Homemade Bircher Muesli

One of my goals for this summer is to become a bit healthier and something that I have always struggled with is eating a healthy and wholesome breakfast everyday. I'm glad to say that over the last couple of weeks I have become a lot better at actually putting some effort into breakfast! I've made my own muesli and have been making lots of fruit smoothies and now my mum has started making homemade bircher muesli, which I am loving! It is so delicious that I thought I would share a recipe with you that you might like to try for yourself! 

Ingredients: 

- Rolled oats 

- Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

- LSA 

- Palm sugar

- Milk (I use soy milk which I think works really well!) 

Method:

To keep it simple, it is a good idea to just use a jar to put all of the ingredients in! A basic guide is to fill up the jar 3/4s of the way with the rolled oats, pumpkin seeds (as many as you like, it gives the muesli a nice crunch!) and LSA (only a tiny amount, about a teaspoon, is needed), and then fill the jar up to the brim with the milk. To finish sprinkle some palm sugar on top and leave it in the fridge for at least an hour (it's best when left over night!). Feel free to add whatever you like, that's one of the best things about muesli, there are so many different variations! Enjoy!  

Caramel Slice

I love sweet treats and caramel slice is one of my all time favourites! Recently I have found the perfect caramel slice recipe in the book Afternoon Tea by Frankie Magazine and thought I would share it with you. The Afternoon Treats book is such a lovely book but unfortunately isn't in stock anymore but you can by a digital copy for your Ipad here. 

Ingredients:
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup loosely packed brown sugar
1/2 desiccated coconut
125g butter + 60g extra
2 tablespoons golden syrup
395g condensed milk 
125g milk chocolate 
60g Copha

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C and grease a shallow baking tin approximately 18 x 28 cms.
2. Sift flour into a mixing bowl then add sugar and coconut and stir to combine. Melt 125g of butter and add to dry ingredients. Mix until well combined then press mixture into tin, making it as even as possible.

3. Bake for approximately 15 minutes until golden brown.

4. While the base is baking, melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan over a low heat. Add syrup and condensed milk and mix well until combined. Pour over baked base and return for the oven to bake for around 8 minutes or until bubbles appear on top. Set aside until cooled.

5. While the slice is cooling, melt the chocolate and Copha in a tight fitting bowl over a simmering pot of water, just ensure the bowl and water are not in contact. Stir until mixture is melted and combined then pour over slice. Chill until chocolate mixture is set.

There you have it, the best recipe for delicious caramel slice! Enjoy! 

Cookie Swap

A couple of weeks ago Amanda, from Here Comes the Sun, posted about a cookie swap that she was a part of on her blog. My friends Coby, Kristy, Natalie and I decided it looked so cute and delicious that we would have one of our very own! It was so fun chatting and sipping on yummy tea, and the cookies were to die for! Today I thought I would share my cookie recipe (that I found here) for you to have have a try! 

Chocolate Truffle Cookies

250g 70% cocoa chocolate (broken) 
60g cocoa powder
110g butter

3 eggs

200g caster sugar

1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

75g plain flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

150g dairy milk chocolate (chopped into small chunks) 

Combine broken chocolate pieces, cocoa powder and butter in metal bowl and place over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally till the chocolate and butter has melted. Remove from heat, stir to combine and set aside to cool. 
Beat eggs and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Beat in vanilla extract and the chocolate mixture.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Add flour mixture to the butter mixture together with the chopped chocolate and stir till just combined.

Cover the dough and chill for 3 hours. - I put mine in the freezer for 30 minutes instead.

Roll the dough into small tablespoon sized balls and place 5cm apart on baking paper lined trays.

Bake for 10 minutes at 180 degrees (c) and then leave them to cool for a bit. - They taste SUPER good still warm from the oven.