Tag Archives: snacks

Mini Blueberry Loaves

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To me, the best part of summer is the large variety of fruits we get to enjoy, berries, watermelon, peaches, etc. And blueberry is our no.1 favourite ! Every summer, we can easily go through over 30 pounds of blueberries!  There are many blueberry farms in our area, fresh, local, sweet and at a very reasonable price. How can I resist ? And as a baker, how can I not bake with them ?!  Again, I tried to use less sugar. So, I used use vanilla-flavoured almond milk instead of milk and added some honey, and was very pleased with the result !
I asked my daughter, who is my “art director” for my blog, to draw me something with blueberries and here is what she came up with ! I guess she is right, blueberries made you happy and healthy rather than blue ! 

You Aren't Blue

Makes about 6-8 mini loaves

  • 150 g fresh blueberries 
  • 270 g all-purpose flour + extra for coating blueberries 
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder 
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt 
  • 120 g unsalted butter, at room temperature 
  • 60 g granulated sugar 
  • 2 large eggs
  • 100 mL vanilla-flavoured almond milk 
  • 60 mL honey
  • 15 mL lemon juice 
  • 5 mL pure vanilla extract 
  • zest of half a lemon
  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF
  2. Sift together flour,baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside 
  3. Coat blueberries with about a tablespoon of flour, set aside 
  4. Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until fluffy 
  5. Add eggs, honey, almond milk, lemon juice and vanilla
  6. Add flour mixture in 2 portions, mix until blended, scraping sides and bottom of mixing bowl (it’s ok if batter is slightly lumpy)
  7. Gently fold in blueberries and lemon zest
  8. Spoon batter into slightly greased and floured mini loaf pans
  9. Bake for about 20 minutes 
  10. Cool for about 10 minutes in pans, then completely on rack 

Mini Blueberry Loaves

 

 

Dates Bars

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Dates are sweet, delicious and nutritious. They are a good source of fibre, vitamin B, iron and many more. Medjool dates are of better quality but I just used regular dried dates from the bulk section of a grocery store, and it came out fine. I actually prefer eating medjool dates on their own to fully enjoy the goodness. I got a box of Trader Joe’s medjool dates for X’mas from my friend and I munched them all within a week!

Makes about 16 squares
Total time = 75 minutes

  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup demerara or brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 120 g unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
  • 400 g pitted dates, diced
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF
  2. In a mixing bowl, mix together oats, flour, sugar, baking soda and salt 
  3. Rub in butter with hands until resembles coarse crumbs
  4. Place half of crust in a 8 inch x 10 inch baking pan (or pan of choice) lined with greased parchment paper
  5. Press firmly and evenly
  6. Bake for about 15 minutes, let cool
  7. Meanwhile, cook dates and water in a non-stick pot over medium heat about 15 minutes until thickened
  8. Turn heat off, stir in vanilla and let cool slightly
  9. Spread dates paste evenly on top of baked crust
  10. Sprinkle remaining crust mixture (just a thin and even layer)
  11. Bake for about 25 minutes until golden
  12. Cool completely before cutting into squares

Pinwheel Cookies

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I found this pinwheel recipe in my big recipe binder the other day. I don’t even remember when and how I got it as it was hand-written by me!? Perhaps it was from a friend? All I remember was I’ve made it once and it tasted good ! The original recipe was a chocolate pinwheel . I added some pink colour instead and made them into Valentine’s cookies !  

Makes about 3 dozens

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg white for brushing
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • food colouring
  • vanilla sugar or granulated sugar for sprinkling (optional, to make cookies shinier)
  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF
  2. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt, set aside
  3. Using an electric mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy
  4. Add 1 egg, lemon juice and vanilla extract
  5. Add flour mixture in 2-3 portions, mix until blended
  6. Divide dough into two halves, add food coloring to one part, knead to mix in color
  7. Roll out each half to about 1/8 inch in thickness between 2 sheets of parchment paper
  8. Remove the two top sheets of parchment paper 
  9. Brush plain dough with egg white
  10. Carefully invert coloured dough and place on top, roll gently with a rolling-pin to adhere
  11. Remove top sheet of parchment paper and trip off uneven edges
  12. Slowly roll up two sheets (like a Swiss roll)
  13. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until firm
  14. Using a sharp knife, cut into slices about 1/8-1/4 inch in thickness (you may need to gently reshape the cookies into circles)
  15. Sprinkle top with vanilla sugar or granulated sugar if desired
  16. Place on cookie svheets lined with parchment paper
  17. Bake for about 8 minutes
  18. Cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes, then completely on rack

Sweet Potato Honey Muffins

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One of my goals this year is to use less sugar in my recipes without compromising flavours.  Japanese sweet potatoes have red skin and light yellow flesh.  They are a good source of vitamin A, C and dietary fibre. They taste very sweet, so you don’t really need to add much sweetener.  I only added some honey and they came out super tasty ! They are very healthy too !   

