low Fat Banana bread

Ingredients

150g (5 oz) caster sugar

50g (2 oz) butter, softened

2 eggs

4 tablespoons water

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

200g (7 oz) plain flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder Preparation method 1. Preheat oven to 180 C / Gas mark 4. Line a loaf tin with baking parchment. 2. In a medium bowl, beat the sugar and butter until smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs, water and bananas with the sugar mixture until well blended. 3. Mix in the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and baking powder just until the mixture is moistened. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to blend all ingredients. 4. Bake for about 60 minutes. Bread is done when the top is firm to the touch and a golden brown colour. Time will vary according to loaf size and oven type. When bread is removed from oven, allow it to cool on it's side for 10 minutes, then remove from tin and let cool on a wire rack.

Truffles

Ingredients

20-25 digestive biscuits

100g butter

2 tablespoons drinking chocolate powder, plus more for coating

1 tin condensed sweetened milk 1. Put digestive biscuits in a mixing bowl and crush with a rolling pin until fine, tiny crumbs. 2. Add 2 tablespoons drinking chocolate powder and mix. After this put butter into a saucepan and melt on stove or cooker. Once completely melted add to mixture and mix. 3. Open tin of condensed milk and pour into mixture gradually while mixing. 4. Put some drinking chocolate into a small bowl. Dampen your hands. Take a bit of mixture and roll into a ball. Roll in drinking chocolate and put into a box. Continue process until all mixture is used. Put box in fridge for 20-25 minutes to harden.

Flapjacks

225g (8oz) margerine
225g (8oz) demerara sugar
75g (3oz) golden syrup
275g (10oz) rolled oats.
method
grease 2, 8 inch tins (20cm)
put margerine, sugar and golden syrup into a medium saucepan and heat gently untill the margerine is melted and the sugar is dissolved.
remove from the heat and stir in the oats.
press firmly into the greased tins. press down with a sppon to level the surface.
cook for 30 mins at 160 degrees/325 F/ gas mark 3.
cook untill just golden brown, do not over bake or they will be hard.
when cooked, loosen the edge of the flap jack around the tin and leave to cool for 10 mins. then cut and cool on wire racks.
have fun baking.

Chewy Cookies

• 100g/4oz softened butter/margarine
• 100g/4oz soft brown sugar
• 1 tbsp golden syrup or honey
• 150g/6oz self raising flour
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
• 50g/2oz chocolate chips or Smarties

Preheat the oven to 170°C/160°C fan/Gas 3.

Beat the butter, sugar and syrup together until soft and creamy.
Mix in the flour, vanilla extract and add the chocolate chips.
Divide the mixture into about 15 pieces and roll into balls using your hands.
Place well apart on greased baking sheets. Do not flatten them.

Bake for about 10 mins until a pale golden colour (don't cook any longer or they'll go crispy!)

Leave to cool on the tray for a few minutes and then remove from the tray and finish cooling on a wire rack.

Christmas Cake

Ingredients
12oz Plain flour
1 Teaspoon mixed spice
4oz Ground almonds
8oz Currants
8oz Sultanas
8oz Raisins (stoned)
4oz Cherries (halved)
8oz Butter
8oz Soft brown sugar
6 Eggs, beaten with 8 tablespoons of milk
1 Tablespoon black treacle

Method
(1) Mix flour, spice and ground almonds together.

(2) Clean and mix fruit.

(3) Beat butter and sugar to a cream.

(4) Beat the eggs and milk together.

(5) Mix all these ingredients together.

(6) Add the fruit last. Bake for about 4 hrs.

First hour in a moderate oven 180°C (Gasmark 4), then slow oven at 150°C (Gasmark 2).

Christmas Cake Recipes

Boiled Fruit Cake by Jules' Mum
Ingredients and Instructions:
3 cups fruit
1 tsp Bicarb
4 ounces of butter
1 cup sugar
1 ½ cups water
Place all these ingredients into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Allow to simmer for 25 minutes Stirring to prevent burning.

