Cranberry and Almond Granola

I've been on this 1500 calorie a day thing for a few weeks now, and plan on keeping it up for a long time so I've been trying to find ways to manage my snacking - which really is the biggest problem area for me! Some of the stuff I've done is swapped out all milk chocolate for dark chocolate only (lucky I already love dark choc!), cutting out cakes and cookies that I don't know for a fact are totally worth the calories (you know what I mean? Only the great stuff!), and no sweet, flavoured or sugary drinks. 

Last night I decided to make some granola for my night time TV snacking (in our house it's Netflix and Snack) and I have to say I'm really pleased with this specific mix and baking times. The last time I made my own granola it was a bit too crunchy and I think I burnt some of the components. 

Without further ado, here's the recipe for my Cranberry and Almond Granola:

Yield: 3 cups granola

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 3 tbsp melted coconut oil 
• 2 tbsp honey 
• 1 + 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract 
• 1/4 tsp sea salt 
• 1 + 1/2 cup sliced almonds 
• 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup dried cranberries*

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/fan and line a baking tray with parchment paper
2. In a large bowl, whisk the maple syrup, coconut oil, honey, vanilla and salt until thoroughly mixed 
3. Add the rolled oats and sliced almonds and stir to coat everything in the maple mixture
4. Spread the mix out on the prepared baking tray (I just used a standard cookie sheet) and pop in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven at the 20 minute mark and toss the granola with a forked spatula to "turn" them in a way, and then put it back in the oven for 5 - 10 minutes*
5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before adding the cranberries, use a fork or spatula to stir so that it mixes well. Then store in an airtight jar or container and it should keep for 2 weeks max 

*Notes:

• You can use other dried berries of your own preference, I've also done this with chocolate chips and coconut flakes!
• For step 4, if you feel after 20 minutes that it has toasted to your preferred crispiness, then stop there.

Blood Orange Poppyseed Loaf

I'm gonna enjoy the blood orange season for as long as it's here (which is not long, considering I live in Malaysia and we get it imported from the States - so it's really touch and go) so I hope you guys really don't mind that I'm posting yet another orange based recipe. I mean, come on, these things are bloody gorgeous! 

So what are blood oranges? As my mum and various aunts have asked (we really don't see them around these parts), I feel we could all use a trip to Wikipedia (one of my top 5 favourite places in the world):

The blood orange is a natural mutation of the orange, which is itself a hybrid, probably between the pomelo and the tangerine,^[4]Within Europe, the arancia rossa di Sicilia (red orange of Sicily) has Protected Geographical Status.^[5] In the Land of Valencia, it was introduced in the second half of the 19th century.^[6]

Also, it's not ALL aesthetics: 

Blood oranges have a unique flavor profile compared to other oranges, being distinctly raspberry-like in addition to the usual citrus notes.

Ah, the reason we don't see it around these equatorial parts:

Blood oranges may have originated in either China or the southern Mediterranean, where they have been grown since the 18th century. They are now the primary orange grown in Italy. The anthocyanins which give the orange its distinct maroon color will only develop when temperatures are low at night, as during the Mediterranean fall and winter.^[3] Blood oranges cultivated in the United States are in season from December to March (Texas), and from November to May (California).

Interesting.... well, maybe not to you, but I now have 7 other tabs open linked from that one Blood Orange wiki page. It's a slippery slope... could easily spend hours going down this wikipedia rabbit hole.

Okay, now that I have wasted enough of your (and my) time, here's the recipe for my new favourite thing. Also, let's be honest ... 

... you can totally do these with normal oranges. I have, and I will - when the season ends. But for now... let's just enjoy the colours. 

