Sticky Walnut Tart

A warm winter treat, perfect with creme fraiche or ice cream. Walnuts, one of the best plant sources of protein, rich in fiber, B vitamins, magnesium and antioxidants such as Vitamin E. Great eaten as a desert after a meal, walnuts carry a high content of omega 3 fattcy acids, known to lower cholesterol levels.

Chewy Gingernuts

I love anything to do with ginger especially in the winter months, the smell, the taste, compliment this time of the year. So today I made these simple gingernuts with molasses.

Pineapple Cream Slices

Yum, yum, yum, indulgence, indulgence :):) ...an absolute treat and very easy to make!

250g sweet biscuit crumbs

125g butter, melted

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

TOPPING

450g crushed pineapple

1Tbsp Gelatine

1/4 cup Castor Sugar

200g Cream Cheese

1Tbsp Lemon juice

200g cream

1/4 cup crushed nuts

Grease a loose base pan 19cm x29cm

Combine biscuits, butter and cinnamon in a bowl, reserve 1/4 cup crumbs for topping. Press remaining crumbs into prepared pan, refrigerate for 30mins. Pour topping over base, sprinkle with reserved crumbs and crushed nuts, refrigerate until firm. Make slices.

Topping: Drain pineapple, reserve 1/2 cup syrup. Combine syrup, gelatine and sugar in saucepan, stir constantly over heat without boiling until gelatine and sugar are dissolved, cool. Add cream cheese, stir in lemon juice, pineapple, cream and gelatine mixture.

Keep refrigerated, will keep for 2 days.

Heart Cookies

Today I baked some heart shaped cookies, I used my regular recipe for these for the plain cookies, but added cherries and grated chocolate to give variance. You can leave these plain as I did, or decorate as you wish, with melted chocolate or royal icing.

Chocolate Peppermint Hearts

These are really the equivalent of After Eights - great after dinner with coffee. You will really impress with these!

The recipe seems long winded, but the effort you put into these is definitely worth the time, and the result is wonderful. So this is what you need:

2/3 cup self - raising flour
2 Tbsp cocoa

1/4 tsp soda bicarbonate

1/3 cup castor sugar

30g butter/margarine

1/3 cup cup water

1 egg

Grease a swiss roll pan and line with greaseproof paper. Sift dry ingredients together, add butter and water and mix with electric mixer till well combined for 2 minutes. Add egg and mix well. Spread mixture into prepared pan and bake for 20mins in moderate oven; cool in pan.

Spread base with filling, refrigerate till set. spread with topping, once set, cut into heart shapes with cutter.

PEPPERMINT FILLING
Combine 2 and quarter cup icing sugar, sifted with 1 Tbsp oil in a heatproof bowl, stir in approximately 3 Tbsps milk to make a paste. Flavour with essence. Stir over hot water till spreadable.

TOPPING

Melt 125g chocolate with 90g unsalted butter over hot water.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Here it is....it turned out perfect!

100g Margarine

80g castor sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

100g plain flour

1 tsp Baking powder

2 Tbsp syrup from pineapple

Topping:

50g softened butter

50g brown sugar

sliced pineapple

cherries

Firstly prepare the topping:

Melt the butter and sugar together until caramelised, making sure the pan is well covered all over. I use a 25cm round tin. Arrange the pineapple slices around the base and place a cherry in each centre. Leave aside.

Cream together the margarine and sugar till light, add eggs one at time and the vanilla essence. Beat well. Fold in dry ingredients, add the pineapple syrup, mix well for 1 minute.

Bake in a preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. Cool before turning out.

Healthy Oat Bars

In todays hectic world, we often turn to health bars when we are on the go. What we dont realise is the amount of sugar content in these, and the addtives contained within. For this reason I have compiled a basic recipe with jungle oats that is easy and quick to make, and wont leave you with the guilt of sugar indulgence:

2 cups Jungle Oats

1 cup flour

2 cups coconut

1 and a half cup icing sugar

250g margarine

1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda

2 Tbsp Golden syrup

Grease a baking tray.

Melt the margarine over low heat, add the golden syrup and stir till combined.

Combine all the dry ingredients together and pour in the liquid mix.

Mix well together and spread the mixture in the tray, pat it down, keeping it at least 3 inches thick. Bake in preheated oven for around 30minutes, let cool for 5 minutes and slice before it cools completely.

You can substitute sunflower seeds or sesame seeds for 1 cup of the coconut....or anything else that takes your fancy - be creative!