Makes about 10-12 muffins

  • 240 g mashed Japanese sweet potatoes
  • 1+1/4 cups cake and pastry flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 100 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 eggs
  • 240 mL milk
  • 100 g plain Greek yogurt
  • 6 tablespoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

To prepare the sweet potato

  1. Cut sweet potatoes into large chunks
  2. Prick with a fork a few times
  3. Bake in an 400ºF oven until soft, about 45 minutes to 1 hour
  4. Peel and mash, cool and set aside

To make the muffins

  1. Preheat oven to 375ºF
  2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, set aside
  3. Blend mashed sweet potatoes, milk and honey to make a puree
  4. Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter until fluffy
  5. Mix in eggs, yoghurt, vanilla and sweet potato puree
  6. Add flour mixture, mix until just blended, do not over mix (it is fine if mixture is slightly lumpy)
  7. Pour batter into muffin tins lined with slightly greased paper or silicone muffin cups
  8. Bake for about 20-22 minutes

Lemon Raisin Scones

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I fell in love with lemon lately! I add it to many of my recipes, e.g. pies, cakes, muffins, smoothies, etc. It just makes them taste a lot better!  It is also an acid, so when it’s combined with baking soda, it helps to rise your dough.  I’ve drizzled some lemon glaze on top of these scones, but they taste amazing even with just butter.  You can have them for breakfast or afternoon tea. I actually had one for lunch too!

Makes about 8 scones
Total time = 2 hours

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
  • 1 egg (beaten)
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 +1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • zest of 1 large lemon
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  1. Preheat oven to 375ºF
  2. Add lemon juice to milk and let sit for a few minutes
  3. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt
  4. Mix in sugar
  5. Cut in butter by pastry cutter or rub in by hands until resembles coarse crumbs 
  6. Add lemon zest and raisins
  7. Add egg,milk with lemon juice and vanilla extract, mix until blended
  8. Transfer dough to a floured surface, and press together to form a round disc about 1/2 inch thick
  9. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour
  10. Cut disc into about 8 triangular wedges (like cutting a pizza) 
  11. Bake on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper for about 20 minutes
  12. Serve warm with butter or lemon glaze

For the lemon glaze

  • 1+1/4 cup icing sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
  1. Sift icing sugar
  2. Whisk in lemon juice, water and lemon zest until smooth

Nutella Rice Crispy Square

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Rice crispy square is one of my kids’ favourite snacks and it is so easy to make.  Adding a little Nutella to the recipe makes them even yummier ! 

  • 50 g unsalted butter
  • 3 cups mini marshmallows
  • 1/2 cup Nutella spread
  • 5 cups crispy rice cereal
  1. Melt butter and marshmallows in a non-stick pot over low heat
  2. Add Nutella, mix until blended
  3. Remove from heat and stir in rice cereal
  4. Pour into a 9×13 baking pan lined with parchment paper
  5. Press firmly and evenly
  6. Cut into squares when cooled

Coconut Macaroons

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Macaroons are cookies made of shredded coconut. Don’t mix them up of macarons which are the French sandwich cookies. Macaroons are crispy on the outside and chewy inside. You can dress these cute little balls up with melted chocolate (dark or white).

Makes about 24-30
Total time = 30 minutes

  • 4 egg whites
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 360 g unsweetened shredded coconut
  1. Preheat oven to 325°F
  2. Using a stand or hand-held mixer, beat egg whites, sugar and vanilla for about 3 minutes until frothy
  3. Mix in coconut (mixture should be wet but not too sticky)
  4. With the help of a rounded spoon or an ice cream scooper,  shape coconut mixture into balls and place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper
  5. Bake for about 14-15 minutes until golden brown
  6. Cool and drizzle with melted chocolate if desired

Fruit Juice Jello

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I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like jello, even my dad likes them !  You can enjoy them without adding any artificial colours or flavours.

  • 4 cups pure fruit juice (mango, grape, apple, etc)
  • 4 envelopes or tablespoons of unflavoured gelatin powder
  • Honey or sugar to sweeten if needed
  1. In a large bowl, sprinkle gelatin powder over 1 cup of fruit juice, let sit for a few minutes
  2. Heat the other 3 cups of juice over medium heat until boil
  3. Pour boiled juice into gelatin mixture and stir until gelatin completely dissolved
  4. Add honey or sugar according to your taste if needed
  5. Pour into molds or small cups and put in fridge until set, overnight or about 3 hours, enjoy!

Try to use sweeter juices like mango or pear, so you don’t even need to add sugar.  Dip bottom of molds in warm water for a few seconds for easy removal.