Blood Orange Poppyseed Loaf

Slightly adapted from The Whole Bite blog

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup natural yogurt
• 2 tsp blood orange zest
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds
• 1/3 cup fresh blood orange juice
• 1 tbsp confectioner's sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and prepare a loaf tin by greasing and lining with non stick paper
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the yogurt, orange zest and sugar until combined, then add the eggs, vanilla and vegetable oil and beat well
3. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and fold until all the dry ingredients are just wet, and stir in the poppy seeds
4. Pour the batter into the tin, top with thinly sliced oranges (optional) and bake for 50 - 55 minutes
5. When done, remove from the oven and prepare the orange glaze (whisk the orange juice and confectioner's sugar together to form a paste), pour this over the warm cake and let it sink in

That's it, hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Give the recipe a go this weekend, it really doesn't require a lot of hands on time and it's always nice to have something a bit extra for tea time. Lots of love,

x Nabs

Peanut Butter Brownies

Two weekends in a row of baking and I have to say I feel really charged! I also watched Moana, caught up to Riverdale and fit in an early morning walk with my dad. All in all, I'd say I had a pretty amazing weekend. Work is pretty full on, but relatively OK compared to some busier periods we've had in the past two years.

Anyway, funny thing is... I started baking again when I definitely need to cut back and get fit again. I kind of let myself go in the past two years, and am paying for it with my slipped disc. So maybe I should feature some healthy, clean eating type recipes on here, huh? We'll see... it's good enough I'm getting round to doing this. I always told myself it's all about self discipline - the health, managing my work, etc - but it's really a lot easier to say than do.

Anyway, here's a really quick recipe that will give you a BIG payoff even if you only allow yourself half a bite.

Peanut Butter Brownies

• 250g dark chocolate
• 250g butter
• 2 cups light brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1. Preheat the oven to 175C, and line an 8x8 inch baking tin
2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler, then remove from the heat and beat in the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition.
3. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and fold until just combined. Pour the batter in the tin, then drop the peanut butter evenly across the surface. Swirl the peanut butter around with a butter knife, then bake for 60 minutes

Raspberry Sea Salt Brownies

Those of you who know me are well aware of my long-time love affair with raspberries and baked goods. So much so that my husband gets to share the dubious honour of being co-namesake for one of my absolute favourite recipes (Rizberry Cheesecake recipe plug).

So, as I sit here, slowly working my way through a slice of these brownies and binge-watching This Is Us (omg Milo Ventimigliaaaaaa), and well, really trying to stay zen about the upcoming busy period at work... I thought, let me lose myself in this for a bit. Here you go, a super easy, super rewarding recipe for Raspberry Sea Salt Brownies. Don't skimp on the sea salt, trust me on this.

Raspberry Sea Salt Brownies

• 200g dark chocolate, chopped
• 100g milk chocolate, chopped
• 240g unsalted butter
• 2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 170g fresh raspberries
• 1/2 tsp sea salt flakes (for sprinkling)

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and line an 8x8 inch baking tin with parchment paper
2. Melt the chocolates and butter together, either in the microwave or in a double boiler. Once melted, remove from heat (if over a boiler), and stir in the sugar until just wet
3. Whisk in the eggs and then sift in the flour, sea salt and cocoa powder and fold until just combined
4. Fold half of the fresh raspberries into the batter, then pour into the prepared tin and scatter the remaining raspberries on top. Sprinkle the 1/2 tsp sea salt on top and bake for 60 minutes. 

Berry Custard Tart

I'm currently on a long holiday, waiting to begin my next adventure in the new year. And so for the first time in a very long time, I feel absolutely no sense of urgency; I can sit on the front porch and watch the rain drip off the leaves of our Weeping Willow tree if I want to; I don't absolutely need to make every single second count.

It's liberating, honestly quite exhilarating, but I'm also a bit scared. What if I get used to this? What if I get bored? What if I forget what it's like to rush and push for deadlines? So I have devised a way to keep my stress levels slightly up: I must try to post a new recipe or blog post up at least twice each week that I'm off.

I say that now, but wait 'til I start being able to sleep in again. You lot must think I'm crazy, to be afraid of enjoying my holiday. Oh well, I'm sure the initial shock of it will wear off by the end of week 2. Last week though, I made 3 tarts (blueberry, raspberry, strawberry). Just cos. I experimented with custards, to get slightly runny custard or thicker custards to set, as well as infusing the cream with different flavours (tea, lemongrass, orange). At some point during this holiday, I also want to experiment with different types of yeast (active dry, instant, etc). 