ALLOW TO COOL and ADD:
2 cups flour
1 large egg
1 heaped tsp baking powder
Mix thoroughly. Place in a greased deep pan cake tin and bake at 170 C for 1 ½ hours



SpideyClaire's Recipe
1lb plain flour
2tsp baking powder
2tsp mixed spice
12 oz chopped glace cherries
2lb 6 oz dried fruits (apricots, plums, raisins, cranberries, sultanas and so on)
1lb dark sugar
7 eggs
5oz chopped nuts
1lb butter at room temperature, cubed
1 large glass brandy or sherry
pinch of salt

Soak the fruit in the alcohol and leave overnight stirring occasionally.

When ready to begin grease and line two round tins. Preheat the oven to 170 deg C.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix.
Sieve the flour, salt, spice and baking powder together. Add gently to the mixture.
Add the fruit, nuts and alcohol dregs and stir with a wooden spoon until a thick consistency.
Spoon into the tins.
Bake for 30 minutes at 170 deg C. Reduce the heat to 140 deg C and bake for 4 hrs 15mins- 4hrs 45 mins until a skewer comes out clean.
Cover during cooking if the top starts to brown.

Allow to cool for an hour in the tins before turning out. Wrap in greaseproof paper and clingfilm and feed with alcohol once a week.

Banana Bread

Ingredients

225g/8oz self-raising flour
100g/4oz butter
150g/5oz caster sugar
450g/1lb bananas (the softer the better), peeled and mashed
½ tsp salt
2 eggs
175g/6oz mixed dried fruit

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. Mix all the of the ingredients except the dried fruit together. You can do this in a food processor or by hand in a mixing bowl.
3. When the ingredients are all thoroughly combined, fold in the dried fruit.
4. Spoon the batter mixture into a 1kg/2lb non-stick loaf tin, spread it out evenly and bake it for one and a half hours. (NB. Oven temperatures vary so the banana bread may not need the full one and a half hours to cook through. Check the progress of the banana bread regularly to make sure it is not burning. If the top of the loaf is browning too quickly, but a skewer inserted into the centre does not come out clean, cover the loaf with aluminium foil and continue cooking until a skewer pushed into the centre of the loaf comes out clean.)
5. When the banana bread has risen, golden-brown on top and cooked through, remove it from the oven and set aside to cool on a wire rack. Slice before serving.

Turkey Meatloaf

• 500g free range turkey mince -
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped -
• 1 onion, finely chopped -
• 1 apple, peeled, cored, and grated -
• 1 free range egg, beaten -
• 50g oatmeal -
• 1 low salt vegetable stock cube, finely crumbled -
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce -
• 1tbsp vegetable oil -
• 500g baby new potatoes -
• 25g butter -
• 1tbsp garlic puree -
• 200g frozen sweetcorn -

Fry the pepper and half the onion in a little oil until softened. In a mixing bowl, combine pepper, onion, and uncooked onion with the rest of the meatloaf ingredients, plus a dash of pepper.

Lightly oil a 2lb loaf tin and press the meatloaf mixture into the tin, smoothing out the top. Cook in a preheated oven at 190 C/Gas 5 for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Boil the new potatoes until tender; whilst hot add the butter and garlic puree. Season with pepper to taste.

Prepare frozen corn according to pack instructions, serve with hot garlic potatoes and meatloaf.

My Mum's Chicken

Marinate chicken in chopped onion green chilli, lemon grass and cardamom for 10 mins to half an hour.
Put in frying pan all metal if putting in oven.
Add anything you have lying about in the vegetable line and put in mushroom sauce.
You can use a tinned one or packet or make your own with cream fraiche put in tin of mushrooms at the end and put in oven for half an hour.
Tinned mushrooms are better cos fres ones shrivel up during cooking.
Serve with rice and mixed veg.

