Fruited Friands

Baked some mini French cakes -  Friands for our weekend afternoon tea.

According to information :
"The friand is a small French cake, often mistaken for a muffin.  Friands are little cakes typically oval in shape originally from France, made using ground almonds and melted butter. Having icing sugar and egg whites instead of whole eggs and very little flour, makes them light, while the ground almonds keep them chewy and moist. 
A friand is a French term for a little cake eaten with the fingers."

My previous 1st attempt in baking friands (Lemon Friands). Glad to be able to use muffin tin as I don't have the dainty pretty oval shaped friand tray.

Fruited Friands (Makes 12)
Recipe adapted from the cookbook Just 5 Ingredients Cakes & Desserts Published by Hamlyn.
My slight modifications made in blue below.
Ingredients :
175g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
75g dried strawberries, sour cherries or cranberries roughly chopped  (I used 50g cranberries)
2 tablespoons orange juice
6 egg whites
125g ground almonds

Storecupboard :
225g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling (I used 190g caster sugar. 
Optional to dust with some icing sugar or Snow Powder when serving)
75g plain flour, sifted

Method :
1) Grease a 12-hole muffin tin with butter or cooking spray.

2) Preheat the oven to 200°C. (*I adjusted to 180°C).  Position the rack in the centre.
*The temperature of the oven may vary, do adjust the temperature and timing to suit your oven.

3) In a small saucepan, combine the dried cranberries with orange juice. Heat until hot and pour into a bowl and leave to cool.

4) In a clean mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites till foamy using the electric mixer. Add the caster sugar, plain flour and ground almonds and stir in until almost combined using a manual whisk. Drizzle the melted butter over the mixture, then stir together gently until just combined.

5) Evenly fill the lightly greased muffin cups using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. Scatter the dried cranberries on top and bake for about 20 minutes until golden and just firm to touch.

6) Leave in the tin for about 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool.
When serving, dust a little icing sugar or Snow Powder.

Enjoy! Happy baking & have a great weekend !


Cookbook Countdown #1, recipe no.1

"I'm linking this post with Cookbook Countdown hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray".

Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Simply quick & easy some warm freshly baked muffins for our brekkie .... nothing special but these are my family's favourite ... banana muffins with some added oatmeal :)

Recipe source : Joy of Baking
Slightly modified version below as I've replaced the nuts with rolled oats and halved the recipe.

Banana Oatmeal Muffins
Ingredients:
35 grams instant rolled oats
100 grams all-purpose plain flour, sifted
45 grams caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg, lightly beaten
50 grams unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 ripe bananas, mashed well
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Position the rack in the center. Grease a 6 holes muffin pan, or line with paper liners.
(The temperature of the oven may vary, do adjust accordingly).

2) Dry ingredients : In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and instant rolled oats.

3) Wet ingredients : In a large measuring jug or bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla.

4) Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Fold in with a rubber spatula and stir only until the ingredients are combined and the batter is thick and chunky. Do not over mix the batter or tough muffins will result.

5) Pour batter into a prepared muffin tin or paper liners. Bake for 25 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin if it comes out clean.

6) Place on a wire rack to cool for five minutes and then remove muffins from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

We never get tired of banana muffins. With any combinations ... they always taste great. With the added rolled oats, definitely a healthier brekkie to kick start our day!

Love these slightly crispy crust with fluffy soft texture and full of banana sweet aroma ! Happy Baking ^-^!

Chamomile Apricot Overnight Oats

Well, there's really nothing to shout about as I've seen many bloggers made this easy yet healthy and nutritious overnight oats.

Cultivating healthy eating habits don't seem to be easy for me due to the lack of determination and disciplines to do that. (Ya excuses and excuses again...).  Anyway, MUST MUST MUST .... start with a healthy breakfast meal ! So here's the overnight oats ... with added chia seeds and infused with calming cold Chamomile tea !
Click here to know more about the benefits from eating chia seeds. Needless to say, I'll be trying out some recipes with chia seeds.

Recipe source and adapted from: Breakfast drama queen

Below my slight modifications as I've changed white peaches to apricots, and replaced some ingredients that I could find in the pantry/fridge.

Chamomile Apricot Overnight Oats
Serves 4
For the overnight oats
55g rolled oats
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
240g Low-fat yogurt
50g cold Chamomile tea (replace it with milk if you don't prefer tea)
2 small fresh apricot, stoned and diced

For the mix-ins just before serving:
1 tablespoon dessicated coconut
2 tablespoons crushed walnuts
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
1.5 tablespoons dried cranberries
Fresh apricots, few slices
2 tablespoons milk (if the oats are too thick, add more milk)
Honey

Method:
Make a cup of tea with 1 Chamomile teabag, set a side and obtain about 50g cold tea.

In a large bowl or clean container, put together the rolled oats, chia seeds, vanilla extract, yogurt and tea. Add the chopped apricots and use a spoon to stir and mix well all the ingredients.
Cover the container with lid and leave in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, stir in approximately half of the dessicated coconuts, sunflower seeds, walnuts and dried cranberries into the oats mixture. If the oats are too thick, add a little more milk to it.

