Apple and Cinnamon Flapjacks

Quick, easy and delicious! These simple apple and cinnamon flapjacks make a great breakfast or energy-boosting snack for your family…try them!

What you need:
1kg apples (peeled, cored and grated)
200g oats
70ml golden syrup
150g butter
40g sugar
1tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt

What you do:
1) Simmer the apples gently in a covered pan with the sugar, until it becomes a soft.
2) Add the butter and golden syrup and bring to a gentle simmer.
3) Gently stir in the oats, salt and cinnamon to coat through.
4) Pour the mixture into square bake-proof dish and bake in the oven at 180C for 30 mins.
5) Allow to cool before turning out.
6) cut up into squared and top with syrup glazed apples or chocolate or just leave them plain…with way they will be gorgeously chewy and extremely moreish!

So simple! They will stay delicious for a while so long as you pack them into an airtight container 🙂

Keep it delicious!

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Apricot Tarts

Flaky puff pastry with the poached apricots and a drizzle of cold single cream…perfection!! Trust me these tarts will have all your guests impressed!

What you need:
18 apricots (halved and stoned)
150g granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1.2kg puff pastry
2 tbsp caster sugar
50g smooth apricot jam

What you do:
1) Put the granulated sugar in a pan big enough to hold the apricots in a single layer, add 350ml water and bring to the boil, stirring to help the sugar dissolve. Add the vanilla. Turn down to a very gentle simmer. Put the apricots into the liquid and poach gently until they are only just tender. 2) 2) Once ready, I stand with a slotted spoon and pull each one out as soon as it is ready. Lay the apricots in a broad, flat bowl so they don’t have to sit on top of each other.
3) preheat the oven to 220°C
4) Roll out the pastry to a thickness of 3mm(or use the ready rolled) and cut out six circles, each 16cm in diameter. Lay them on baking-sheets and, using a smaller circle cutter mark a 1cm border.
5) Put six apricot halves on each pastry circle, leaving the border uncovered.
6) sprinkle with caster sugar and bake for 12 minutes
7) Put the jam in a pan with 1 tbsp water and heat until it has melted. Brush over the surface of each tart then leave to set a little.
8) Serve warm or at room temperature with a drizzle of single cream/whipped cream.

Obviously this is the cheating way, you can make your own puff pastry. However you make it, enjoy it 😉 this will soon become a family favourite!

Keep it delicious!

Thai Fruit Salad

Everyone loves a fruit salad, quick, easy and refreshing…try this recipe for a twist on the norm, I promise you’ll love it! Goes perfectly with Thai food…here’s how:

What you need:
4 tbsp reduced fat coconut milk
1 tbsp honey
fresh lime juice, to taste
2 small pink grapefruits, peeled and sliced
1 small pineapple, cored and diced
1 banana, peeled and sliced
1 small mango, peeled and diced
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

What you do:
1) Mix the coconut milk, honey and lime juice.
2) Toss the fruits and coriander in the coconut dressing

For an extra special touch, core a whole coconut and use as a serving bowl. The perfect desert after a heavy meal, plus it’s healthy 🙂

Keep it delicious!

Blueberry Pancakes

I woke up today with a major craving for pancake! With weekends becoming more relaxed and time on our hands why not prepare brunch for family and friends? This is a delicious, sour blueberries with sweet syrup is a winning combo…plus it’s healthier then a greasy fry up and much more tasty!

What you need:

1 3/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2 cups milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 1/2 cups fresh/frozen blueberries

What you do:

1) To get then lovely and fluffy sieve the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt into it a large bowl.
2) In a separate bowl, lightly whisk the eggs. Add the milk, oil and vanilla extract whisk to blend.
3) Pour the liquid mixture into the dry and vigorously whisk the ingredients just until blended.
4) Add the lemon zest and the blueberries and gently fold them into the batter with a rubber spatula.
5) Heat a large, heavy, non-stick skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Then pour in enough cooking oil to coat the surface.
6) Ladle about 1/4 cup of batter onto the pan.
7) Cook the pancakes for just over a minute on the first side. Then flip and cook them about half as long, until the second side is golden brown.
8) Serve up the scummy pancakes with butter and maple syrup or homemade blueberry syrup.

Be careful though, this recipe will mean your friends will always want to stay over for breakfast 😉

Keep it delicious!