Toblerone Cookies

Happy (winter) Holidays everyone!

I've just returned from a four-day trek in the bush. Let's just say it was fun, but I am sooooo happy to be experiencing the joys of my shower and bed. When you're in the bush, you start fantasising about all the different things you could be doing, foods you could be eating etc. when you're at home. I think we all went a little crazy! Don't get me wrong, sleeping in a dirty cave is... nice, but I appreciate my home a great deal now!

The fact that it was so cold and wet on the trek made coming home a lot more satisfying I think, too. I was absolutely soaked to the core out there, so I'm glad to be in the dry. And now that I'm at home, typing away, it's such a beautiful day! Dammit, weather! Humph.

I actually had a great time on the trek. I really improved my navigational skills, and talked to kids and teachers that I might not usually have been able to talk to. So all in all, it was a good experience. And I did get to test out some... ahem, interesting combinations of ingredients.

Fact:  Vegemite + raw carrots = winning combination.

Fact: Sultanas + dry crackers = surprisingly tasty.

Fact: All food tastes better in the bush.

But really, we all know that these Toblerone Cookies I whipped up this morning for my sister's friends, look DAMN TASTY.

Ooh yes. I decided to chop up a big ol' triangular prism of the stuff and incorporate them into some mighty fine biscuits. The idea just came to me, most probably because I was in serious need of baking therapy after my stressful time in the bush.

And I made them little triangles! So they would look just like... you get the idea.

These cookies are so cute and triangular! Chocolate enjoyers will... enjoy the reference to the Swiss prism-y chocolate bar, and will most definitely appreciate their amazing, overwhelming chocolate and almond taste. To top it all off, the chunks of Toblerone inside the cookies stays all melty, even when the biscuits are cooled - yay! I know how much you all enjoy melty chocolate chunks :)

Well, I think that settles that. You shall make these cookies, and rejoice when their soft crumb teases and delights your palette. And also, these are most definitely a milk-and-cookies kind of cookie, so please don't disrespect that. (Unless you're a bit of a biscuit-rebel).

Toblerone Cookies

{Cookie dough recipe adapted from "Chocolate Magic" by Kate Shirazi. Toblerone idea adapted from Angela's brain.)

Makes 20

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups plain flour

1/2 tsp baking soda (bicarb)

1/3 cup cocoa powder

85g unsalted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

300g milk or dark Toblerone, coarsely chopped

150g slivered almonds, lightly toasted

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Line two baking trays with baking paper.

Sift flour, baking soda and cocoa powder into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until pale and fluffy, then add the vanilla and eggs. Fold in Toblerone chunks and slivered almonds until evenly spread throughout. Fold flour mixture through wet mixture until combined.

On a large square of baking paper, place the mixture and mould into a triangular prism shape (like Toblerone) with floured hands. Fold baking paper over the sides, shape further, and freeze for 10 minutes.

Remove from freezer, cut into triangles about 1 cm thick, reshape quickly if needed, and place cookies on baking trays. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. Cookies will firm up when cooled.

Two Almondy and Oaty Breakfasts

Greetings my lovelies!

Well, January is almost halfway done, and the clock is a-ticking ever closer to the start of the school year. Gah! I'm trying to remain calm though - enjoy the holidays while they last, I say! Rowing has also restarted for the year, which is good and bad. I think I may have gotten too used to sleeping in! Whenever I have a break from rowing, I always take my extra sleep for granted, and then I get angry at myself when I no longer have the freedom. Such is the nature of the human psyche, I suppose!

My sister's birthday was a success - she got her L's and has started driving! My Dad tells me she's a good driver, but I think I'll have to be the judge of that! (Because, I, as a superior P-Plater, know absolutely everything there is to know about the rules of the road.)

Also I have been stressing about taking down the Christmas tree. I think I'm doing it tomorrow. I've put it off for ages, because I get depressed when I have to box away all the cheeriness for another year. But never fear, because supermarkets have already started selling Easter Eggs! Oh dear.

So I'm not sure if I've ever disclosed this on my blog before, but cereal and muesli are pretty much my favourite foods. They're AMAZING. You can eat them any time of the day, and I frequently do. They're just the complete package! Wholesome, tasty, and pretty to look at. And so versatile!

So yesterday I thought I'd whip up a couple of my favourites and share with you lovely people! The photography and recipes are quite simple after the exhaustion and extensive celebration that was the birthday cake post of last week. But I think the simplicity reflects the nature of these delicious breakfasts/anytime foods. They really aren't anything fancy, just yum!

