Breakfast casserole

2c rolled oats 
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup walnut pieces
1 cup raspberries {any berries work, I used frozen blueberries}
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 cups milk
1 egg
40g butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 ripe banana, peeled, 1/2-inch slices

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, half the walnuts, half the strawberries and half the chocolate. (Save the other half of strawberries, walnuts and chocolate for the top of the oatmeal).
In another large bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, butter and vanilla.

Add the oat mixture to prepared baking dish. Arrange the remaining strawberries, walnuts and chocolate on top. Add the banana slices to the top then pour the milk mixture over everything. Gently shake the baking dish to help the milk mixture go throughout the oats.
Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is nicely golden brown and the milk mixture has set. For an extra tasty top, sprinkle a tablespoon or so of extra brown sugar (I put some white chocolate chips on top of mine with the banana, naughty!) 

Just like last time I baked with oats, this didn't stick. I ended up freezing it, and cut it from frozen, so it stayed together. Am I using the wrong oats!? I haven't eaten this either, except for when I sliced it- I microwaved it from frozen and it fell apart and I had to eat it with a spoon. It was okay, but not fantastic. Tom likes it, but I'm sure we all know by now that he isn't picky! I'm over baking with oats. Won't be doing it again *sulks*

Snickerdoodles

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon cinnamon for dipping

Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add egg and vanilla, mixing well until combine, about 2 minutes. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix until dough comes together. Add in milk. If dough is still crumbly, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until it comes together (I only had to use 1tbsp). Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In a bowl combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Remove dough from fridge and roll into big 1 1/2 inch balls. Dip in cinnamon sugar mixture and place on baking sheet. Lightly press down on dough to flatten it. Bake at 180deg C for 10-12 minutes. 

Hmmm... These smelt delicious, but I can now confirm that I do not like cinnamon. Interestingly I can pin-point the exact moment in my life at which I was put off cinnamon. But that is beside the point, the boys all enjoyed these cookies, don't be alarmed that they look uncooked when you take them out of the own - the outside crisps up, and the inside stays soft. 

Banana cake

125 g Butter
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla
2 very ripe Bananas
¼ cup Milk
¾ cup Sugar
1½ cups Self-raising flour

- Melt butter, sugar and vanilla in a saucepan and leave to cool.
- mash bananas, add to butter and stir until combined
- Add egg, mix well and stir in flour
- Add milk and mix lightly
- Bake at 170deg C for 40 mins or until knife comes out clean 

Yes, this cake is short. No, I didn't screw it up. The original recipe didn't specify what size tin to use, so I used my large(r) tin - turns out that was the wrong choice. Use a small one. I also used 3 bananas instead of 2, so I am told it is nice and flavoursome, and I iced it with vanilla-grapefruit icing. Banana cake is always yummy anyway! 

Swedish tea ring

 I made the dough in the breadmaker, with the following ingredients...
3t yeast
250g white flour
4T sugar
4T butter (60gm)
3T milk powder
1t salt
230ml water

-When dough is done, roll out flat to a 30cmx50cm square
-Brush over surface of dough with 2t melted butter
- Combine 2t cinnamon and 1/2c brown sugar and sprinkle over dough
- With the long edge towards you, roll into a log and twist log into a circle.
- Place on baking tray and slice into the ring, as below, and twist each segment slightly.

- Cover with plastic wrap and sit somewhere warm (30deg C) for 30 mins

- Brush with beaten egg, bake at 180deg C for 15-25 mins or until golden brown

Optional: ice with vanilla icing

Yum! Mine is still quite doughy, so I put it back in the oven for a little bit. Maybe I should have put it on fan bake, or maybe it's because I put it in the hot water cupboard for half an hour and then realised the cupboard wasn't warm... So I sat in the warm (but turned off) oven for 20 mins or so. But anyway, it tastes good, and I'll attempt it again in a few weeks and learn from my mistakes. 

Oreo & cream cheese truffles

1 packet of oreos
350gm cream cheese
1 packet of cooking chocolate (I used white chocolate buttons, made of cooking chocolate formula)

-Blend the oreos into fine crumbs
- Add cream cheese and stir/squash with the spoon until the mixture is moist, but firm.
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave
- Roll oreo mixture into balls, drop into the melted chocolate and fish it out with a spoon (saves the mess, trust me on this one!)
- Put onto a tray with baking paper, and refrigerate for at least a few hours

These are DELISH! I was addicted from the first bite. This is my second time making them now, and the first time was almost a disaster. The mixture was a bit too dry and falling apart in the white chocolate, and we ended up with a bowl of 60% white chocolate and 40% oreo remnants. So this time I learnt to make it moist, and use a spoon (well actually, the spoon was Tom's idea). Bring on morning tea tomorrow!

Chocolate fudge cake

5 medium eggs
2 cups of caster sugar
1½ cups of mayonnaise
2 ½ cups of plain flour
¾ cup of cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2/3 cup of tepid water

- Preheat oven to 145deg C or 125 deg C if on fan bake
- Use electric beater to mix eggs and sugar for the duration of 1 song, until ingredients are white and fluffy
- Mix in mayonnaise on low speed until well combined
- Sieve dry ingredients together and add to egg mix. Combine on low speed and gradually add water
- Pour into a greased 22cm cake tin, preferrably a spring loaded tin. Bake for 1 hour and 20 mins approx or until knife comes out clean 

I'm not a fan of regular chocolate cakes, it always has to be "brownie" or "fudge" or "mud". I'm also not afraid to have weird stuff in cakes (i.e. mayonnaise) because I once had a cake which had blended kidney beans instead of flour and it was AMAZING. So I'll try anything once. However it wasn't until the cake was in the oven and my brother-in-law asked whether the recipe called for whole egg mayonnaise or normal (I know NOTHING about mayonnaise!) that I began to doubt myself. And this was Tom's birthday cake, so it had to be nothing short of perfect. 

I am told the cake is definitely fudgey, and it also weighs a tonne! I iced with chocolate butter icing, 250gm butter at room temperature, 500g icing sugar and 3/4c cocoa. This icing doesn't completely harden, but it doesn't stay so liquidy either. 

I think it was a success, and I was assured you can't taste the mayo! 

Choc fudge brownie muffins

• 250 g butter, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 cups caster sugar
• 1 1/4 cups plain flour
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 12 pieces chocolate, good quality

- Preheat oven to 180deg C

- Place butter and sugar in a saucepan and heat on element until butter is melted

- Sift flour, baking powder and cocoa together. Make a well in the middle and add eggs/vanilla

- Pour in butter mixture. Stir gently with a whisk

- Spoon into muffin cases, place a piece of chocolate (I used mini moro bars cut into quarters) in the centre of each

- Bake for 20 mins until firm, cool, then put on cooling rack. 

I can't get past how ugly they are. I didn't push the Moro bars to the bottom, because I didn't want the muffin cup to turn into a gloopy mess. However, this back fired because the Moro bar rose to the top of the muffin. At least I know for next time! They're really easy to make, and worth using 4 eggs I think, because Tom actually said they're the best muffins ever! Success!