Today I'm sharing my favourite tart from last week, and obviously it was the one with my favourite berry: raspberries! Recipe under the jump.

Mixed Berries on an Orange Custard tart

Hummingbird Bakery's Red Velvet Cupcakes

I had a go-to red velvet recipe, one I thought I was happy to use for the rest of my life... but then I went to London last October, bought a red velvet cupcake from the Hummingbird Bakery on Portobello... realised I have their recipe book at home, decided to try it and have not turned back since. Their cream cheese frosting recipe is also the one I've been using for years now, so it truly is a perfect pairing!

There were many birthdays in my family this week, and a special one in the manfriend's family... and also I kinda had a craving for a red velvet cupcake (clean eating begins MONDAY!). So, following a terribly self-indulgent Saturday morning, I decided to whip up a few batches of these little babies.

Don't they look pretty? My baby boomer dad surprised me by splitting the cupcake in half and eating it like a cupcake sandwich. Who knew he subscribes to Lifehack pinterest board advice?

Anyway, for those of you still on the hunt for the perfect red velvet cupcake recipe, look no further. The Hummingbird Bakery's recipe is definitely the way to go.

Red Velvet Cupcake
Yield: 12 cupcakes

• 60g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 150g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 20g cocoa powder
• 30ml red food colouring
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 120ml buttermilk
• 150g all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp white vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and prepare your cupcake liners
2. Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until fluffy, then add the egg and beat until fluffy
3. In a small bowl, mix the cocoa powder, red food colouring, and vanilla into a thick paste then add it to the butter mixture, beating well to incorporate
4. Add half the flour, beating until just combined, then add all the buttermilk, mixing well before adding the rest of the flour
5. Last step, add the baking soda and vinegar and beat until just combined before dividing the batter into the cupcake liners. Fill the liners 2/3 of the way up, then lower the oven temperature to 165°C and bake for 25 minutes
6. Allow the cupcakes to cool for 5 minutes into the cupcake tins before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. You may, like my brother and boyfriend, prefer to eat these without frosting... but for the purists who believe that red velvet cake must be eaten with cream cheese frosting, decorate as you will with this cream cheese frosting. I used a Wilton 1M tip to decorate with these darling little swirls. 

Strawberries & Cream muffins

It's past midnight, I retreated into my room after watching the late night news with my parents more than two hours ago. I've taken a shower, changed into my "Proud to be well adjusted" t-shirt I got from a chiropractor's convention in Las Vegas (long story, not for this entry) and sleep shorts, I have read a chapter of Crazy Rich Asians (get a copy if you haven't already)... and I can't sleep.

I keep thinking. My brain won't quit talking to me. The images keep speeding at me. Voices, memories, thoughts, hypothetical conversations with myself, questions I don't want answered, recipes, more recipes, cake decorating ideas, and oh my God, before you know it... I'm in the kitchen again, I've put the apron on (I only ever wear an apron when I'm baking in my pajamas, cos I don't want to get sugar in my bed), the oven is preheating and I'm flipping through my "Keep Calm and Carry On" red notebook of recipes.

Late night baking. It's surprisingly quite a normal thing to do for young professionals who love baking. It's also an excellent method of quieting the mind to ready yourself for bed. I've talked about the benefits of baking in approaching anxiety issues before... this time it's no different. I can't sleep cos I'm afraid, so I bake and worry about getting the measurements just-so instead of thinking about all the stuff I can't change.

Late last night, I decided to make breakfast muffins as I wanted to wake up to something positive. After a quick look in the fridge, I decided the strawberries I bought a few days ago would definitely go bad in the next two days, so the recipe just HAD to be strawberry based. No bananas, or else I would have made brown butter strawberry banana bread (an old late night baking favourite of mine), but the pantry told me I have an excess of white chocolate. Then I knew just the muffin I wanted to have my morning latte with.

