped
70g pistachios, roughly chopped
50g white chia seeds
175g brown rice syrup
140g smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Good pinch of sea salt flakes, plus extra for sprinkling
80g dairy free dark chocolate, melted


Spray a 20cm square cake pan with cooking oil and line the base and sides with baking paper.  Set aside.

Put the puffed rice, almonds, pistachios and chia into a large mixing bowl.  Set aside.

Pu the rice syrup and peanut butter into a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until smooth.  Remove from the heat and add the vanilla.  Pour the peanut butter mixture to the puffed rice mixture, add a generous pinch of sea salt flakes and mix thoroughly, making sure all the dry ingredients gets a good coating of the sticky syrup mixture.  Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and press it firmly into the corners and edges, smooth the top by rolling a jar or glass over it.  Pop it in the refrigerator to chill for a couple of hours.

Lift the slab out of the cake pan using the overhanging baking paper.  Cut into 5cm x 10cm pieces and dip each end into the melted chocolate and sprinkle the chocolate with a little extra salt flakes. Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and put them back into the refigerator to firm up. The in the refrigerator until your ready to serve.P: Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to five days.

Ginger and Coconut Crunch Slice





A prescribed amount of ginger-coconut goodness and hot tea is just what's required on days like this. My head aches, my feet ache and everything in between aches. I need hydrating, caffeinating and gingerating.



Ginger and Coconut Crunch Slice
slightly adapted from here
Makes 12

For the Slice:
300g (2 cups) plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
40g (1/2 cup) desiccated coconut
220g (1 cup) caster sugar
250g cold unsalted butter, chopped
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the Icing:
150g unsalted butter, chopped
90g (1/4 cup) golden syrup
1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
240g icing sugar (1 1/2 cups), sifted

Make the Slice:
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Grease and line a 20 cm x 30 cm baking tray with baking paper. Set aside.

Put the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, salt, coconut and sugar into a food processor and blitz to mix. Add the butter and vanilla and process until the mixture has the look of wet sand. Tip the mixture into the prepared pan and press to smooth the surface. The mixture will be quite dry, but the butter will melt as it bakes and it will create a cookie-like base.

Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, or until golden and firm to the touch. Set aside to cool

Make the Icing:
Put the butter, golden syrup and ginger into a small saucepan over a medium heat and stir until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and add the icing sugar. Whisk until smooth then pour over the cooked base and spread to the edges. Refrigerate  to set for an hour before slicing.

Strawberry, Almond and Coconut Slice

 

 

 

My days can be busy. With a family to run around after and clean up after, a girl sometimes needs a happy-ever-after. And in my case, that means coffee with something sweet in the afternoon, before the school bus pulls up and the madness starts again.




Strawberry, Almond and Coconut Slice
adapted from here
Makes 12

For the Base:
200g plain flour
140g unsalted butter, at room temperature
80g caster sugar
60g desiccated coconut
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of fine sea salt
2 tablespoons cold water

For the Filling:
150g strawberry jam
170g fresh strawberries, sliced

For the Topping:
45g caster sugar
1 large egg
60g rolled oats
40g sliced almonds
15g desiccated coconut

Make the Base:
Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a 27 cm x 17 cm baking tin with baking paper. Set side.

Put the flour and butter into a large mixing bowl and rub together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles course breadcrumbs. Add the caster sugar, coconut, baking powder and salt. and toss the mixture together to combine. Add enough cold water to bring the dough together. Try not to over work the dough. Press it into the prepared tin and bake until golden, about 15 - 20 minutes. Sete aside to cool.

Make the Filling:
Spread the jam over the cooled base and top with a layer of sliced strawberries.

Make the Topping:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the caster sugar and egg together on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, until fluffy. Turn the mixer off and use a spatula to fold in the oats, almonds and coconut. Pour the mixture over the strawberry filling, spreading to the edges.

Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the top is golden. Leave to cool in the tin before slicing into squares.

Blackberry and Coconut Slice - Gluten Free

I'm all over this slice like a spoonful of blackberry jam.



Blackberry and Coconut Slice - Gluten Free
adapted from here
Makes 16

For the Gluten Free Flour Blend:
2 cups brown rice flour
1/2 cups white rice flour
1 1/2 cups sorghum flour
1 1/3 cups cornflour
1/2 potato flour
1/4 cup ground almonds
2 teaspoons xanthan gum

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight container. This will make more than you need for this recipe, but you can keep the remaining blend until you need it for your next gluten free recipe.