Divide the overnight oats amongst 4 small bowls. Top with the remaining mix-ins, some fresh apricots and lastly about 2 teaspoons of honey.

Do feel free to add/use your preferred berries or fruits as toppings for the overnight oats.

Indeed, a small bowl of this nutty fruity overnight oats is so fulfilling and a great start for the day ! Hopefully, a great start for a healthier me in the new year too ^-^! Enjoy!

Honey Cranberry & Yogurt

This is a simple yet so festive looking dessert to serve during Christmas.
I have a soft spot whenever I see fresh cranberries as I like to make some cranberry sauce to serve along with some roasted meat, ham or baking (shared previously here ).

Tweaked the recipe a little by adding some honey and reduced the amount of sugar.

Honey Cranberry & Yogurt 

Ingredients
250g fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
100g Honey
About 100 - 120ml water
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier

Method
Wash clean the cranberries and combine all ingredients (except Grand Marnier) in a saucepan.
Cook over medium heat until the cranberries start to pop (about 10 minutes). Stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat, stir in Grand Marnier. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.
Cover and store in the refrigerator.
*Do adjust the sweetness and texture to your preference.

To assemble the dessert:
A tub of yogurt  (any flavor)
In individual serving cup, add one tablespoon of cranberry sauce and a tablespoon of yogurt layer.
Repeat steps and top with some berries and chopped nuts, seeds and raisins if you like when serving the desserts.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you & family!

♡☆♡~~~☆☆♡☆☆~~~♡☆♡

Linking this post to Cook and Celebrate Christmas 2015

Organized by Yen from GoodyFoodies, Diana from The Domestic Goddess Wannabe and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids.

Fig Salad with Walnuts and Mint

Fig is a soft pear-shaped fruit with sweet dark flesh and many small seeds, eaten fresh or dried. It's not very often that I spotted fresh figs in the supermarket as they are seasonal fruits but dried figs are available all year round. I often use dried figs to make soups or desserts.

According to info: The fig tree is a member of mulberry family. Although commonly referred to as a fruit, the fig fruit is actually the flower of the tree, known as inflorescence, in which the flowers and seeds grow together to form a single mass. The flower is not visible, as it blooms inside the fruit.

Chance upon this healthy refreshing fig salad that's so easy to prepare.

Recipe source & adapted from:
Cook & Be Merry

Fig Salad with Walnuts and Mint
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients :
12 ripe figs
30g raw walnut halves, very coarsely broken up.

For the dressing:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey

Garnish :
Some mint leaves, wash clean and slice thinly length-wise
Dash of ground black pepper & pinch of salt to taste

Method :
1. Wash clean the figs, cut into quarters and place on big serving dish. Scatter the walnuts over figs.

2. In a small bowl, mix well the olive oil, lemon juice and honey with a spoon.

3. Drizzle dressing over the figs. Dash of black pepper and pinch of salt over the top.

4. Sprinkle some sliced mint over figs and serve immediately.

Love this tangy sweet salad with a hint of minty flavour. Enjoy!

Milky Wreath Bread

Do you see 3 Christmas wreaths hanging on the glass door ? Hee ... hee !

In my younger days, I've ever DIY simple Christmas wreath ... afterall it's all about getting crafty like decorate the Christmas tree, colourful gift wrapping and to make a simple wreath with colourful ribbons and ball ornaments between artificial pine or spruce branches etc. After a while, felt that it's more 'economical' to just purchase the wreaths sold commercially as compared to the materials costs I've invested.

According to : Wikipedia Wreath
"A wreath is an assortment of flowers, leaves, fruits, twigs or various materials that is constructed to resemble a ring.
In English-speaking countries, wreaths are used typically as household ornaments, mainly as Christmas decoration ...."

Well .. here, I've baked an edible wreath ... lol. Actually bread formed in a ring resembles a wreath. Dust with some snow powder to make it looks like a Christmas wreath hanging on the window or door covered with snow ... wish that I could spend another snowy white Christmas again.

Recipe adapted from : Cookpad
Below my slight modification as added some dried cranberries.

Milk Wreath Bread
Ingredients
150g bread flour (I used 170g)
1 teaspoon instant dry yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons caster sugar
110 ml fresh milk
1/3 teaspoon salt
15g butter, softened

For the filling
2 tablespoons white chocolate chips
1 tablespoon dried cranberries (my addition)

1 to 2 tablespoons Confectioner's icing sugar or Snow powder sugar -  for dusting

Method
1) In a big bowl, combine half of the bread flour together with yeast, caster sugar, and milk. Mix with a spatula till sugar and bread flour dissolved.

2) Add the remaining bread flour, salt, and butter. Continue to mix well till a soft dough is formed.

3) Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead well until smooth. (I added extra 20g of bread flour as the dough is slightly wet and sticky).