Strawberries & Cream Muffins
Yield: 12 5.5oz muffins

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1/4 cup sunflower oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup chopped strawberries
• 1 cup white chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and prepare your muffin tin or muffin liners (I used 5.5oz standalone cups)
2. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl and set aside
3. In a smaller bowl, whisk the cream, oil, egg, and vanilla until incorporated
4. Pour the cream mixture over the flour mixture and stir with a spatula until thoroughly combined
5. Add the chopped strawberries and white chocolate chips (leaving roughly 1/4 cup of each to sprinkle on top of the muffins later) and fold into the batter
6. Scoop up the batter into the prepared muffin tins or liners, top each muffin with some more strawberries and white chocolate chips, then transfer into the preheated oven. Reduce the heat to 165°C/fan-forced and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops appear golden and a skewer inserted at an angle comes out clean (depending on the size of your muffins). Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely

Clean up, wash up, go to sleep, then wake up 4 hours later when your alarm clock goes off and enjoy a fresh muffin, reheated quickly if you like, and a cup of brewed coffee. This happens to me at least twice a week, nobody in my house ever says anything about it, but they'll quietly watch me over breakfast as I set up my little studio and snap pictures of my late night baking spoils.

Chocolate Raspberry & Pistachio Tart

The last week of December is upon us and you know what that means! Yes, yes, I know, it means quite a lot for many people (Christmas; Hannukah; Kwanzaa; New Years; birthdays - I'm talking about you, Melissa Hanna; mid year exams coming up, yikes; unfortunately you forgot to apply for leave in time and are now stuck manning the empty office; travel plans; disrupted transportation services...) but for me, specifically, it means time to clear my annual leave!

And this year, I opted out of going away for a holiday with my friends and/or family. This year, my holiday plans revolve around my amazing kitchen, and that ever-growing list of recipes I've been dying to try out for the past few months. Forget New Years' resolutions (who are we kidding, those never get done); 2014 I'm going to draw up a "To Bake" list and just keep working at it.

Speaking of lists, I came across this fantastic journalling technique while browsing my nerd sites the other night! It's a nifty method of tracking what you do and what needs to get done. I see the benefits in this method, and I'll likely use it for my work journalling but for my personal journalling, I prefer the story telling method with poorly drawn illustrations. Do you guys keep a journal? Are you like me in that I'm completely obsessed with beautiful blank page (important to note the blank pages) notebooks? I personally find there's nothing quite like writing your thoughts down on a Moleskin with a leaky fountain pen at the end of the day to truly be able to reflect on the day's events and set it aside to start fresh the next day.

What was I talking about again? Oh yes, baking *sheepish*

So, on my first day off, I decided to work with my favourite flavours. Yes, that's right, loyal readers and close friends of Ellebug: chocolate & raspberry. This was the flavour combo of the year 2013 for me, recurring in quite a few of my desserts and orders throughout the past 12 months. Let's get on with the sweet treats:

Chocolate Raspberry & Pistachio Tart

For the crust:

• 350g Oreos, crushed or whizzed in a food processor
• 100g butter, melted

Crush the oreos and stir through melted butter. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a prepared tart pan (I went with 2 8-inch tart tins, but you can go with 1 8-inch springform tin for a thicker tart) and refrigerate for 30 minutes, then bake for 10 minutes at 170C

For the filling:

• 200g good quality dark chocolate, chopped OR bittersweet chocolate chips/chunks
• 200ml heavy cream
• 20g butter
• 3 large eggs
• Optional: Raspberry preserve & crushed pistachio kernels

1. This was unplanned, but I decided to slather on some great store-bought raspberry preserve I have on hand and sprinkle crushed pistachio on the bottom of the tart crusts after they'd cooled slightly 
2. Onto the chocolate filling: Chop the chocolate and place it in a medium sized bowl and set aside for a while. Heat the cream and butter in a saucepan until it comes to a boil, stirring occassionally to get the butter in there. Once it's boiled, pour over the chocolate and let it sit for about a minute before stirring with a spoon until it turns into a smooth chocolate mix. Then beat the eggs in one at a time and hand-whisk lightly before pouring into the prepared crust. 
3. Bake for 35 minutes at 170C and remove when it looks to have set and jiggles slightly when you shake the oven. Leave to cool completely

