Low Fat Apple and Cinnamon Muffins

Recipe from weightloss.com.au

2 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and chopped
1 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup Castor Sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup natural low fat yoghurt
2 heaped tblsp Extra Light Spread (we used Devondale)
1 teaspoon vanilla Essence or vanilla paste
1 tablespoon water
Sprinkle ground cinnamon
1 tsp brown sugar

Peel, Core and Dice the apple into large chunks.   Place in a saucepan with water and cinnamon and simmer for approx 10 mins until softened but not mush.  Take off heat and set aside to cool down.
Preheat oven to 180C and layout 8 muffin patties inside a muffin tin.
In a mixer beat margarine and caster sugar for 5 mins. Add vanilla and beat a further minute.
Add eggs, one at a time on slowest speed. Don't worry if looks like it is curdled, its ok. Once eggs incorporated, add the yoghurt.
In a bowl sift the flour, baking powder. Add flour to batter 1/3 at a time either by hand with a wooden spoon or mixture on lowest speed until well combined.
Now with a wooden spoon carefully add the apple mixture, folding into the batter carefully as you don't want to break up the apples.
Place mixture into patty pans and bake for 20-25 mins depending on oven, check with skewer in the middle that nothing comes out when pierced.

Raspberry jam coconut slice

My mum makes this slice with apricot jam, my husband likes it best with raspberry.

2 cups plain flour
1 cup caster sugar
125g butter, chilled, cubed
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3/4 cup raspberry jam
2 cups desiccated coconut

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line a 3cm deep, 24cm x 29.5cm (base) lamington pan.

Process flour, 1/2 cup sugar and butter to resemble breadcrumbs. Add 1 egg and vanilla. Process to form a dough.

Press dough into base of prepared pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until light golden. Spread jam over warm base.

Whisk remaining eggs and remaining 1/2 cup sugar together. Stir in coconut. Spread over jam. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden. Cool completely in pan. Cut into pieces. Serve

Easy coconut slice

From yummly.com

1 cup self raising flour
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 cup coconut (desiccated)
125 grams melted butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
icing sugar (extra, dusting)

1 Grease a 19cm x 29cm slice pan and line with baking paper.
2 Sift flour into a large bowl; stir in sugar and coconut.
3 Make a well in the centre.
4 Add combined butter, eggs and milk; mix well.
5 Pour into prepared pan.
6 Cook in moderate oven, 180 C for about 30 minutes, or until cooked when tested.
7 Stand slice in pan for 5 mins; cool on wire rack.
8 Serve slice warm or cold, cut into squares.
9 Dust with extra icing sugar.
10 Decorate with berries if you wish.

Basic Crepes

My parents gave us a crepe maker appliance for christmas this year, tried it out today with a basic recipe for crepes that I found on taste.com.au. There's a trick to spreading the batter evenly, I reckon I need practice!

Makes
12 crepes

Ingredients
1 cup plain flour
2 cups milk
3 eggs
olive oil cooking spray

Method
Sift flour into a bowl. Whisk milk and eggs together in a jug. Add milk mixture to flour. Whisk until well combined.

Spray a medium, non-stick frying pan with oil. Heat over medium heat. Pour 2 1/2 tablespoons batter into pan. Swirl to cover base. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until light golden. Turn over and cook for 1 minute. Transfer to a plate. Cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter.

AJ's Apple Slice

1 cup self raising flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup sugar
125gms melted butter
1tblsp honey.

Mix all ingredients, and add as much or as little stewed apple as desired, place in a lined baking dish at 180* and cook for 25mins, or until golden on top and firm.

This recipe shared by awesomeAJ at AYW

Pikelets

1 cup self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 tablespoons caster sugar
2/3 cup milk
1 large egg
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Extra butter to grease pan

Sift flour, bicarbonate of soda and sugar together into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients.

Using a whisk or fork, beat milk and egg in a small bowl until combined.

Pour milk and egg mixture into the well. Gradually incorporate the flour into the milk mixture, stirring until a smooth batter forms. Mix in melted butter.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Lightly grease pan with butter.

Drop tablespoons of the mixture into the frypan. Dropping the mixture from the tip of the tablespoon will give a round shape to the pikelets. Don't overfill the frypan as this will make turning the pikelets difficult. Cook until several bubbles appear on the surface (this should take about one minute).

Turn pikelets over using an egg slice and cook until golden brown.

Remove cooked pikelets from pan and repeat with remaining batter, lightly greasing pan between each batch.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

German Shortcake

Another old family favourite.

Base:

100g Margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups SR Flour

Cream sugar and margarine. Mix in egg, then sifted flour. Mix should be dry and crumbly. Press into greased lamington or slab pan.

Spread with about 1/2 cup of Apricot jam - easier to spread if warmed through in microwave.

Topping:

1 egg
1 cup coconut
3/4 cup sugar
1 tspn vanilla essence

Mix together and spread over apricot jam.

Bake in slow over 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Carrot Cake

1 cup grated carrot
200g can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
5 tblsp oil
1/4 cup crushed walnuts/pecans

Sift dry ingredients. Add eggs and oil, mix well. Stir in carrot, pineapple, nuts. Pour into greased tin and bake at 175C for 35 - 40 mins. When cooled ice with Cream Cheese Topping.

Cream Cheese Topping
3 tblsp butter
3 tblsp cream cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla
250g icing sugar

Combine all ingredients and beat well. If too thick add small amount of milk.

Carrot and Cream Cheese Slice

This is a moist, tasty slice best eaten on the day you make it, does not keep well.

125g cream cheese
2 eggs
1 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups grated carrot
Icing sugar

Soften cream cheese to packet directions. Beat in eggs, mixed spice, nutmeg and vanilla essence until combined. Mix in sugar. Sift flour, baking powder and baking soda into mixture. Add carrot and mix until combined. Spread mixture in a 20 x 30cm sponge roll tin with a baking paper-lined base. Bake at 180C for 25 to 30 minutes or until slice springs back when lightly touched. Cool in tin for 10 minutes before turning out. Cut into slices when cold. Serve dusted with icing sugar.

Cheesecake Brownie

150g butter, chopped
300g dark cooking chocolate, chopped
3 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/4 cup sour cream
1 x 250g pkt cream cheese, at room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a square 20cm (base measurement) cake pan. Line the base and sides with non-stick baking paper.
2. Combine the butter and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool.
3. Whisk 2 of the eggs in a small bowl. Add whisked eggs and 2/3 cup of the sugar to the chocolate mixture, and stir to combine. Add the flour and sour cream and stir until well combined.
4. Beat the cream cheese and remaining sugar in a bowl until smooth. Add the remaining egg and beat until just combined.
5. Spoon chocolate and cream cheese mixtures, alternately, over base of pan. Use a skewer to swirl to create a marble effect. Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside in the pan for 1 hour to cool. Cut into squares to serve.

From www.taste.com.au

Very Easy, No Fail Cake

This recipe is from The Good Sams Cookbook: 150 Years of Perfecting Recipes from the convents of the Good Samaritan Sisters. Copies are available via the St Pauls Publications website.

2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup cream
1 cup self-raising flour

Heat oven to 185 degrees Celsius.
Grease and line bar cake tin with paper.
Beat eggs, sugar, add cream and flour, beat for 3 minutes.
Bake at 185 degrees Celsius for about 45 minutes.