EASY CRUNCHIES

Don't you just hate it when a recipe doesn't work? I understand that when it comes to baking you will always have slight variances due to different altitudes, slight differences in ovens, size of pan etc. but sometimes it is just so wrong that you wonder if the recipe was ever made by the author.

Today was one of those days.  I had an hour or so to myself this afternoon and decided to make some crunchies for the biscuit tin.  I turned to one of my favourite cookery books - Home Cooking by Francois Ferreira.  What could go wrong with a simple recipe for crunchies? 

I first looked at the quantity for the dry ingredients and thought it looked far too much for the amount that I wanted to make - 1 kg of oats!!  I decided to halve the quantity and it was still a lot but everyone loves crunchies so I thought it wouldn't be a problem to make a big batch.  As I had halved the dry ingredients I then halved the liquid ingredients.  It was completely wrong - I ended up using 4 times the amount in the recipe book.  How can it be so wrong in a published book - don't they use proof readers?  Anyway - the end result was delicious .  Crunchy and chewy - perfect with a glass of milk. 

Here is Francois Ferreira's much adapted recipe:

EASY CRUNCHIES

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes

Yield: 30 biscuits

Ingredients

• 125g butter
• 200g sugar
• 15 ml golden syrup
• 5 ml bicarbonate of soda
• 80g oats
• 100g plain flour
• 50g desiccated coconut

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Heat the butter, sugar and syrup in a pot until the butter has melted.
3. Add the bicarbonate of soda to the hot ingredients.
4. Place the remaining dry ingredients in a bowl and pour on the hot mixture.
5. Mix until well combined.
6. Press into a baking tray (24cm x 34cm).
7. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until golden.
8. Cut while hot and leave to cool in the tray.

Written by : Angela Darroch       

BIRCHER MUESLI

There is something very satisfying about having a bowl of oats porridge in the morning.  Aside from tasting good it is so healthy for you - you only have to Google 'benefits of oats' to find pages and pages of reasons to eat oats.  My only problem with a bowl of oats porridge is that it seems more suited to a cold, wintry morning.  Now that summer is here we need something a bit lighter but just as healthy.   A bowl of Bircher muesli is the answer - just don't forget to prepare it the night before.

BIRCHER MUESLI

For the printable version - click here

Prep time: 15 minutes plus overnight for chilling

Yield: 2 servings

 

Ingredients

• 200g oats
• 200 ml apple juice
• 1 Granny Smith apple
• 75 ml plain yoghurt
• 25 ml raisins
• 125g seasonal fresh fruit
• 25g almonds
• runny honey

 

Cooking Directions

1. Place the oats in a bowl and pour the apple juice over to cover and moisten.
2. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and chill overnight, in the fridge.
3. Just before serving, core the apple and then coarsely grate.
4. Mix the apple into the oats together with the raisins.
5. Add the yoghurt and mix well.
6. Serve in individual bowls topped with fruit, nuts and drizzled with honey.

Written by: Angela Darroch