Oatmeal, cranberry and chocolate cookies

I was also lucky enough to be sent a sample of the new Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference dark chocolate (which is superb!), so I figured the cookies should include some chocolate goodness. But I also wanted some oats in there, and I envisaged some tart cranberries in there also. So I just started with a basic recipe for oatmeal cookies and added in the chocolate and cranberries.

These turned out great – thick and delicious. They were nice and crispy on the outside and a tad soft on the inside, mmmmmm. The chocolate bits had melted so if you bite in when they are still warm they are even better. The cranberries add that tartness I was looking for, and the oats keep them tasting wholesome. YUM!

Ingredients:

• 120g unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups of rolled oats
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 80g dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180C and line a baking tray with baking paper
2. Cream the butter together with the sugars, egg and vanilla until nice and smooth
3. Mix the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together, then add to the butter mixture and combine
4. Stir in the oats, cranberries and chocolate bits until well combined
5. Place spoonfuls of the dough onto the baking tray with a little space between each of them
6. Bake for 12 minutes (or until the cookies are golden on the edges) They will be a little soft on the top, but will harden further when you let them cool
7. Let the cookies rest for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool
8. Try and resist eating all of them (but you better try one to make sure they are ok)

Fresh cookies straight from the oven!

Related posts:

1. ANZAC Cookies – Happy Australia Day!
2. Chocolate and Caramel slice
3. Oatmeal ricotta hotcakes

Don’t you just love the serving plate? I snapped it up for $1 when I was back in Australia over Christmas…classic!

I scoured the internet for awhile trying to find a suitable recipe and ended up going with one from the Aussie Slang website. Here it is…

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 cup rolled oats, uncooked
• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 115 g butter
• 2 tbsp golden syrup (or honey)
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tbsp boiling water

Method:

1. Combine the flour (sifted), oats, coconut and sugar in a bowl.
2. Melt the butter and Golden Syrup (or honey) in a saucepan over a low heat.
3. Mix the bicarbonate of soda with the water and add to the butter and Golden Syrup. (It will foam up – this is normal.)
4. Pour the liquids into the dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Spoon dollops of mixture, about the size of a walnut shell, onto a greased tin leaving as much space again between dollops to allow for spreading.
6. Bake in a moderate oven, 180C / 350F, for 15 minutes.
7. Cool on a wire rack and seal in airtight containers

Related posts:

1. Chocolate and Caramel slice
2. Healthy Raspberry Muffins
3. Berries with Soy cream

Harry has written this cookbook as she loves cake! “I want to eat cake without guilt, disappointment, dissatisfaction or regret”. The main idea is that you can bake most sweet things by replacing the butter, and to some extent the sugar, with veggies. The natural sugars and other stuff in the veggies will do the same job, but will be much better for you. “By combining ground almonds (which are high in natural fat and provide a backdrop for excellent crumb) and finely grated vegetables (for fluff and moisture) instead of butter, you address the texture issue of cake head on, and improve it.”

Now I’m not saying these baked goods are health food, but at least they are healthier versions of cake. The nutritional information is even included in the back of the book which I find extremely interesting!

As you can imagine, I have heaps of the recipes to get through – first up was the Cinnamon Banana Bread.

“This cake is so virtuous it’s almost geeky. Full of energy, flavour and goodness, it’s also a  doodle to make’. – Harry Eastwood, Red Velvet & Chocolate Heartache

• 140g banana (peeled weight)
• 2 medium free-range eggs
• 140g golden caster sugar
• 150g topped, tailed, peeled and finely grated courgettes/zucchinis
• 150g rice flour (which makes the cake wheat free, but you can use plain flour also)
• 2tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1tsp cinnamon (I used ground cinnamon)
• 1/2 tsp mixed spice
• 25g finely chopped brazil nuts
• 25g finely chopped pecans

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. Brush the inside of a loaf tin (the recipe recommends 19cm x 12cm x 8cm, but mine was slightly longer) with some vegetable oil
2. Mash the banana thoroughly
3. Whisk the eggs and sugar for a full 3 mins until pale and light. Whisk in the mashed-up banana until completely incorporated, then add the courgette and beat again.
4. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, cinnamon and mixed spice, and whisk again until completely blended.
5. Mix in most of the brazil nuts and pecans and pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Sprinkle the remaining nuts over the top and bake in the middle of the oven for 45 mins.
6. Remove the cake from the oven and leave it to cool in the tin for 10 minutes.

Based on 8 servings, each serving has 204 calories and 5.9g of saturated fat. Quite impressive for a banana bread that was so delightful. It was so fresh and moist with the perfect amount of nuts. And definitely no taste of courgettes/zucchinis (although I do love them!)

Related posts:

1. Healthy Raspberry Muffins
2. Cinnamon Club – Modern Indian in London
3. Chocolate and Caramel slice

I was pretty excited to find that agave nectar can be a healthy substitute for sugar especially in baking so I tested it out in this recipe for healthy wheat free raspberry muffins which I have adapted from Let’s get stupid together.

Raspberry muffins… makes 6

• 1 cup wholemeal spelt flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 70 ml agave nectar (or 1/3 cup sugar)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup organic vanilla yoghurt
• 50 g melted butter
• punnet of raspberries

Method:

1. Mix together the spelt flour and baking powder in a large bowl.
2. Mix together the egg, agave nectar and yoghurt in another bowl.
3. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid yoghurt/egg/agave mixture.
4. Mix in the melted butter.
5. Add a little (1/2 to 1 tbsp) flour to thicken the mixture which will compensate for the extra moisture in the agave nectar.
6. Carefully mix raspberries into the mixture.
7. Divide between 6 muffin cups.
8. Bake at 200°C for 20 minutes. Watch carefully as the agave makes the muffins brown quickly, but you need to make sure they are cooked properly or they will taste doughy!
9. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for about 10 mins and then devour!

Interesting links about Agave:

http://www.allaboutagave.com/index.php

http://www.shakeoffthesugar.net/article1042.html

Related posts:

1. Chocolate and Caramel slice

First up were the red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting from the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook. Those who sampled were all impressed (or so they said) but we devoured them before I had the chance to take some photographic evidence… soooo I will just have to make them again soon! Check out http://www.hummingbirdbakery.com for deets.

I also baked the brownies which came out super moist and fudgy and amazingly indulgent. It’s crazy how after a few tiny “slivers” of a piece almost the entire piece is gone! These are definitely one to bake again.

Still in a baking mood I decided to give macaroons a go… with chocolate still on the brain I went with a recipe from Gordon Ramsay’s Just Desserts book. While they didn’t turn out looking quite like the perfect macaroons from Ladureethey were still pretty tasty! Check it out if you’re ever in Paris (or Harrods)!

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