Choc, Banana Nut Muffins

This is a great recipe to use up your old bananas. They make a great afternoon treat or breakfast on the run.

Ingredients
2 cups self raising flour
3 Ripe Bananas
2 Eggs
60g melted butter
1 tsp Vanilla essence
1/2 caster sugar
1/2 milk
1/2 choc chips
1/2 chopped walnuts

Method
1. Pre heat oven to 180 degrees C. 2. Grease muffin tray. 3. Sift flour into bowl and stir sugar through flour. 4. In a separate bowl whisk together milk, vanilla essence, eggs and butter. 5. Add to flour mixture and fold together until just combined. 6. Using a fork mash bananas and add to mixture along with the chopped walnuts and choc chips, folding through to combine. 7. Spoon mixture into muffin pan and place in oven. Cook for 25 minutes or until light brown and bounce back with touched. Best served warm.

Pecan Pie

This is a great twist on the American classic, Pecan Pie. I found it hard to find an Australian version of pecan pie as all the American recipes use Karo Syrup which is not readily available in our supermarkets so i was happy when i came across this recipe which uses honey as a substitute which gives it a beautiful flavour.

Roasted Muesli

I have always wanted to make my own muesli so when i came across this recipe in the latest addition of delicious magazine i couldn't wait to try it out. This is a really yummy recipe and can easily be changed to suit your own taste. I am looking forward to trying different combination with cranberries, macadamia nuts, dried apples and pecans.

Recipe
Ingredients
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup sunflower oil
40g unsalted butter
1/4 cup each maple syrup and honey
1 tsp ground cinnamon
500g rolled oats
1/2 cup each pepitas and sunflower seeds
1 cup almonds
1/2 raisins
1/2 dried sliced apricots

Method
Pre heat oven to 130 degrees C. stir coconut, oil, butter, syrup, honey and cinnamon in a small saucepan over low heat for 2-3 minutes until combined.
scatter oats,seeds and nuts on a baking tray and pour over syrup, stirring to coat. Roast for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Add fruit and cook for a further 30 minutes or until crisp. Remove and cool. Store in an airtight container for up to one month.

Choc Chip Pumpkin Muffins

These muffins are deliciously good served warm with melting choc chips throughout. The pumpkin puree is a great addition in baked goods giving a beautiful dense, moist combination. Served warm these muffins are a perfect winter treat.

Choc Chip Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
2 eggs
2 cups self raising flour
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup of choc chips

Ingredients
Pre heat oven to 180 degrees C and grease a 12 hole muffin tray. In the bowl of your electric mixer cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.Add pumpkin puree to the mixture stirring with a wooden spoon until just combined. Sift the flour, add to the mixture. Add the choc chips and divide the mixture evenly between the muffin tray. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the muffin spring back when touched. Cool on a baking tray or eat hot straight out of the oven.

Recipe makes 12 small muffins.

Strawberry Cheesecake Muffins

I love a good muffin and this recipe for Strawberry Cheesecake muffins defiantly ticks all the boxes, lots of fresh strawberries, perfect flavour combination and looks and tastes really yummy. I cut back on the sugar only adding 1 cup and used 2 punnets of strawberries. These muffins are great as is or served warm with cream for dessert.

Lemon Curd Tarts with Flaky Poppyseed Pastry

Taste.com.au is one of my favourite recipe sites and on my days off i scroll through the dessert sections and save recipes which i want to come back to and try.
Well today was that day for these lemon curd tarts with flaky poppyseed pastry with a beautiful tree in the backyard full of lemons and the afternoon off it was the perfect opportunity. The pastry is what caught my eye with this recipe as i am a huge pastry fan and have never seen poppyseed used before.
The recipe was very simple and i was left with amazing results. The curd was perfectly thick and tart with the pastry buttery and flaky. This would be the perfect party sweet as each element can be made in advance, its easy to prepare and look delicious.

Our beautiful big lemon tree

Breakfast Muffins

My favourite thing to eat for breakfast is porridge with cranberries and a sprinkle of brown sugar but when i am running out the door at 6:30 in the morning there just never seems to be enough time to make it. So after leaving this morning with no time for porridge again i decided to invent an on the go breakfast muffin which incorporates my favourite breakfast. Just 30 seconds in the microwave and i am running out the door with a warm muffin for breakfast...perfect.

My breakfast Muffin Recipe

1 1/3 cup self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup quick rolled oats
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup bown sugar
1/3 cup sunflower oil
1 cup milk
1 beaten egg
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method:
Pre heat oven to 200 degreese C. Combine flour, baking soda, cranberries, walnuts, sugar and oats in a mixing bowl. Add oil, beaten egg, vanilla and milk and stir until just combined. Evenly divide mixture between a 6 hole greased muffin tray and place in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden Brown and strings back when touched.
Recipe makes 6. Best served warm.