Choc Chips

Dear Whittaker's, I love you to bits, if only I didn't have to smash you to make chocolate chips!  New product idea? x

Dessert Tea

Check out these guilt-free desserts. Drink up darlings! x

Lovely Limes

New Zealand Winter smells like citrus! I simply swoon over zesty limes. x

Tarte Tatin

Tarte Tatin Challenge accepted!  And that was the easiest thing.  Finding a recipe proved much tricker.  I wanted dairy free, and non puff pastry version.  It seems like most recipes just opted for the easy way out, using a sheet of ready made pastry.  So here is what I came up with.  Didn't turn out too bad either, if I may say so myself!  Will I make it again?  Probably not, as it did use a lot of fat and sugar.  Can't quite convince myself that tarte tatin is 'healthy' despite the apple. x

Tarte Tatin (Serves 4)

Dough:

1 1/4 cups plain flour

1/2 cup coconut oil

pinch of salt

3 tablespoons cold water

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Combine flour, salt and coconut oil, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Knead in water and cider vinegar.  Turn dough out onto a piece of baking paper, and pat into a round shape (measure against stainless steel pan for correct size).  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, until ready to use.

Apples:

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1/2 cup raw sugar

2 large Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored & cut into 1/4s)

Preheat oven to 220C.  Put coconut oil into oven-proof pan, sprinkle sugar evenly over the top.  Arrange apples on top.  Place pan over medium-high heat and cook until oil melts, and sugar dissolves and starts to caramelize.  Continue to cook until apples soften (10-12 minutes).  Remove from heat.  

Take out chilled topping and place on top of apples.  Tuck in around apples (careful not to burn yourself!).

Bake in preheated oven until crust is golden brown, for about 20 minutes.  Take out of oven, run knife around sides of pan.  Place a plate over the top and carefully invert to release tarte from the pan.  Voilà!

Joyeux Quatorze Juillet!

Joyeux Quatorze Juillet! I feel inspired to bake something tasty to celebrate the day! But with only one dubious egg left in the house, I am somewhat limited. Tarte Tatin springs into mind, but... too lazy to peel the apples. Maybe later! x

Tag! You're it!

New in The Chook's Nook: Pretty Tags by Jo, because everything looks better with a pretty tag - a beautiful bargain @ $2 for 8 - assorted colours available! x

Sweet Vegetables

Using vegetables in baking sweet treats fascinates and intrigues me.  For the first time ever, I have successfully made a batch of carrot, cranberry and walnut muffins tonight.  While they contain plenty of white flour, oil and sugar (nevermind that I used raw), I could almost fool myself into believing that these muffins are just that little bit "healthier" than your standard cupcake.  All thanks to the addition of a humble carrot.  Maybe next time I will introduce some wholemeal goodness to the mix!

Next on the list is beetroot chocolate cake, pumpkin pie, zucchini lemon loaf, and who knows what other potential star ingredients the vegetable section of the supermarket is hiding!  But first the recipe for these yummy Carrot Craisin Walnut Muffins, which taste a bit like Christmas.

Carrot Craisin Walnut Muffins (makes 12)

1 1/2 cups plain flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup craisins
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
2 free-range eggs
200g grated carrots (I ended up using 2-3 medium sized carrots)

Preheat the oven to 180C.  Prepare muffin tray with cupcake cases.  Sieve dry ingredients into a large bowl.  Add walnuts and craisins.  Introduce oil, beaten eggs and grated carrot into the dry mixture and fold everything together, taking care not to overmix.  If you find the dough is too dry, add some rice milk.  

Fill muffin cases evenly.  Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the muffins spring back when gently pressed.  

Once muffins have cooled a little, feel free to ice them.  I used a simple mixture of lemon juice and icing sugar to drizzle over the top... mmm!