Traced Elements

Tag: baking

  • Counting Points – Banana and Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

    Counting Points – Banana and Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

    It had to be done. Well, something had to change, and so on 1st April I re-joined Weight Watchers Online. No joke!

    My goal is to lose 10% of my starting weight and then see what happens from there. One thing that is for sure, I have to make better food choices and become a fitter, healthier version of myself. The hard part will be keeping it off and not allowing myself to go back to where I was, and where I was heading. But I have done it before so can do it again, and learn better habits this time round.

    I know that Weight Watchers is not for everyone, and in this village, many people lead such an active lifestyle that they don’t suffer with weight problems. At least they don’t appear to. But for some of us we need to track what we eat so that we can see where we are going wrong and then make a conscious decision to do better.

    The Freestyle programme is different to the plan that I was on before and I am having to learn it all again but, so far, it has encouraged me to eat more fruit for snacks, instead of the junk I was tucking into before. Also I don’t eat meat, with the exception of turkey, chicken and fish which are all zero points on this plan, so I am learning to eat more balanced meals throughout the day. And having the new puppy has helped me become more active as he needs to go for walks every day. I no longer have an excuse!

    However, sometimes a treat is in order, so I looked for a recipe on the Weight Watchers site and found this one for Banana and Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins. They did the trick and were a healthy option. (I even made them better for me as I didn’t have any chocolate chips to hand – bonus! Plus I made a half batch and then shared them with friends so they wouldn’t be hanging around in my kitchen providing an unnecessary temptation). So, I am pleased to share this recipe in an effort to show that diet food doesn’t have to be just salads and that everything in [reduced fat and sugar] moderation can help move the number on the scales in the right direction! Look out for more healthier recipes over the next coming months.

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
    • 1⁄2 cup fat free skim milk
    • 1⁄2 cup uncooked quick oats
    • 1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract
    • 1 large egg, beaten
    • 1 large banana, mashed
    • 11⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1⁄4 cup unpacked brown sugar
    • 2 tsp baking powder
    • 1⁄2 tsp baking soda
    • 1⁄2 tsp table salt
    • 1⁄2 cup mini chocolate chips, divided

    Directions

    1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat 36 mini muffin holes with cooking spray (use three 12-hole pans).
    2. In a large mixing bowl, combine yogurt, milk, oats, vanilla extract and egg and set aside 5 minutes for oats to soften and then stir in banana.
    3. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir flour mixture into yogurt mixture to moisten ingredients (do not beat – the dough will be very thick). Reserve 1 tablespoon chips; stir in remaining chips.
    4. Spoon batter by heaping tablespoons into prepared muffin holes; sprinkle each with a few reserved chocolate chips. Bake until golden brown and a tester inserted in centre of a muffin comes out clean, about 15 to 18 minutes.
    5. Yields 1 muffin per serving which equals 2 Weight Watchers Freestyle points. (Or 1 point if you leave out the chocolate chips! 😉)

  • New puppy = new cake recipe!

    New puppy = new cake recipe!

    I think I mentioned in my first post that I have a love of baking. I don’t get to bake very often though as that would mean eating it all afterwards, but for visits with friends or special occasions I can make an exception. Well, those two things just happened to collide this past weekend.

    You see, this week my husband and I drove up to Fort St. John, and back, to collect our new puppy. And yes, before you ask, we do both believe in #adoptdontshop but the breed we love is not regularly found at a shelter and we did research our breeder and were satisfied that they were not a puppy farm. Besides, he is a cutie.

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    And so, for this occasion, it seemed appropriate to bake a cake to take round our friends house while introducing them all to the new puppy. Plus I wanted another excuse to try my Bundt tin!

    I had saved several Bundt cake recipes on Pinterest but this One-Bowl Chocolate Buttermilk Bundt Cake seemed like just the right thing and looked very appetizing in the pictures. I hoped my version would look, and taste, as good.