Crumble Topped Pineapple Muffins

PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 30 Min
READY IN 45 Min
Original recipe yield 16 muffins




* 250 g all-purpose flour
* 100 g white sugar
* 10 g baking powder
* 3 g salt
* 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple
* 1 egg, beaten
* 180 ml milk
* 55 g butter, melted
*
* 55 g butter, melted
* 0.6 g ground cinnamon
* 75 g packed brown sugar
* 60 g all-purpose flour




DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour muffin pans, or line with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, stir together 2 cups flour, white sugar, baking powder and salt. Drain pineapple, reserving 1/4 cup juice. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the reserved juice, egg, milk, and 1/4 cup melted butter. Mix just until blended.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together the cinnamon, brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, and 1/4 cup melted butter to make the topping.
4. Spoon batter into muffin cups, then spoon crushed pineapple over the batter and sprinkle with the cinnamon topping.
5. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the crown of the muffin comes out clean.

Wholemeal Scones 2

Ingredients

Serves: 7-8

100 Gram Wholemeal flour (3 1/2 oz)
100 Gram Plain flour (3 1/2 oz)
1 Tablespoon Baking powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
40 Gram Butter (1 1/2 oz)
150 ml Milk, plus extra for brushing (1/4 pint)

Method

Sift flours, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Rub butter into flour until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add milk all at once. Mix to a soft, but not sticky, dough with a knife. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead quickly until smooth. Roll out to about 1 cm (1/2 inch) thick. Cut into 7 or 8 rounds with a 6.5 cm (2 1/2 inch) biscuit cutter.

Transfer to a greased baking sheet. Brush tops with milk. Bake at 230 °C / 450 °F / Gas 8 for 7-10 minutes or until well risen and golden. Cool on a wire cooling rack. Serve with butter.

Wholemeal Scones

Ingredients: Makes 12

175 g/6 oz wholemeal (wholewheat) flour 50 g/2 oz plain (all-purpose) flour 15 ml/1 tbsp baking powder A pinch of salt 50 g/2 oz butter or margarine 50 g/2 oz caster (superfine) sugar 150 ml milk

Method: Mix together the flours, baking powder and salt. Rub in the butter or margarine until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar. Gradually mix in the milk to make a soft dough. Knead lightly, then roll out to about 1 cm/0.5 in thick and cut into 5 cm/2 in rounds with a biscuit (cookie) cutter. Place the scones (biscuits) on a greased baking (cookie) sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 230°C/450°F/gas mark 8 for about 15 minutes until risen and golden brown. Serve warm.

Chicken and Pesto Pasties

Saw this recipe in Sainsburys. It's one of those Jamie Oliver ones that you can pick up in store:

Ingredients:
Left over roast chicken (or I just roasted 2 chicken breasts)
1 roll puff pastry
Tomatoes
Pesto

Roll out pastry and cut into 2/4 rectangles (depending on how many you making)
Spread a teaspoon of pesto onto each pastry rectangle
Put chicken on one side and top with some tomato slices
Fold over and crimp corners to seal
Brush with egg or milk
Bake in oven for 20 mins (chicken is pre-cooked so doesn't need much cooking)

I served this with Jamie's creamy baked leeks but you could serve with new potatoes and broccoli.

Rah's Brownies

Ingredients-

80g butter,40g cocoa powder,150g caster sugar, 2 eggs, 60g flour, half a teaspoon of baking powder, 1packet white choc buttons, 1 packet milk choc buttons

Method -

Grease yourself a brownie pan - or a medium roasting tin if like me you don't have one lol, and stick the oven on gas 4/180 degrees.

Now, get a biggish saucepan and melt the butter. Take it off the heat and stir in the sugar and cocoa. Then beat in the 2 eggs, and fold in the flour and the baking powder, stir in all the choc buttons. You should have quite a thick, damp mixture.

Spread this in your pan and throw in the oven for 25-30 mins. When done a knife will come out clean, then cut into 12-14 sqaures.

Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients

150g butter
300g caster sugar
50g cocoa powder
3 medium size eggs, beaten
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
75g self-raising flour

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, 350°F, gas mark 4 & line a 20 x 20 cm tin with baking parchment.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Remove from the heat & add the sugar & cocoa powder. Mix well. Gradually beat in the eggs & then add the vanilla essence. Gently stir in the flour & pecans.
3. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, level the surface & bake for 40-50 minutes.
4. Leave in the tin to cool, & then cut in bars.

Breakfast Muffins

INGREDIENTS

200g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
40g soft brown sugar
50g raisins or chocolate chips
1 medium size egg
250ml milk
2 tablespoons sunflower oil

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C, 375°F, gas mark 5.
2. Sieve the flour and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl. Mix in the brown sugar and raisins, or chocolate chips.
3. Break the egg into a jug and beat with a fork, then add the milk and oil. Beat again until well mixed.
4. When you are ready to bake, put 12 large paper baking cases into a 12 hole bun tin, ideally with deep, straight sides.
5. Quickly stir the two mixtures together but be careful not to overbeat. It doesn't matter if you can still see some flour.
6. Spoon into the paper cases and bake for 15 minutes until well risen and golden brown.

Chocolate Orange Muffins

• 280g plain flour
• 140g caster sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 240ml milk
• 2 eggs
• 65g/4 tbsp melted butter or vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence/extract
• 50-100g chocolate orange (broken into chunks)

Whisk all 'wet' ingredients together and then mix into dry ingredients.
Just mix until all the flour has gone, don't make it too smooth or overwork......then stir in chocolate.
Divide into 6 large or 12 medium muffin case and bake at 200 C/Gas 6 for about 20-25mins.

Raspberry Muffins

Makes: 12
Takes: 35 mins

250g (9oz) plain flour
1tbsp baking powder
100g (4oz) golden caster sugar
75g (3oz) butter, chilled
1 large egg
175ml (6fl oz) milk
150g (5oz) fresh raspberries
Extra sugar for sprinkling (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6. Line a 12-hole muffin tray with paper muffin cases.
2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl and stir in the sugar. Coarsely grate the chilled butter into the bowl and stir with a fork to coat in the flour mixture.
3. Beat together the egg and milk then pour into the bowl. Mix lightly with a fork until just combined. Take care not to over-beat the mixture - it should still be a little lumpy. Gently fold in the raspberries.
4. Spoon into the muffin cases. Bake for 20-25 mins until the muffins are risen and golden. Sprinkle lightly with a little extra sugar while still warm, if liked.

Top tip: Although best eaten fresh, these muffins will keep for a couple of days in an airtight container. They can also be frozen for up to 2 months. For convenience, wrap individually in small freezer bags and allow 2-3 hrs to defrost at room temperature.

Top tip: Add other fruit to this basic recipe - blueberries, chopped dried apricots, mashed ripe bananas or diced apples.
For a chocolate version replace the raspberries with chocolate chips.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients

• Dr. Oetker Muffin Cases
• 275g (10oz) plain flour
• 4 level tsp Dr. Oetker Baking Powder
• 75g (3oz) caster sugar
• 2 medium size eggs
• 225ml (8floz) milk
• 110g (4oz) butter, melted
• 1 tsp Dr. Oetker Natural Vanilla Extract
• 150g Dr. Oetker Plain Chocolate Chips

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas Mark 6 and place 12 Muffin Cases in a muffin / deep cupcake tin.
2. Sieve the flour and Baking Powder together in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, eggs, milk, butter and Natural Vanilla Extract.
4. Fold flour and Baking Powder into the egg mixture, add the Plain Chocolate Chips and mix gently to a lumpy batter.
5. Divide mixture between the muffin cases and bake at the top of the oven for 25-30 minutes until well risen and golden brown.
6. Remove muffins from tin and cool on a wire rack.

Makes: 9 large muffins

Banana Muffins

ingredients

• 200g (7 oz) plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large bananas, mashed
• 150g (5 oz) caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 75g (2 1/2 oz) butter, melted

preparation method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C /gas mark 4. Place 12 paper baking cases in muffin tin.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt; set aside.
3. Combine mashed bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter in a large bowl. Fold in flour mixture, and mix until smooth.
4. Spoon evenly into baking cases in muffin tin.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until muffins spring back when lightly tapped.