4) Shape into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl. I greased the bowl with canola oil. Turning once to grease surface. Cover with cling wrap or cloth and let rise in a warm place until double (about 45 mins to 1 hour).

5) Punch dough down. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 6 equal portions (the weight of my dough is 50g each). Gently roll into smooth balls and cover with a piece of damp cloth and rest for 10 minutes.

6) Flatten the dough with palm on lightly floured surface. Sprinkle some white chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Roll it up and pinch the edges to seal.

7) Gently stretch out flatly by hands, and cut 5 notches with a dough cutter. Roll up from left to right, and pinch the ends of the dough together.

8) Place the dough with seam side down on a lightly greased mould with butter. (I used a chiffon tube pan) Cover with a damp cloth to proof for 20~30 minutes.

9) Preheat oven to 180°C. Position the rack in center of oven. Bake for about 15 ~18 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Check the bread after 10 minutes.
(Note: The temperature of the oven may vary, you have to adjust the temperature and timing to suit your oven)

Once the bread is cooled,  dust with some snow powder before serving.

《Although it's been said many times, many ways ... Merry Christmas to you !》

♡☆♡~~~☆☆♡☆☆~~~♡☆♡

Linking this post to Cook and Celebrate Christmas 2015

Organized by Yen from GoodyFoodies, Diana from The Domestic Goddess Wannabe and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids.

Apricot & Cranberry Flip Sweet Bread

I seldom bake freshly baked bread/bun at home .... hee... hee ... cos too time consuming for me as I don't own a bread making machine. I've bookmarked some bread/bun recipes but I just didn't have the time to try baking all. Glad that my big kids loved some of my 1st attempt like Christmas-star-shaped Breads, Honey Bread, Chicken Floss Buns and Ham & Cheese Buns :)

I remember the dough for making Honey Bread was very easy to handle and so I decided to try another recipe from Seasons and Suppers.

I anticipated that I will have trouble "transporting" the long twisted dough onto the baking sheet.  So I moved the dough onto the baking sheet with greased parchment paper before I made the cut and twist.

Recipe source and adapted from Seasons & Suppers

Below my slight modifications made as I've halved the recipe, added some dried cranberries and adjusted the amount for some ingredients

Apricot & Cranberry Flip Sweet Bread
Yield: 1 loaf (about 16 slices)
Ingredients
For bread dough
1.5 teaspoons active dry or instant yeast
60g warm water
45g caster sugar
50g butter, softened,
60g warm milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
350g all-purpose flour

For filling
2 tablespoons butter, softened
60g apricot jam
25g dried cranberries - soak in warm water and pat dry (my addition)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon mix with 20g sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

Sliced almonds, for top (optional)

Method :
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water.
In a stand mixer with kneading hook attachment. Combine these ingredients in the mixing bowl : caster sugar, butter, warm milk, salt, egg, yeast mixture and 200g of the flour. Beat the mixture with kneading hook until smooth. Stir in gradually the remaining flour to form a dough.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. At the stage, the dough is pretty easy to handle and no longer feel the stickiness.

Shape into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl. I greased the bowl with canola oil. Turning once to grease surface. Cover with cling wrap or cloth and let rise in a warm place until double (about 1 to 1-1/2 hours).

1st proofing doubled in size after 1hr 30 minutes.

Punch dough down. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into approximate 20-inch x 11-inch rectangle.
Meanwhile, prepare baking sheet with greased parchment paper.

Spread 2 tablespoons of butter and apricot jam to within 1/2 inch of edges.

Scatter some dried cranberries and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over apricot jam.

With the longer side, carefully roll up like swiss roll. Pinch seam to seal. Place seam side down. Transfer the dough onto the baking sheet with greased parchment paper.

With a sharp knife, cut the roll in half lengthwise. Pinch one end together and twist the two strands together 3 or 4 times, keeping the cut edge facing upwards as much as possible. Pinch together the other end to seal. Cover with cloth for 2nd proofing, about 30 minutes. If using almonds, scatter a few on top before baking.

Not good in making the twist ...

Bake in a pre-heated 170°C oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Switch baking sheet halfway through baking time to ensure even baking. I tent with aluminium foil at the last 5 minutes into baking. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Lemon icing glaze (optional) :
200g icing (powdered) sugar
1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
Combine and stir until smooth with a spoon. Adjust the consistency to your preference by adding more lemon juice or icing sugar. Once the loaf is cooled, drizzle or spread the icing glaze.

My addition of some dried cranberries hope to give a Christmasy touch. We loved the soft bread texture, sandwiched between the sweet apricot jam and cranberry bits, filled with a hint of woody cinnamon fragrance. Yum!

Coffee break !

Enjoying some without the
icing glaze. Taste as good!

Enjoy !

This post is linked to Cook and Celebrate Christmas 2015

Organized by Yen from GoodyFoodies, Diana from The Domestic Goddess Wannabe and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids.