Apple Pie Granola

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it's something you hear countless times during your life. Despite having this drilled into me, I'm still guilty of throwing down a couple of Jammy Dodgers with a cuppa while staring at the laptop. Or even skipping the meal altogether in the hope I'll save a few calories. Very bad adulting!

In a effort to kick my bad habits I like to make a batch of homemade granola on a Sunday to last me the week.  Granted, my good intentions usually only last till Tuesday but it doesn't stop this granola from being some of the tastiest I've ever made.  If anything has the capacity to get me eating breakfast, it's this.

I like to add mixed dried fruit to all of my granola but feel free to leave it out if you're not a fan, I just love the little pops of colour.

Looking for more breakfast inspiration? How about giving this Pumpkin Spice Granola a whirl, or for something a bit naughtier this Chocolate and Coconut Granola is simply delicious.

Apple Pie Granola

Ingredients

• 350g Rolled oats
• 100g Coconut oil, melted
• 1tsp Salt
• 1tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2tsp Ginger
• 1/4tsp Mixed Spice
• 1/8tsp Nutmeg
• 50g Brown sugar
• 100g Apple sauce
• 50g Honey
• 150g Dried apples, chopped
• 75g Pecans, chopped
• 100g Mixed dried fruit (optional but delicious)

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 175C and line a large baking tray with grease proof paper.
2. In a large bowl mix the oats, salt, spices, apples and nuts together and set aside. In a pan over a medium heat melt together the coconut oil, brown sugar, honey and apple sauce. Pour the wet ingredients over the oat mixture and mix until fully combined.
3. Spread the oaty mixture over your prepared baking tray and bake for 30 minutes, stirring the granola every 10 minutes to prevent burning.
4. Let the granola cool before mixing in the dried fruit and transferring to a large jar ready for the week ahead.

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Shakshuka

I have a bit of a thing for baked eggs, they're a weekday staple in my house and always go down a treat.  I usually reserve eggs for a lazy morning; lounging around the living room in pajamas, listening to Beetles vinyls or reading the papers.  Nothing beats those mornings. 

Shakshuka is a whole new level of baked eggs.  A meal not just reserved for lazy mornings but a hearty dinner served with lashings of bread and butter.  The ingredients for this meal rarely differ, eggs baked in tomatoes, onions and peppers with a few spices thrown in for good measure.  My version however incorporates feta cheese and a nice helping of fresh chili.  What can I say, I like a kick.

Did I mention this dish is completely one pot!  Yep, minimal washing up, as if it can get any better.

Shakshuka is a traditional dish served all over the Middle East, originating in Israel.  It is made up of eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce.  The best thing is you probably have all the ingredients needed in your cupboards as we speak.  I know right, I don't need to sell this bad boy to you any more.  What on earth are your waiting for?!

As always, I love to see your creations so please make sure you tag me in your Instagrams.  You can find me right here!

Shakshuka - Israeli Baked Eggs

Ingredients

• 1 medium sized red onion
• 1 red bell pepper
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1-2 red chili peppers, depending on how spicy you like it
• 1tsp paprika
• 1tsp ground cumin
• 1/2tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
• 100g feta, crumbled
• 4 medium, free range eggs
• coriander for serving

Cooking Directions

1. Heat two tablespoons of oilve oil in a large skillet or frying pan over a medium to low flame. Slice your onion and pepper into thin strips and fry for around 20 minutes until really soft and caramelized, stirring regularly. Once soft add the garlic and chillies and fry for 2-3 minutes, add the spices and fry for another minute. Pour in the chopped tomatoes, season with a pinch of salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes until thickened.
2. Stir in the feta cheese, reserving a little handful, and make 4 little holes in the sauce. Carefully crack the eggs into the holes. Sprinkle over the remaining feta and cover the pan with a tightly fitting lid. Simmer for 7-10 minutes depending on how you like your eggs. Sprinkle over the chopped coriander and serve straight from the pan with loads of bread for dipping.

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Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Cookie Copycat Recipe

Earlier this year Kris and I jetted off to New York for the first time,  to say I fell in love with the city is an understatement.  It broke my heart to leave and return to rainy old England, vowing to return as soon as possible.  One of the best things about NY, as I'm sure most of you that have been will agree, is the eating.  Oh man, I could have ate twelve meals a day and not got sick. The list of foodie places to visit was as long as my arm but there was one place that really stood out to me, Levain Bakery.  Just search the hashtag on Instagram and you'll know exactly why I was so desperate to taste their sweet delights.

Let me just tell you, we visited the city in the middle of January.  Cold doesn't even come into it, still we queued for over and hour just so I could get my hungry little mitts on one of those immense cookies, I mean just look at that bad boy.  I was in fat lass heaven.

If I have but one goal in my life, it is to recreate that cookie.  I will not stop until it is perfected and I'll take you guys along every step of the way.

