Nigella's Chocolate Banana Muffins

This is the first sweet recipe I'm trying from the new cookbook that Shu bought me for my birthday. It was so simple to make, and the results were great for a cake, which only took me a few minutes to put together. The little tweak that I made to Nigella's recipe, is that I added some chopped 72% chocolate into the batter, to make the muffins more moist, oozy and sinful. And since I was bringing some of them as a sweet treat to my girlfriends (including Shu) last evening, I thought I'd top the already hip-hugging muffins off with my favourite peanut butter frosting. And I'm mighty glad I did.

Nigella's Chocolate Banana Muffins

Ingredients:-

2 cups plain flour

1tsp bi-carbonate of soda

1/2 cup soft brown sugar

3 tbsp cocoa powder

pinch of salt

125ml vegetable oil (I use canola)

2 eggs

3 very ripe bananas

50g chopped dark chocolate

Method:-

1) Preheat oven to 200degreesC.

2) Mash bananas well with fork.

3) Whisk in eggs, sugar, oil and salt.

4) Sift flour, baking soda and cocoa together. Mix into banana mixture until just combined.

5) Fold in chopped chocolate.

6) Spoon into 12 muffin cups and bake for 15min, or until skewer comes out clean.

The unadorned muffins.

p.s. Fuzzy forbids me to divulge the prized peanut butter frosting recipe :/ Sorry guys.

I Forgot

I am ashamed to admit, that I forgot our blog's second birthday on 30 November; almost one week ago. There are no excuses, but I hope there's a slim chance of you guys closing your eyes on my boo-boo after baking and devouring this wonderful cake.

Nothing screams, "Celebration!" more than alcohol or cake. But when you put alcohol AND cake together, it's almost assured that everybody will be having a good time. The beauty in the process of baking this cake, is that you only need 15-min from reaching into your pantry to popping the cake into the oven; together with a spatula, a large mixing bowl, a whisk, and a 9-inch springform/ silicon cake tin. The result after hardly any labour, is a refined and delicate cake that is caramelised on the outside, and moist, silky and custardy within. It's the kind of cake that can be eaten after lunch, at afternoon tea and, as a pre-bedtime treat, and most definitely, at a celebration.

French Apple Cake

Adapted from David Lebovitz

Ingredients:-

4 large apples, preferably a mixture of varieties- peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch cubes (I used two each of organic Royal Galas and Granny Smiths)

2/3- 3/4 cup of sugar (depending on sweetness of apples)

3/4 cup plain flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

3 eggs

3 tbsp dark rum

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (triple this if not using rum)

115g butter- melted and cooled down

Method:-

1) Preheat oven to 180degreesC.

2) Mix together flour, salt and baking powder, and set aside.

3) Whisk eggs until very frothy.

4) Whisk in vanilla extract, rum, and sugar.

5) Add half of the flour mixture and whisk until just incorporated.

6) Whisk in half of the melted butter.

7) Repeat with remaining flour and butter.

8) Stir in the cubed apples and pour into cake tin. Smooth the top with a spatula.

9) Bake for 45min- 1hour, until toothpick inserted comes out clean. My cake took 45min to cook.

Storage: Cake keeps best in a cake dome for up to three days.

A cup of strong, black tea goes beautifully with it.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Fuzzy and I drink a lot of coffee. And what's worse than drinking a lot of coffee, is that I have this incurable need to munch on something sweet and sinful on the side, EVERYTIME I have my jolt of java. On many occasions, it's shortbread, butter cake, Belgium wafer cookies, or some dark chocolate. I've managed to justify this artery-clogging habit to myself, because I take my coffee straight black, and the sugar and cream that's missing in the coffee comes in the form of sweet nibbles on the side. Right?

These wholesome whole wheat chocolate chip cookies are the perfect nibbles with coffee. They are crisp on the outside and tender on the inside; not terribly sweet, rich with butter and dark, oozy chocolate. Using whole wheat flour also makes them feel like less of a sin. Just. After eating them, Fuzzy was a happy hubby, and Chubbs was a happy baby.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Molly Wizenberg

Ingredients:-

2 cups whole wheat flour (I use stone-ground, organic)

1 cup unbleached plain flour
1 ½ tsp. aluminium-free baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp salt
227g unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes (I used Tillamook)
3/4 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
227g/8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped into ¼- and ½-inch pieces (I used Lindt 70%)

Method:-

1) Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, and whisk to blend.