So hopefully these recipes will turn into your staples too!

P.S. Will you just look at that lovely golden colour of the granola! Sigh... until next week, kids!

Before...

...and after!

{Bircher recipe adapted from Donna Hay's 'No Time To Cook', Granola recipe adapted from Joy the Baker}



Bircher Muesli 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sultanas

1 1/2 cups good-quality apple juice

2 cups traditional rolled oats

2 medium red apples, peeled and grated

1 cup natural or dry-roasted almonds, roughly chopped

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 cup thick natural or vanilla yogurt

Blueberries and Milk, to serve (Optional)

Method:

In a large mixing bowl, soak the sultanas in the apple juice for 10 minutes. Then add the oats, and combine so that all the oats are able to soak in the apple juice. Leave to stand for 10 minutes.

Add the grated apple, almonds, cinnamon, maple syrup, and yogurt to the bowl, and stir to combine. Either serve immediately, with the blueberries on top, and milk to pour, or cover with clingwrap and refrigerate overnight (I admit it is thicker and tastier the next day, but by no means is this necessary - it's delicious straight away nonetheless!)

Toasted Almond and Hazelnut Granola

Serves 8

Ingredients:

3 cups traditional rolled oats

1 cup natural almonds

1 cup natural hazelnuts

3/4 cup shredded coconut

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Pinch of salt

4 tbsp unsalted butter

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 tbsp maple syrup

1/3 cup brown sugar

Method:

Line a baking sheet with baking paper, and place the almonds and hazelnuts on it. In a preheated 180 degrees celsius oven, toast the nuts for 10 minutes, or until fragrant.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, cooled and roughly chopped nuts, coconut, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter, oil, maple syrup and brown sugar together until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is starting to bubble. Give one last big whisk, and pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients, tossing together so as to evenly coat the oaty mixture with the melted mixture.

Spread the mixture either into a large baking dish, or two lined baking trays, and pop back into the 180 degrees celsius oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden. Twice during baking, remove the granola from the oven and stir with a wooden spoon.

Let cool and store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. Serve over chopped mixed berries and yummy yogurt, or with milk.



Crunchy-Top Banana Bread

Hello! Well it's holiday time again - a would-be perfect opportunity for lots and lots of baking - however, as I'm jetsetting all over the place, I have next to no time for foing anything at all! Pfft. Oh well. I shouldn't be complaining, should I?

And isn't spring just lovely? I was so over winter. So dreary and cold. My favourite thing about spring is probably all the flowers  - their colours and smells. When taking some photos of the banana bread(my family's absolute staple),  I used a couple of poppies my pappy picked in the petal-garden protected by a picket fence. Nice alliteration, eh?

But seriously, I adore flowers, especially poppies!

Speaking of words beginning with 'p', did you like the plates I posted earlier? Just another project that I've decided to dabble in. Maybe I'm doing too much, but I like it that way. It's better than being bored! Some could say I'm "spreading myself too thinly". Ha! A baking pun! Ha!

All this good weather must be affecting my brain. Let's get on to the recipe. What I love about this banana "bread" (but let's face it, it's a cake people) is it's texture - texture texture texture! The cake itself is similar to shoving a tasty pillow into your mouth, while the almondy top adds the nicest of crunches! A perfect treat, whatever the weather!

 (P.S you can freeze slices of this cake for up to 3 weeks. Just defrost it and it will be restored to just about the same level of deliciousness you had before.)

Crunchy-Top Banana Bread

Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:

45g brown sugar

30g dry-roasted almonds, roughly chopped

20g shredded or dessicated* coconut

255ml sour cream

1 tsp bicarb soda

100 unsalted butter, melted

230 caster sugar

2 medium eggs, lightly beaten

250g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2-3 medium, overripe mashed bananas

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line 2 loaf tins (10x18cm) with baking paper.

In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, chopped almonds and coconut. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the sour cream and bicarb soda with a metal spoon and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the melted butter, caster sugar and eggs.

Sift flour, baking powder and cinnamon together into the bowl.  Add mashed bananas. Lightly fold the dry and the wet ingredients together (again using a metal spoon) until just combined. This 'light touch' will make you banana bread delightfully fluffy!

Pour mixture evenly into two loaf tins, and sprinkle equally with the brown sugar/almond/coconut mixture. Bake for 1 hour, or until golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the bread comes out squeaky clean!

 

Let cool in the tins for 20 min, then turn out onto a wire rack and let cool completely.

{Recipe adapted from Bill Granger}