For attempt number one, this isn't bad.  It has the height and the density of the Levain cookie but the texture just wasn't right.  The craggy, crispy top wasn't there either.  Maybe that's my fault, I forgot what I was doing and rolled the dough into smooth balls rather than leaving them Au-natural.  What was I thinking?!

Still, it's a pretty kick ass soft batch cookie.  Soft and full of tooth sticking goodness I doubt I'd find a person able to resist one warm from the oven.  

I'll continue my journey to recreate greatness but right now I'm pretty happy munching my way through a plate of these monsters.  If you need me, I'll be the one with melted chocolate all over her mouth.

Levain Bakery Copycat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 360g plain flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• 1/2tsp baking soda
• 1tsp fine salt
• 225g unsalted butter, softened
• 200g light brown sugar
• 100g caster sugar
• 2 large eggs large eggs
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 350g dark chocolate chips

Cooking Directions

1. Line two large baking trays with baking parchment and set aside. Preheat the oven to 175°C.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda and salt and set aside. In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, around five minutes. Once creamed together add the vanilla then the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition. Slowly add the flour, scoop by scoop until all has been incorporated. Stir through the chocolate chips and chill the dough for half an hour.
3. Scoop out 12 large mounds of dough, trying to keep them roughly round, but don't smooth them out. You want them nice and craggy. Place the mounds on your prepared sheets around 2" apart. Bake for 20 minutes or until starting to turn golden brown. Take care not to over-bake as they will loose their squidgy texture.
4. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack then dig in. Make sure you serve these cookies warm, there's nothing like it!!

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Dirty Blondies

We've all heard about slutty brownies by now, haven't we?  If not, you must have been living under a rock with your fingers in your ears, singing.  For you rock dwellers, a slutty brownie is a layer of chocolate chip cookie dough, a layer of chocolate oreos topped with a layer of brownie batter.  Filthy right?  Well what about the blondes, they can be just as naughty.  Enter the Dirty Blondie!!

These trampy blighters are just as bad as their slutty cousin, maybe even a touch naughtier!  Here we have a layer of white chocolate chip cookie dough, vanilla oreos followed by a layer of white chocolate blondie.  So sweet, so creamy, so dirty!

Look at those cheeky little vanilla oreos, peeking out of their cookie dough curtain giving you a saucy wink.  How can you resist such sweet temptation. 

Dirty Blondies

Ingredients:

For the cookie dough :
• 225g unsalted butter, softened
• 100g caster sugar
• 250g light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 350g self raising flour
• 150g white chocolate chips
• 18 vanilla oreos
  For the blondie layer :
• 125g unsalted butter
• 225g white chocolate, broken into chunks
• 125g caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 150g plain flour

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 170C and prepare a 20x30 brownie tray, or use a disposable tray.
2. For the cookie dough layer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, around five minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing between each addition followed by the vanilla extract. Add the flour and mix until just combined, stir through the chocolate chips. Press the dough into your prepared pan in an even layer. Place your oreos in rows of three on top of the cookie dough. Set aside while you make the blondie layer.
   
3. In a large saucepan over a low heat melt the butter and chocolate together. Add the sugar and stir together. Crack the eggs into a large jug and whisk up, slowly pour the eggs into the chocolate mixing as you go until combined. Add the flour and stir until just combined. Pour the blondie mixture over the cookie dough and oreos making sure everything is covered but don't over fill the tray. Bake for 35 minutes, until just set.
   
4. Allow to cool in the fridge over night before cutting into cute little squares and enjoy.

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Raspberry Ricotta Pancakes

It's a well documented fact that breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.  There is truly nothing better than a long, lazy morning where you can really make a fuss of breakfast.  Endless cups of tea, pjs and a laptop full of fun articles.  The only thing missing, pancakes!

I have to admit, when it comes to big breakfasts I usually opt for the savory side of things.  Sometimes though I'll wake up with a wicked craving for a sweet treat. On days like this, only pancakes will do!

These pancakes are so super soft and fluffy, the ricotta really gives them the best texture.  Not only are they delicious but they're super adaptable too.  I can only imagine how delicious they would be with a handful of white chocolate chips and a nice grating of lemon zest.

Are they any other breakfast obsessives out there? What's on your plate first thing in the morning?

Raspberry Ricotta Pancakes

Ingredients

• 125g self raising flour
• 50g golden caster sugar
• 3 large eggs, seperated
• 50g unsalted butter, melted
• 150ml buttermilk
• 150g ricotta cheese
• 150g raspberries

Cooking Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl stir together the flour and sugar. In a large jug whisk the egg yolks, melted butter and buttermilk, pour the wet ingredients onto the dry and mix until combined.
2. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer whip the egg whites to soft peaks and fold into the pancake batter followed by the ricotta and raspberries.
3. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Dollop two tablespoons of batter per pancake into the hot pan and cook for 2 minutes per side. Continue till you've used up all of your batter. Serve with whipped cream, extra raspberries and a drizzle of honey.

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