If only I knew it was so easy to make healthy, not so sweet granola at home, I would have started to make it long ago instead of getting the sugar laden commercial available ones. It's all thanks to Giulia of Mondomulia for pointing this out in her recent post. I will definitely be making this over and over again, throwing in whatever nuts or dried fruits I feel like eating at the moment......The possibilities are endless!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ingredients (Adapted from Mondomulia)
2 cups jumbo oats
1 cup pecans, chopped roughly
20g dried coconut flakes
50g dessicated coconut
1 tbsp cinnamon powder
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup honey
100g mixed dried berries(I used Urban Fruits Superberry)
Method
1) Pre-heat oven to 150 °C.
2) Chop the pecans roughly and mix them with oats, dessicated coconut and coconut flakes. Add the cinnamon powder.
3) Add the wet ingredients, olive oil and honey, to the oat mixture. Stir until evenly coated, adding more honey if required.
4) Spread the granola out on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, stirring half way through, until golden.
5) Remove from the oven and let cool completely, until the granola has set. Stir in the dried berries.
6) Store in airtight containers.
I love all kinds of kuih (bite size desserts found in Singapore and Malaysia) and thought that they were usually quite tedious to make. However, thanks to Lisa of From My Lemony Kitchen, I learn that the Kuih Dadar was pretty easy and straightforward. It was indeed easy but alas, I lacked the crepe making skill that was essential in this recipe as you can see, my crepes were a little thick. I didn't have palm sugar(gula melaka) so I replaced this with brown sugar hence the colour of the filling isn't as dark as it should have been. On the whole, it tasted good but could definitely be better! I will have to practise making crepes, get my hands on some gula melaka and am sure they'll look as perfect of Lisa's original version! Soon enough anyway, Practise makes perfect yah?? ;)
Recipe from 'From My Lemony Kitchen'
Pandan Juice:
5 pandan leaves
1/4 cup water
1. Process the pandan leaves and water in food pracessor.
2. Pass through siever and retain juice
Crepe Batter:
120g plain flour
1 egg
300ml coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pandan juice above
2-3 tablespoons of water as required.
1. Mix the above ingredients in a mixing bowl to a smooth batter
2. Heat a non stick frying pan (small size if you dont have crepe pan).
3. Spray with some oil.
4. Use a small ladle or 1/4 cup, scoop the batter and pour onto the center of the hot frying pan.
5. Using a swirl motion, quickly cover the surface and form a thin layer of crepe.
6. When the edges starts to come off the side of the pan... gently slide or using a flat wooden spatula, remove onto a plate.
Sweet Coconut filling:
(measurement is just an indication... adjust to suit taste)
90g palm sugar
1 knotted pandan leaves
1-1 1/2 cup dessicated coconut
1 teaspoon cornflour
50ml water
1. Melt the palm sugar in a pan with knotted pandan leaves. Add in dessicated coconut and stir until well coated.
Putting Crepe together: (Step by Step pictures can be found at From My Lemony Kitchen)
1. Using smooth side up
2. Place 1 tablespoon of the filling
3. Roll to cover filling
4. Fold in the two sides
5. Roll
6. Crepe is ready ...
I came home from work on Friday night and really really wanted to have some coconut cookies. I've made Coconut shortbread cookies before but this time i really wanted a cookie with lots more chewy coconut goodness in it and made without butter. I also want it to be super easy as I just had a long week at work so I went surfing for recipe and found one from Best recipes that I could easily adapt. So off i went doing my usual practise of replacing butter with olive oil and reducing the amount of sugar and yes it was another winner of a cookie!!! It turned out crisp on the outside and chewy in the centre! Spectacular cookie this is as I couldn't stop eating them!!
This is a also great recipe for Christmas baking as it's extremely quick and easy. Perfect for some last minute baking treats! Merry Blessed Christmas everyone!!!
Ingredients (makes around 30 cookies)
Adapted from Best Recipes
1 heaped cup self raising flour
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup soft brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup light olive oil
Method
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well combined
- Place teaspoonfuls of cookie dough on a baking tray, spaced about 3 cm apart
- Bake for 12 - 14 mins depending on how crisp you like it.
I've had this recipe for quite a while as it's one that works all the time as the shortbread comes out short/crumbly and addictive every time! I've always used the recipe (though I've forgotten where I first got it from) as it is but this time round I thought that I'll just play around with it a little since I still had some desiccated coconut from when I made the delicious ANZAC cookies. I replaced some of the flour with the coconut and what do you know!??! It's works!! Coconut added another layer of texture which I really enjoyed! Definitely one for coconut lovers!!
Ingredients (make around 24 2.5cm cookies)
125g butter
55g caster sugar
120g plain flour
60g Desiccated Coconut
Method
1. Beat the butter and the sugar together until pale.
2. Stir in the flour and coconut to get a smooth paste. Turn on to a work surface and gently roll out until the paste is 1cm thick.
3. Cut into rounds or fingers and sprinkle with a little extra caster sugar. Put on a baking sheet and chill for 20 minutes.
4. Heat then oven to 190C
5. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden. Cool on a wire rack.
Ever since I came across ANZAC cookies on Three Cookies blog, I just knew I had to try them as they sounded so delicious and he's always raving about them!!! Indeed they were very tasty! Crisp, chewy and very fragrant!! I could just these the whole day long! Sigh.... If only they won't be make me fat!!!!
ANZAC cookies come from Australia and New Zealand and stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. Visit history of the anzac cookie to read a bit more about how this cookie was invented.
I also passed some to my New Zealander friend and he gave the thumps up so this is definitely a recipe to keep in my over flowing recipe folder!!
Recipe adapted from Three Cookies .
Makes 33 cookies.
Ingredients:
50g butter
75g light olive oil
1 cup plain flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup desiccated cocomut
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon golden syrup
1 teaspoon bocarbonate of soda
1 tablespoons boiling water
Method:
1) Preheat oven to 180 deg C.
2) Melt butter, olive oil and golden syrup in a saucepan.
3) Add bicarbonate of soda mixed with boiling water.
4) Combine all dry ingredients then add melted mixture and mix well.
5) Roll teapoonsful of the mixture into balls, place on baking tray and flatten slightly.
Place them about 2-3 cm apart as they do spread during baking.
6) Bake until golden brown.(about 10-15 mins)