For the topping:

• 100g good quality dark chocolate, chopped (or same as above)
• 50ml heavy cream
• 15g butter
• 2 tbsp light corn syrup
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• Crushed pistachio kernels

1. Do the same with the chocolate, cream, and butter as when making the filling above. However, add the light corn syrup to the cream and butter in the saucepan (this gives the ganache a shiny glaze). Allow the chocolate ganache to cool and thicken before spreading on top of the cooled tarts. Decorate with crushed pistachio kernels and fresh raspberries. 
2. Set the tart in the fridge for up to 1 hour, then serve with a cup of gorgeous brewed coffee. 

Whatever everyone is doing this month, I wish you all the best, and hope you give yourself a chance to enjoy the little things in life. Much love, Nabs

Apple Crumble Cake

Freshly baked cake, sweet and tangy fruits, cold ice-cream. Is that not one of the most comforting combinations you can imagine? If you're like me and find comfort in the act of baking (and then enjoying the spoils of that well spent afternoon), this is one recipe you should try. It's easy enough to whip up in less than 15 minutes, but takes up enough of your energy that it works perfectly to shut down the background noise going on in your head.

I've baked four of these cakes in the past 3 days (one for an order, one for an office potluck lunch, one for my mum, and another for an aunt) and have gotten to enjoy approximately 3 bites of it. Sometimes I wonder if I bake because I love desserts, or if I bake to distract myself from myself. I'm not entirely sure what I'm feeling right now, and to be honest, I'm not too keen to confront it just yet. Work has been fantastically rewarding lately, pushing me to my known limits of existing knowledge and making me learn a lot more as I go along, and I'm loving every single second of it.

You know, I should probably edit this entry to talk of something more meaningful, but you're not here to read about my life. So I'm going to just give you the recipe you came for.

Apple Crumble Cake
adapted from Valli Little's recipe on Delicious. au
Preheat oven to 180C and line a 9" springform tin with baking paper and butter

The cake:

• 145g softened butter
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1tsp vanilla bean paste
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup cream
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced

The crumble:

• 50g cold butter, cubed
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamo

1. For the cake: Pop the butter and sugar in your electric stand mixer and beat until fluffy, then add the eggs and vanilla bean paste and beat until incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, baking powder, cream and milk in one go and beat with the paddle attachment until fully incorporated. Transfer the batter into your prepared cake tin and arrange the apple slices on top. 
2. The crumble: Rub the butter and flour with your fingers until they resemble coarse crumbs. Stir the sugar and cinnamon through the crumble with a fork. Pour the crumble over the apples and cake and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes. Cool slightly and serve with ice-cream!

Weekend in a White Garden

What do you get when you combine a simple white cake with fluffy lemon buttercream frosting?

Cellulite.

LOL just kidding (but not really), you get a cake, silly!

During the week, I find myself inexorably drawn towards cooking sites and the cooking sections of the bookstores. I now realize that what I've been doing is storing recipes and getting ideas for what I can bake during the weekends! So this week, I decided I wanted to try a simple white cake as I've never tried one that didn't come out of a box before.

I was also so inspired by Amanda's (from iambaker) rose covered cake that I decided I wanted to give it a shot. My experience with frosting is (as previously stated) very limited, and as such I don't own much equipment for decorating cakes and the such. Fortunately, last week I stumbled upon this amazing store in town called the "International Centre of Cake Artistry". This store supplies everything and anything I could possibly think of using for baking.

This, of course includes a Wilton 1M tip. Let's just leave it at that for now, I don't really feel like telling the internet (which might include my mum) what I bought.

The best thing about having a very large extended family is the fact that there is a birthday to celebrate almost every other week. This might come as a pain if you're one of those people who buy stuff for others, but it's a godsend when you just need an excuse to BAKE. So this week's cake is for the one and only Indera, my beloved cousin who turned 23 on the 18th of May (same as my brother Adam, of last week's cake). You know I don't mean that, Ind, I love you and felt I owe you cake... even if it's not the flavours you mentioned last week.

