Treacle Flapjacks



Flapjacks are more often baked using just golden syrup but the addition of black treacle makes them somewhat moreish and special. They're healthier too with the addition of apples and mixed seeds and porridge oats are helpful to assist lowering cholesterol. Rapeseed oil is rich in omega 3 one of the good essential fatty acids.




Oil a 20cm baking dish.

Microwave for 90 seconds - 8 tbsp rapeseed oil, 75g dark brown sugar, 2 rounded tbsp golden syrup, 1 rounded tbs black treacle. Stir in 250g porridge oats, 1 tsp cinamon, 3 medium sized grated apples, 2tbsp mixed seeds. Ensure dry ingredients are well coated.

Press well into the prepared baking dish and bake 35 minutes, 160 fan/180 C, until firm. Allow to cool before cutting into portions and turning out. Melt golden syrup and dip in thin slices of apple to decorate if liked.

All day snack

There's no excuse for not having a healthy snack like this one which can be stored all day in the fridge or make it befoe bedtime for a handy ready to go breakfast that takes seconds to make.


Use a small container with a lid. Add 6 tbps porridge oats, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tbsp mixed seeds, 1 tbsp sultanas, 1 tbsp crunchy peanut butter chopped into small bits. Add enough almond milk to cover the mixture, add the lid then leave in the fridge overnight for breakfast or as a ready made any time snack.

Treacle Scones



Treacle gives a distinct flavour to these scones. If you want them more subtle just use golden syrup in place of the treacle.

Rub using fingers 200g SR flour, 25g sugar, pinch salt and 50g butter until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add half tsp each of baking powder, mixed spice and cinnamon.

Lightly oil a tablespoon and the treacle will fall easily into a jug. Mix together 1.5tbs treacle to a jug with 3tbsp natural yoghurt and 1tbsp milk (you can substitute the yoghurt and milk with 125ml milk). Mix until a dough is formed (the dough shouldn't be too sticky and a well formed ball so add a bit at a time). Allow the dough to rest 5 mins.

Firmly press the dough into roughly a 6" round 3cm thick. Cut into small rounds gathering scraps together to make more scones. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. 180 fan oven, 200 C.
Tip : when you cut the scones in half to eat use a fork instead of a knife to pierce all around and this will stop the scone from crumbling.

Hot Cross Bun Loaf



Seasonal Grub can be expensive when shop bought, you can make your own at a fraction of the price and get more per person to eat.

Can't get enough of Hot Cross Bun Loaf. I especially like waiting for the dough to prove as the mixed spices fill the room with a wonderful aura.

• Sift 250g bread flour, 250g plain flour, 1tsp ground mixed spice, 1 tsp cinnamon and pinch salt. Add 7g fast action yeast, top that with 75g castor sugar and 250g mixed dried fruit, zest of 1 orange.
• Heat 50g butter with 250ml milk in the microwave for 1 minute swirl around until the butter is dissolved. Add 1 lightly beaten egg to the mixture and pour into the flour mixture to form a dough. Knead for 10 minutes in a mixer with dough hook attachment or do it the hard way with your hands stretching and pummelling until a ball can be formed. Cover with clingfilm and leave for 2 hours in a wam place until doubled in size.
• Divide into two halves and cut each half into 6 equal portions. Oil two 24cm loaf tins. Shape each peice of dough into a ball and put 6 in each tin. Cover again with film and leave for 1 hour to double in size.
• To decorate mix together 25g plain flour half tsp rapeseed oil, 1 level tsp icing sugar and 4tsp water to make a paste then pipe crosses on each bun. Bake 25 mins at 200c, 180fan, gas 6.
• Heat 2tbsp milk and 3 tbsp castor sugar until sugar has dissolved then use to brush the tops of the buns whilst still hot. Leave at least 10 minutes before turning out to cool then scoff the lot with lashings of butter and jam!