2) Put the butter and sugars in the bowl and whisk with hand-held whisk or stand-mixer until the butter and sugars are blended, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

3) Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

4) Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the bowl, and blend on low speed until the flour is just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

5) Add the chocolate, and mix until evenly combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, and then use your hands to turn and gently massage the dough, making sure all the flour is absorbed.

6) Chill dough in fridge for one day before baking.

7) Next day, preheat oven to 180degreesC. Position racks in upper and lower third of oven. Use an ice-cream scoop to scoop each cookie, leaving about 3 inches between each cookie. If you, like me, don't have an ice-cream scoop, just roll similar-sized balls of dough in your hands instead. But you have to act fast because the dough goes runny easily.

8) Bake the cookies for 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the cookies are evenly browned. Transfer the cookies, still on parchment, to a rack to cool. Store in airtight container for up to a week (if they even last that long). After the first day, just slightly warm them up in a toaster oven before eating, to make them extra moreish.

Afternoon tea/ breakfast of champs.

Banana and Spelt Pancakes

I've posted about these spelt pancakes before. But I've since simplified the recipe, and trust me, it is one of the easiest, quickest things to make for breakfast, brunch, or snack (Chubbs gets to eat them about twice a week). The thing to note is that you can use many different kinds of more nourishing flours in this, than plain flour. Spelt and kamut are my favourites because these grains have less gluten and a higher protein content than wheat, and the pancakes cook up to be deliciously nutty, and wonderfully light and fluffy. I'll be experimenting with teff and oat flour next. Also, when cooking for Chubbs, I try my best to omit/ reduce raising agents like bi-carb and baking powder, so I make the extra effort to beat the egg whites to stiff peaks instead.

Ingredients:-

1/3 cup flour

1 egg, separated

50ml milk (75ml if using kamut flour)

1 small, ripe banana (I use pisang mas)

Method:-

1) Mash the banana. Add the egg yolk and milk to the mashed banana. Stir to combine well.

2) Add the flour and stir until all the flour is incorporated. Do not overmix.

3) Whisk the egg white until stiff peaks form (I use a handheld beater).

4) Gently fold in the egg white to mixture.

5) Ladle over a hot non-stick pan. Cook for a few minutes on each side, until golden brown. Enjoy with pure maple syrup, honey, jam and/ or butter.

Makes 5-6 3-inch pancakes.

Chubbs had four of these pancakes for lunch, together with a handful raisins and pumpkin seeds on the side. He didn't need any honey or maple syrup because they were so fragrant and sweet on their own, thanks to the added banana.

Looking down on purpose when I asked him to smile for the camera...

Looking up on purpose... :/

Finally! Got you!

Caramelized Apples and the B-O-Y

This recipe for a sweet, fruity treat is dead simple, and utterly delicious. Fuzzy, baby and I ate the whole lot as a pre-dinner snack with dollops of luscious Greek yoghurt. Sublime.

Ingredients:-

4 small apples (Use any tart variety you fancy- I used organic Fuji.)

1 tbsp butter

1/3 cup water

1 tbsp demerara sugar

Method:-

1) Peel, core and cube apples.

2) Heat the butter in a pan till sizzling.

3) Toss in apples, and cook over medium heat until slightly yielding.

4) Deglaze the pan with water (or any other liquid- I figure white wine or rum would be delicious, but I kept it virgin for Chubbs.)

5) Add the sugar and let apples steam in the syrup for a short while. At this point, you can add ground cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, or whatever spice you like. I left my version plain because the apples were very good, and the sugar I used is already vanilla-infused.

6) Once the caramel thickens and the apples are softened to your liking, they are done! Serve with vanilla ice-cream, pancakes, crepes, waffles, plain yoghurt, a croissant, and even something savoury like pork chops. They basically go well with everything; I recommend you double the recipe, because they would keep well in a fridge for a day or two.