My roses didn't turn out as beautifully as Amanda's did, of course, as she is a Goddess and I am still a novice. But I had SO much fun doing this!

Basic White Cake

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter (softened, do NOT let it get too liquidy)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius, grease and flour your baking tray (overdo this bit)
2. Cream together sugar and butter
3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla
4. Combine flour and baking powder, add to creamed mixture and mix well
5. Stir in milk until batter is smooth and fluffy
6. Pour batter into pan
7. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or 10-20 minutes for cupcakes, or until you poke a stick through the cake and it comes out clean

Lemon Buttercream frosting

• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 4 cups confectioners sugar, sift and sift again
• 1 cup butter (softened)

1. Cream the butter until it's fluffy
2. Add lemon juice and zest, beat well
3. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time and continue to beat until creamy

Decorating the cake:

Once the cake is completely cooled - seriously, don't mess with this bit, you make sure that cake is NOT letting off any more heat or your frosting will just melt right off and it's gonna look fug. I had to pop my cake in the fridge for 10 minutes before I could frost mine, cos the humidity here on the Equator does not help with the cooling process. Or the impatience.

Anyhoo, once your cake is cooled and leveled (you don't have to have a very level cake if you don't want to) apply a crumb coating and pop it back in the fridge for a couple of minutes. A crumb coating is just to ensure that any stray crumbs from the cake will be stuck down so it won't come off into your final layer of decoration later.

Attach your Wilton 1M tip, or any large open star tip that you have to your decorating bag (a 16 inch bag should be okay for a 9 inch cake, but it's fine if you don't mind refilling) and fill it with your frosting. I can't possibly describe the method of decorating without sounding like a complete dork (start in the centre and go round and round til you get a cool rose), so I'll leave that to the pro: Check out Amanda's tutorial on this cake.

As you can see, I didn't do so well on the roses on the side of the cake. My first batch of buttercream frosting (yes, I realised I needed two batches for this cake) was a little under the desired consistency (smooth, yet not runny) AND coupled with the fact that it was my first time using the 1M tip and trying to create this rose effect. So the roses are a little shoddy. Also, I didn't space them very well so there's a lot of filler "petals" in there too. Still love it though!

Now I know you're probably thinking "... wait... she didn't mention cupcakes!"

(:

xx Nabs

Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

I recently tried my hand at baking cookies, and so I finally decided to give my favourite cookies a shot. Raisin oatmeal cookies! I used to just buy store-bought cookies (ie Famous Amos) but a colleague told me a horror story of how she saw a worker carrying a shipment of those cookies dropped a box in a dirty alley behind the store... and then scooped them back into the box and carried them in.

ARGH. WHAT IS THIS?!?!

So now if I want cookies, I'll make them myself dammit.

They turned out beautifully, too, if I don't say so myself ;) It's an easy recipe, I hope you'll give it a shot. These are REALLY good cookies!

Raisin Oatmeal Cookies recipe:

• 3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup (210 grams) packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup (105 grams) all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 cups (260 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup driedcranberries, cherries, or raisins or 1 cup white or dark
• chocolate chips (your choice)
• 1 cup (110 grams) walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until creamy and smooth.

Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon.

Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat until incorporated.

Stir in the nuts, oats, and dried cranberries or chocolate chips.

For large cookies, use 1/4 cup of batter and space the cookies about 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the baking sheet. Then wet your hand and flatten the cookies slightly with your fingers so they are about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick.

Bake the cookies for about 12 -15 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges but still soft and a little wet in the centers. Remove from oven and let the cookies cool a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool.

To toast nuts: Place nuts on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool and then chop into pieces.

For presentation purposes, I thank the fact that my mother loves to collect pretty little antique tins. The one I used in the picture above (wow, I really should start taking better pictures) was acquired a good 20 years ago at a car boot sale in Nottingham. The tin itself it a Betty Butter biscuit tin from 1890. Pretty pretty.

xx NA