Pear Cake



One of the processes manufacturers use for fruit is delaying the ripening by keeping the fruit in darkness so they keep longer on the supermarket shelves and when bought. With pears the result can be too hard pears unsuitable for eating as they sometimes never ripen soft enough to eat and this is the perfect recipe to use them up.

It's healthy too as it contains fruit, wholemeal flour and rapeseed oil instead of butter. The fruit enables a softer, moist cake. The darkness process is also used for bananas which why you sometimes get a less tasty dry, firm banana.

13" x 9" x 2" baking tin.

Mix well 450g sugar with 360ml rapeseed oil. Add 2 beaten eggs mixing in 1 tsp baking powder, 1tsp cinnamon and 1tsp salt. Add 450g wholemeal SR flour, 2tsp vanilla essence and 5 grated hard funsize pears or apples, 110g chopped nuts.

Pour into the baking dish. When there is over half the amount of fat amount to the whole flour amount it is not necessary to grease the baking tin. Bake for 1hr 160 fan or 180c. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before cutting into 16 even pieces.

I like eating this sliced longways and topped with homemade blackberry fruit spread: -

Put 8oz berries and 2oz sugar into a saucepan and bring to boil. Turn the heat off. Mix 1tsp cornflour with 1tsp water until smooth and add it to the saucepan stirring continuously until thickened (about 2 minutes). Use as topping for the peach cake portions. 

Gingerbread cake



In a bowl mix together 200g SR wholemeal flour, 50g brown sugar,      1 tsp mixed spice and 2tsp ground ginger.

Gently melt together 100g butter, 2tbsp black treacle, 3tbsp golden syrup and add 150ml milk.

Stir this into the flour blend.

Beat in 1 egg.

Pour into an oiled and lined 9" x 7"baking tray.

Bake in a preheated oven for 25/30 minutes. 160 fan

Cool gingerbread in tin before cutting into squares.

Christmas Panettone with rum butter



For the panettone, grease a 12-hole, deep-sided muffin tin with butter.
In a bowl, mix the 50g candied peel, 100g sultanas and 100g dried cranberries with 2tbs rum or boiling water until combined. Set aside.
Add 425g strong white bread flour, 60g castor sugar and 1tsp salt to the bowl of a food mixer. Add 1 packet of instant active yeast to the flour, then add 160ml tepid water and the 2 whole eggs and beat until the mixture comes together as a dough. (This can also be done by hand or using a hand-held electric whisk.)
Beat in the 75g softened butter a little at a time, then add the orange zest from 1 orange and continue to beat for 4-5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth.
Set the dough aside, covered, in its bowl, to prove for about 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.

 

Knock back the dough, sprinkle over the dried fruit, then knead the fruit into the dough, either in the bowl, or on a lightly floured work surface (it will feel very sticky).
Roll the dough into a ball and cut it into 10-12 equal-sized pieces. Roll each piece into a ball on a lightly floured work surface. Place one into each hole of the muffin tin. Cover the tin with cling film then set aside to prove again for about 45 minutes, until risen.
Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5.
Brush the top of the risen panettone dough with the egg wash, then bake in the oven for 17 minutes, or until golden-brown and risen. Remove from the tin and set aside to cool on a wire rack.


For the rum butter
500ml/18fl oz double cream
125g/4½oz soft light brown sugar
5 tbsp rum
For the rum butter, beat the double cream in the bowl of a free-standing food mixer for 3-5 minutes, or until it turns to solid fatty lumps with a liquid base. Cover the mixer with a clean tea towel or muslin cloth halfway through beating, because the liquid will spatter everywhere as it starts to separate.
Line a large bowl with the same tea towel or muslin, then tip in the mixture. Bring the cloth together at the edges to encase the solid butter and squeeze out all the liquid. Discard the liquid.
Tip the butter back into the bowl and beat in the soft light brown sugar for 3-4 minutes, or until pale and fluffy, adding the rum a little at a time.
Spoon the rum butter into sterilised jars and seal. Chill in the fridge or freeze until needed, or serve immediately alongside the warm panettones.
Throughout the year make a less rich panettone using just the sultanas and minus the rum butter.