Banana Bread

Taken from here

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp finely grated lemon rind
• 1/3 cup + 2 TBSP butter, softened, plus more for greasing
• 1 ½ cup wholemeal self-raising flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¾ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cup mashed banana (about 3 bananas)
• ½ cup almonds
• 1/2 cup chocolate chunks
• 1 tsp brown sugar 
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon powder

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 180⁰C/160⁰C fan forced. 

2) Grease 14 cm x 21 cm loaf pan. Grease the other two sides with butter.

3) Add the lemon rind into a small bowl with the softened butter.

 

 

 

 

 

4) Sift flour and cinnamon into a large bowl.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5) Add rind, butter, sugar and eggs to the cinnamon-flour mix and combine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6) Stir in banana, almonds and chocolate.

7) Spread mixture into pan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8) Meanwhile, mix the brown sugar and grounded cinnamon to make the topping. Sprinkle over the bread mixture in the pan.

9) Bake for about 1 hour, or until a skewer comes out clean. 

10) Stand bread in pan 5 minutes before turning onto wire rack to cool.

 Pac Man

Chinese Almond Cookie

It's National Chinese Almond Cookie day!

Recipe from here

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp almond extract (sounds like a little, but is A LOT, the whole kitchen smelt like almonds)
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 tsp water

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 325F/162C
2) Mix butter and sugar.








3) Mix in egg and almond extract.









4) In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking soda and salt.









5) Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture.








6) Roll into small balls and place on a cooking sheet.
7) Flatten the balls.







8) Sprinkle the almonds on top.









9) Beat egg whites and water.








10) Brush the egg white mixture over the cookies.
11) Cook for 14-16 minutes or until the bottom and edges are brown.
12) Let cool for 2 minutes before removing from the sheet.

Coffee Cake Muffins

National Bake Week and National Coffee Cake Day is tomorrow...so yeah, I made these too.

Taken from here and slightly modified

Ingredients:

• Muffin
• 6 TBSP applesauce
• 2 TBSP butter, softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Filling
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup almonds, sliced
• 1 TBSP cinnamon
• Topping (I cut this in half because I made larger muffins)
• 1 TBSP milk
• 3/4 cups powdered sugar

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350F/176C
2) Line the muffin tin with cupcake liners.
3) Mix the applesauce, butter, sugar and eggs.







4) Add the vanilla.
5) Add the flour, baking soda and baking powder and mix well.
6) Place batter in the bottom of the liners.






7) Make the filling by mixing all the ingredients listed.
8) Add the filling on top of the batter.
9) Add more batter till the liners are full to the point you want them.
10) Finish off with more of the 'filling'.
11) Bake for 12-15 minutes.
12) Let cool.



13)  Make the topping by mixing all the ingredients listed together.
14) Drizzle over the muffins.