For the Base:
125g (4 1/2 oz) unsalted butter, softened
60g (1/4 cup) caster sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
185g (1 1/2 cups) gluten free flour blend (as above), sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
60ml (1/4 cup) buttermilk

For the Filling:
175g (1/2 cup) blackberry jam
250g (1 cup) fresh blackberries

For the Topping:
100g (2/13 oz) unsalted butter, softened
75g (5 tablespoons) caster sugar
2 eggs
225g (2 1/2 cups) desiccated coconut
60g (1/2 cup) gluten free flour blend, sifted

Make the Base:
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Spray a 20 x 30 cm (12 x 8 inch) baking tray with cooking oil spray and line it with baking paper. Set side.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on low speed to combine. leave the mixer on low and add the sifted flour blend and the baking powder and the buttermilk. Mix until just combined and then, using a palette knife, spread the mixture evenly onto the prepared baking tray.

Make the Filling:
Spread the jam on top of the base and then sprinkle the fresh blackberries over.

Make the Topping:
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat he butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat until incorporated. Turn the speed to low and add the coconut and 1 tablespoon of the sifted flour blend. Once combined, add the rest of the flour blend. Dollop the topping evenly over the balckberries.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden. Cover with foil and bake for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin to room temperature before slicing.

• 
  

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Oat Bars

I'm pretty sure these bars could quite possibly be considered perfectly acceptable as a breakfast option... if you don't have any hang-ups and are open minded like me.


Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Oat Bars
slightly adapted from here
Makes 12

For the Bars:
100g (1/2 cup) light brown sugar
265g (1 cup) smooth peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
120g (1 cup) plain flour
80g (1 cup) tradition oats
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
125ml (1/2 cup) milk
150g (1 cup) dark chocolate chips

For the Drizzle:
1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Make the Bars:
Combine the flour, oats, salt and baking soda in a bowl. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Line the bottom and sides of a 20cm x 20cm cake pan with foil, leaving plenty of foil overhanging the sides (for easy removal later).

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed, beat the sugar and peanut butter until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla and beat again.

Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and add the dry ingredients. Slowly add the milk and mix until just combined. Stop the mixer, add the chocolate chips and fold in with a spoon or spatula.

Press the dough into the prepared pan and bake for 17 -20 minutes or until lightly golden on top. Leave in the pan to cool completely before using the edges of the foil to lift it out of the pan.

Make the Drizzle:
Combine the peanut butter and chocolate chips in a bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water. Stir until the chocolate has just melted. Remove from the heat, allow it to cool slightly then spoon it into a zip lock bag. Snip a small hole in one corner of the bag and drizzle the chocolate over the bars. Leave the drizzle to set for about 30 minutes before cutting them into bars.

Cookies and Candy Bars

I was looking for something refined and elegant to have with my cold brew coffee. But then half a bag of M&Ms, five stray shortbreads and a box of Oreo cookies exploded in my kitchen. 

Cookies and Candy Bars
adapted from here
Makes 12

115g (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup plain flour
Pinch of salt
2 cup chopped cookies and candy (I used Peanut Butter and Choc Cream Oreos, Shortbread and a mixrure of various M&Ms)
Plus and handful of candy for sprinkling over the top

Preheat the oven to 180C (350F).  Line a 20 x 20cm (8 x 8 inch) cake pan with foil and spray the foil with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add the cooled, melted butter, egg, brown sugar, vanilla and whisk until smooth.

Add the flour and salt and mix until just incorporated. Don't over mix.

Stir it the cookies and candy.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Scatter over the extra candy, pressing them into the dough a little.

Bake for about 20 - 22 minutes, until the it is slightly firm at the edges and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out with moist crumbs clinging to it. Leave the bars in the pan to cool for at least an hour before slicing.

Rocky Road Crunch Bars

I made these for my sons and their friends yesterday. I probably don't need to tell you that 11 - 13 year old boys are weapons of mass consumption.

Rocky Road Crunch Bars
slightly adapted from Nigella Lawson's Express

125g unsalted butter, softened
200g dark chocolate, chopped
100g milk chocolate, chopped
45ml honey
200g shortbread biscuits, crushed to form uneven crumbs (some fine, some larger pieces)
100g white marshmallows
Icing sugar for dusting

Put the butter, chocolate and honey into a medium saucepan and melt them together over medium heat. Remove from the heat, take out 1/2 cup of this melted mixture and set it aside.

Add the crushed biscuits to the pan of melted chocolate and stir. Add the marshmallows and gently fold them through.

Spoon the mixture into a 17cm x 27cm disposable foil tray and level the top as well as you can with a spatula. Pour the reserved melted chocolate mixture over the top and spread to evenly cover the top.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until set before cutting into pieces as big or as small as you like, Dust with icing sugar.