blueberry & banana pancakes

A delicious breakfast treat. We all love pancakes but what a great way to start the day with such a scrumptious delight! This recipe makes 6-8 pancakes.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
• 2 cups soy milk
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• Chopped banana
• Chocolate drops (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat a lightly buttered pan over medium heat. 
2. In a large bowl, mix whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a small bowl, mix oats and soy milk.
4. Whisk in eggs, oil, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture all at once, and mix until smooth.
5. Gently fold blueberries & chopped banana into the batter. Add a few chocolate drops as an extra treat. 
6. Using a 1/4 cup scoop, pour batter onto the prepared Pan. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, or until bubbly. Flip, and continue cooking until lightly browned.

Blueberry Oatmeal Squares

What you need:

• 1½ cups quick oats
• ½ cup whole-wheat flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1 egg
• 1 cup skim milk
• 3 tablespoons apple sauce
• ¼ cup brown sugar

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Coat baking pan with cooking spray.
3. Place all of the ingredients into a large bowl and mix until just combined.
4. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
5. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and cut into square

Martha Stewarts Homemade Hot Chocolate

A scrumptious homemade delight to warm your cockles on these cold days

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 1/4 cups cocoa
• 1 tablespoon table salt
• Whole milk for serving

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine sugar, cocoa, and salt, and whisk to combine well. Store the mixture in an airtight container.
2. For individual servings, pour 1 cup whole milk into a microwave-safe mug, and microwave on high just until hot. Add 2 tablespoons of cocoa mix, and stir to dissolve. For a larger batch of cocoa, warm the milk in a saucepan set over medium-low heat, taking care not to let the milk boil; as it warms, stir in 2 tablespoons of mix for each cup of milk.

Frog Cupcakes

you will need

1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix

1 (16 ounce) can prepared vanilla frosting

6 drops green food colouring, or as needed

1/4 cup green decorator sugar

12 large marshmallows

48 semisweet chocolate chips

1 drop red food colouring

method

Bake cupcakes according to the directions on the package.
Allow them to cool completely.Scoop 2/3 of the frosting into a small bowl and mix with green food coloring. Frost the cupcakes. Sprinkle some of the green sugar over the tops.
Cut the marshmallows in half to make two circles. Dip half of each marshmallow piece into water and dip into the green sugar to make the eyelids. The remaining white will be the eyes. Place on the cupcakes. Use a little bit of white icing to glue a chocolate chip into the center of each eye for the pupil.
Mix the remaining frosting with red food coloring to make pink. Use the pink icing to draw smiling mouths and nostrils or even tongues on the frogs.

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Lemon-Cream Cheese Cupcakes

you will need:-

1 (18.25 ounce) package (2-layer size) white cake mix

1 (3.4 ounce) package Jell-O Lemon Instant Pudding

1 cup water

4 egg whites

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 (250 g) package Philadelphia Brick Cream Cheese,

softened 1/4 cup butter,

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 3/4 cups icing sugar

method;-

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F

2, Beat first 5 ingredients in large bowl with mixer on low speed 1 min. or until dry ingredients are moistened. (Batter will be thick.) Beat on medium speed 2 min. Spoon into 24 paper-lined muffin cups.
3. Bake 21 to 24 min. or until toothpick inserted in centres comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min.; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.
4. Beat cream cheese, butter and lemon juice in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Gradually add sugar, beating well after each addition. Spread onto cupcakes

Mia's mincemeat Swirls

Another recipe from the Kids Cooking Company you can find it on thier website alongside some other delicious recipes or in thier Children’s Recipe Book entitled ‘Truly Scrumptious’! (trust me its a great buy packed with yummy ideas)

I am going to try this recipe out Christmas morning a great alternative to cinnammon swirls or croissants...

Makes 20-25
Prep 5 min

Cooks 6-10 mins 

Ingredients

1/2 Packet puff pastry

1 Jar Mincemeat

1 Beaten egg

Icing Sugar for decoration 

Equipment

Rolling pin

Pastry brush

Sharp knife

Baking tray

Baking parchment

Fork or whisk

Method

1.Preheat the oven to gas mark 6 / 200c. Roll out the puff pastry into a rectangle shape. Spread a thin layer of mincemeat over the puff pastry and bring the two sides in (left & right) to meet in the middle.

2.Roll out again, try to keep to a rectangle shape. Spread more mincement over the middle of the puff pastry

3. Fold the 2 sides to meet in the middle, brush some egg down the side to help it stick and cut into 1/4 inch wide strips. Brush the rest of the egg over to give a golden glaze!

4. Put on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and cook for 6/10 min. When they are cool you could sprinkle with some icing sugar to look like snow! 

White Chocolate & Cranberry Blondies

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1-1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 6 ounces white baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
• FROSTING:
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated orange peel, optional
• 6 ounces white baking chocolate, melted
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped

Directions

• In a microwave, melt butter; stir in brown sugar. Transfer to a large bowl; cool to room temperature. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; gradually add to butter mixture. Stir in cranberries and chopped chocolate (batter will be thick).
• Spread into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Bake at 350° for 18-21 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (do not overbake). Cool on a wire rack.
• For frosting, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and orange peel if desired until blended. Gradually add half of the melted white chocolate; beat until blended. Frost brownies. Sprinkle with cranberries. Drizzle with remaining melted white chocolate. Cut into bars. Store in the refrigerator.

recipe sourced from Tasteofhome.com


A very similar recipe that I made last night (to use up my left over cranberries).......
White Chocolate & Cranberry Brownies

Ingredients:-

• 6 ounces white chocolate (about 1 cup of chips)
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Method:-

1/ Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Line a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.

2/Combine the white chocolate chips and butter in a large bowl placed in a saucepan of boiling water.Stir the butter and white chocolate until have both melted.

3/Add in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla, and whisk vigorously to combine the ingredients until the mixture is smooth. Add the flour and use a spatula to fold it into the mixture. Then add your cranberrys & a few more chocolate drops (I sometimes add in a few walnut pieces too)

4/ Transfer to the prepared baking pan and bake for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center has only wet crumbs on it. This gives a crunchy outside & a doughy inside (yummy)

5/Let the brownies cool on a wire rack before removing them from the pan and cutting them into squares.

Candy Cane Cookies

 
Ingredients
100g/4oz plain flour

1/2 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

2oz/50g butter (room temperature)

2oz/50g caster sugar

Red and white icing packs

 

Equipment

Sieve

Bowl

Spoon

Saucepan

Rolling Pin

Baking Tray + Cooling Rack

Oven pre-heated to gas mark 5 / 375f / 190c

 

Method
1. First wash your hands.
2. Sieve flour and bicarbonate of soda into bowl. Rub in the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs and make a well in the centre.
3. Put the sugar and syrup into a saucepan and heat gently. Once it becomes runny, pour on top of the flour mixture. Be careful as the syrup and sugar mixture will be very hot.
4. Mix this around to form a dough. Put the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. Once cooled, sprinkle flour on the worktop and roll out the dough mixture. Now use your candy cane cutter to make your biscuits.
5. Place on a grease proofed baking tray and ask an adult to pop them in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
6. Transfer them to a cooling rack. Once cool, you can use the icing packs to decorate your very own candy cane biscuits.

                  Recipe sourced at www.thekidscookingcompany.co.uk