    Version 2

    Ingredients

    Cake

    • 3 cups all purpose flour
    • 2 cups sugar
    • 2/3 cup cocoa
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1 tbsp baking soda
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 1/4 cup low fat buttermilk (or standard will do)
    • 1 cup vegetable oil
    • 1 cup boiling hot water
    • 1 tbsp vanilla

    Glaze

    • 1 cup sugar
    • 1/3 cup cocoa
    • 1 tbsp cornstarch (I used 2 tbsp to make the glaze a bit thicker)
    • 1 cup boiling hot water
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • ¼ cup butter

    Directions

    Cake

    1. Preheat your oven to 350F.
    2. Thoroughly grease a bundt pan and then sift cocoa powder over and set aside.
    3. Add all cake ingredients to a large bowl and mix until well blended using a hand mixer.
    4. Bake for an hour (check at 50 mins) or until the cake springs back when touched lightly with a finger.
    5. Remove from oven and let cool completely before frosting.

    Glaze

    1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and hot water.
    2. Cook, stirring often over a medium heat until thickened slightly.
    3. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and butter, and stir until the butter melts.
    4. Set your cake over a rack with something to catch all the drips and then pour the frosting over the cake.
    5. Let the frosting set a little before adding sprinkles.
    6. Let set for at least an hour before eating and enjoying.

    I was very happy with the results. It took minutes to put together and everyone really seemed to enjoy it, even going back for seconds (which is good as it meant less to take back home with me). Oh, and everyone loved the puppy too!

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  • For the love of baking: Zoe Martin shares a cranberry orange scone recipe

    For the love of baking: Zoe Martin shares a cranberry orange scone recipe

    I am that person. The one in a restaurant who looks at the dessert menu first before deciding whether or not to order a starter. I am the person who would much rather have a chocolate bar over a packet of crisps, sorry chips.

    Yes, I have a sweet tooth, to which my waistline can attest, and I put it down to my genes. For example, my dad could polish off half a packet of digestive biscuits in one sitting, but he could also cycle for miles on end so that he worked them off again!

    Throughout my childhood, I loved to visit my Granny’s house as there would inevitably be the chance to lick the spoon clean, god forbid nowadays, of some kind of raw cake mixture. (BTW I survived just fine!) She would always have drop scones, griddle scones, cherry cake, tea cake or shortbread on hand in a tin in the larder. The first two of which were mouth-wateringly delicious, especially with her home-made Bramble Jelly, something that I have yet to attempt to make.

    So if you invite me to a potluck, or if I’m popping round to friends, I am likely going to be the one bringing something sweet – brownies, cupcakes, muffins, apple pies – you get my drift. (Good job I don’t have many gluten free friends!)

    When my husband was away recently I found myself at a loose end and what better thing to do than make something? For this particular occasion I decided that scones seemed like a good idea so set off in search of the perfect recipe – Pinterest is great tool for research! I happened upon this one for Cranberry Orange Scones which looked like they might go particularly well with a cup of tea while catching up with a friend. And they did! Soft, fluffy and buttery with the perfect hint of orange (I had even added a bit more than suggested in the recipe), chewy cranberries and, actually, not overly sweet.

    fullsizeoutput_7beNow that I have this recipe tested I should be able to take the basic recipe and create my own flavours. As they say, practise makes perfect!

    Ingredients for the scones:

    • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 2 tbsp sugar
    • 1 tbsp baking powder
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 1/2 tbsp grated orange zest (from 1/2 orange)
    • 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into chunks
    • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
    • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream + 1 tbsp to brush the top
    • 3/4 cup dried cranberries
    • 1 tbsp coarse/raw sugar to sprinkle the top, optional

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    Ingredients for the glaze:

    • 2/3 cup powdered sugar
    • 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

    How to make:

    Makes 12. Preheat oven to 400˚F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

    1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and grated orange zest. Add the butter pieces and use a pastry cutter (or 2 knives, or hands like I did) to cut the butter into the mixture until you have coarse pea-sized crumbs.
    2. Toss in the dried cranberries and stir gently to combine. Make a well in the centre and set aside.
    3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and use a spatula to stir until just moistened.
    4. Turn the dough out onto a generously floured surface and pull it together into a round disk, about 3/4″ thick. (Note – it doesn’t have to be perfect, in fact it looks more home-made when uneven and rough looking!)
    5. Cut the disk into 12 equal wedges and pull apart slightly. Brush the tops of scones with 1 tbsp of heavy cream and sprinkle the top with raw sugar, if desired.
    6. Bake for 15-17 minutes until golden.
    7. Place the scones on a wire cooling rack and let cool for 15 minutes.
    8. Whisk together the powdered sugar and the freshly squeezed orange juice, adding more or less for desired thickness, and then drizzle over cranberry scones.
    9. Eat and enjoy!

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