On a side note, my boy can spell urm... B-O-Y! He has been particularly familiar with the letters "B" and "O" for a while, and proudly spelt out the name "Bob" (part of some random slogan on Fuzzy's shirt) on his own, some time back. And when we play our daily session of Pictionary (I draw on the doodle board and he guesses the animal, shape or object), he has been requesting that I spell the word out as well. So I just go along with it, writing the words out after he correctly guesses, never thinking much of it, not even believing that it might actually help him spell. But this morning, he learnt a new letter, "Y", together with the picture of a boy; he has been spelling B-O-Y since. I thought it was a fluke, but he has done it too many times that I'm convinced it isn't. And when I ask if he can do it backwards (I hadn't taught him this), he doesn't even blink and goes, "Y-O-B". Super cool!

Chubbs and a part of his animal council.

Chubbs' Treat

I try to give Chubbs a special treat everyday. Sometimes it's fancy biscuits, sometimes it's milk pudding, sometimes it's a few bites of a fresh cream cake. Today, I baked him banana and peanut butter muffins for tea.

The main oven has been broken for a few months; which also means I haven't baked in that long. I can stand it no longer, and resorted to using the dingy/ oily oven for roast chicken and the like, out back. Everything is played by ear; there is no thermostat to tell you when the oven is at the desired temperature, the hot air does not circulate, meaning I have to keep turning the muffin tray, etc. Anyway, I've been itching to create a recipe using bananas and peanut butter. And I'm pleased to announce that the end result turned out fantastic. I mean, we love peanut butter, and we love bananas, so what could go wrong?

This first time I'm properly sharing a recipe, and to be honest, it makes me kind of nervous. I don't exactly know why, though. Maybe it's because recipe-sharing is akin to opening up the kitchen and it's secrets for the world to see, and my taste preferences may be scrutinised. Imagine after you try the recipe, you think the muffins are awful, and you go, "What?! This is delicious? I thought she had good taste in food. Bah!" You catch my drift. The thing is, I have a few personal rules when I bake for Chubbs, I never use just plain flour, I use less fat, salt and sugar, and organic ingredients wherever possible (in this case, I used organic flours and oats). I find ways and means to incorporate whole wheat flour, whole oats, different sweeteners (brown rice syrup, pure maple syrup, honey, etc), less baking powder, etc. But at the end of the day, these healthier goodies taste, urm, good! So dive in!

Banana and Peanut Butter Muffins

Ingredients:-

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup wholewheat flour

3/4 cup whole rolled oats

1 tbsp aluminium-free baking powder

2 small eggs/ 1 large egg

30ml melted butter/ vegetable oil (I use canola)

1 cup milk

1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas

1/2 cup peanut butter (I use Adam's natural unsalted smooth peanut butter)

1/4 cup demerara sugar

Method:-

1) Preheat the oven to 180C.

2) Line/ oil a 12-hole muffin tin.

3) Mix the flours, oats, and baking powder together. Set aside.

4) Beat the eggs lightly, stir in the oil, bananas, peanut butter, and sugar. Mix thoroughly.

5) Stir in the milk.

6) Stir in dry ingredients. Mix until just combined; do not overmix.

7) Bake in the oven for 20-25min, or until an inserted toothpick comes out dry.

8) Let muffins cool in tin for 5min, and turn out onto a cooling rack. Enjoy them warm.

They were very moist, tender, slightly chewy because of the oats and just sweet enough. Even the hubby, who's my harshest critic, liked them. Chubbs ate a whole muffin at one go. I'll probably give him a muffin for brekkie tomorrow morning too, with a bowl of blueberries and some cheese. I want to experiment with a gluten-free version soon, so stay tuned.

Lots of energy to mess around after eating.

Our Special Day

Weekends are usually crazy for us, so Fuzzy and I set aside at least one special day a month, for the three of us to just hang out. But this month's was extra special. Besides taking a day off, Fuzzy got me a few yummy treats, and threw in a surprise by coming home super early yesterday... thank you, Love. Early enough for us to enjoy a lavish afternoon tea with copious amounts of coffee. What exactly did we have?




Even Chubbs couldn't contain his excitement!

Fuzzy detoured on his way home, and splurged $40 on these yummies from our (current) favourite patissier, Centre P.S. We finished all FOUR cakes (sooo sinful) and the giant lemon eclair. We saved the coffee eclair and the last, and maybe best part, of the surprises for today. Fuzzy chose the Mont Blanc, a lemon mousse, a seven-layer chocolate cake, and a raspberry trifle. Our favourite, hands-down, was the Mont Blanc; sweet cream covered with chestnut puree on a spongy base. Delish!

