Apple Walnut Loaf

I was looking for a recipe that could use up some Granny Smith apples that were not fresh enough to eat as is but were looking to be cooked.  I stumble upon a great recipe by Inspired Taste and have tweaked it to my taste and how we cook things at home.  I've made this a few times and it always turns out great.  Delicious on it's own, it is also amazing with a slather of butter!

Ingredients:

4 Granny Smith apples, peeled (about 450 grams)

25 grams granulated sugar

100 grams brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

190 grams plain flour - I use a freshly milled wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup neutral oil like vegetable oil or grape seed oil

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup of roughly chopped Walnuts

How to:

• PREPARE BATTER

1Center a rack in the oven and heat to 170 celsius.  Line a  8 1/2-inch-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pan with parchment paper 

2Peel and core the apples then use a box grater and shred them. Add the shredded apples to a large bowl.

3Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg to the apples and mix well. Set the bowl aside for 10 to 15 minutes. As they sit, the apples will release quite a bit of liquid.

4While the apples sit with the sugar and spices, prepare the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk or sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda together.

5When the apples are ready, stir in the oil, beaten eggs, vanilla, until well blended.

6Use a large rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then add the dry ingredients in three parts, stirring gently until they disappear and the batter is smooth. Stir in nuts.

• TO FINISH

1Pour batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake 55 to 65 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.

2After 30 minutes in the oven, check the bread for color. If it looks like it is browning too quickly, loosely cover with aluminum foil.

3When the bread is done, transfer it, in the pan, to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the bread and place right side up on the rack. Cool completely before slicing.

Berry Choc Mega Muffins

I do love a big muffin!  It feels cafe like and really, living in a 2 person household, having 6 muffins to eat seems better than 12.

I have made this recipe with frozen mixed berries as well which is also amazing, just make sure that your berries haven't been sitting around in the freezer and are all icy as the water content will be too much. 

Ingredients

• 260 g self-raising flour
• 110 g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 50 g vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 230 ml milk
• 250 g frozen raspberries
• 90 g white chocolate baking chips

How to:

• Pre-heat oven to 180ºC and line  a large 6-muffin tray with individual pieces of baking paper.  I like the ready to go version you can get from the supermarket.
• Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and stir in the sugar. Form a well in the centre.
• Lightly whisk the egg, oil, vanilla and milk until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour and sugar well and gently fold together with a metal spoon until just combined. Add the raspberries and white chocolate chips and gently fold to combine, being careful not to over-mix.
• Spoon the mixture evenly into the muffin pan and bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes .
• Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.