Our special day started with the coffee eclair from yesterday as part of breakfast, and a trip to the PD. We were told by the nurses the last time we were there, that Chubbs was due for a vaccination this month. But upon arrival, we found that we have been mis-informed and he wasn't due for another jab till he turned one. Humph. Wasted trip. Nevertheless, we weighed Chubbs... he's 9.8kg! Now I know why my back is constantly aching :/

As Chubbs napped, Fuzzy and I made a simple pasta lunch; angel hair with Pecorino (an Italian sheep's milk cheese), truffle oil, topped with a half-boiled egg, paired with a 2006 Cab Sav.



I recently inherited my mum's breadmaker (that she hasn't used in almost 10 years), so that I can bake fresh, organic bread for Chubbs. Bread is also a staple for Fuzzy and I, and we couldn't wait to try it out. We bought some organic unbleached white flour, and I set a loaf to bake before we left for the day; it was finally ready after lunch. We were itching to get our chompers around a slice.

Fuzzy thought that the loaf would cool faster if he stared hard at it.


But I had a better idea. I volunteered to peel off (and eat) the crust to help the steam escape.


Fuzzy smacked my hand away too many times. This was what's left of the loaf after I was done picking at it. Not a pretty sight :/


I thought the bread turned out good because I like my bread crusty. Tasted more like sourdough to me, though. Fuzzy wasn't too fond of it; he prefers his bread soft and fluffy. Will have to tweak the recipe slightly to make my hubby happy. We didn't give this to Chubbs since we felt the salt content was too high. I'll bake a salt-free version for him soon.

While Chubbs was lunching, Fuzzy and I tucked into the last of his surprises for me. Macaroons! He bought five delectable flavours; lemon, black sesame, sea salt and caramel (we swooned when we bit into this one), dark chocolate and raspberry.



They were divine; consistently crispy shell, chewy interior, and to-die-for fillings. In our opinion (until proven otherwise), Centre P.S. makes the best macaroons in town. Beats Canele, Bakers' Inn, Choupinette, Da Paolo etc.

We did some shopping after that to look for a new car seat for Chubbs, visited an organic supermaket and loaded up on a few boxes of breakfast cereal for the week, and came home to a simple dinner of bread, salad, soup and crispy roasted chicken. Another perfect day with my family.

Comfort Food

I cooked dinner for my hubby tonight. Of course, we've got to have pasta. This time, it was tossed with chili, garlic, fresh basil (that we grow) and organic Parmesan, accompanied with Sauvignon Blanc. It's our epitome of comfort food.

Chubbs entertained himself in his high chair by playing with our wine glasses and thrashing his toy around. He is endlessly intrigued by everyday objects like mugs, forks, spoons and glasses. I let him explore by putting warm and cold cups in his hands, letting him feel the temperature and smoothness of the glass.

Spot the spots?

For dessert, I surprised Fuzzy with a decadent treat. It's an adaptation of David Lebovitz's Scotcheroo recipe. The bottom of the "cake" is made of puffed rice mixed with honey, vanilla sugar, Adam's natural peanut butter and Nutella. The "frosting" is melted butterscotch and chocolate chips. Best paired with a strong cuppa to shoo those Monday blues.

Life's simple pleasures.

A Simple Dinner

Here's one for the foodies out there. Fuzzy and I made ourselves dinner tonight- first time in a long, long while. The rest of the house went for Marutama ramen. Chubbs napped while we cooked but decided to grace us with his company half-way through the meal.

"Hello Mommy!"

We made our favourite Pasta Aglio Olio (we could eat variations of this everyday and not tire of it). Something special tonight though, we cracked open the bottle of white truffle oil that Fuzzy gave me for Christmas. Here's the menu:

Tasmanian double cream brie with Lavosh crackers

Vermicelli with garlic and rosemary, drizzled with white truffle oil.

Chocolates from Switzerland and home-baked choc-chip cupcakes.

We washed it all down with a bottle of 2004 Carmenere.

Simple yet scrumptious.

p.s. Fuzzy doesn't know this. But I also had quarter of a jar of Nutella together with my nightly mug of Milo after putting Chubbs down to sleep. Heh.