**Banoffee** A Delightful Dessert

A heartily hello to all my loving members and followers 😊

Gosh it’s like ages that i‘ve uploaded my recipes here, a mix of everything  busyness, short of time at hand and somewhere laziness :D But you all were never forgotten! 

I was trying out new jobs now and then, routine cooking was on but writing down the recipes had to take a back seat   :/

I had gathered all the pictures i used to take but never got to sort them out and so, many of them were on a hold. 

Today i’m sharing  the recipe of this droolicious dessert *Banoffee* which is loved by my family and friends and i make it on just extra occasions knowing the sweet after effects of it 😊 

I actually never measure what i use, a time comes where you really do all automatically and then just hope that it turns out best :) but this time i tried to at least have a few measurements so it’s easy for you to follow.

 

Banoffee is a famous British Dessert, a mix of Toffee and Banana, Biscuits and Cream and it’s very simple and easy to make, in fact the best if you await guests and you have all the ingredients at home, you can make it ahead, but it needs few hours to settle, say like 4-5 hours, It can be kept overnight but it’s important that you take it out from the refrigerator at least 15-minutes before you have to serve it, why? because the toffee  softens a bit and you get the real *melt in mouth* effect.

I’ve not used  extra sugar in it as the condence milk is sweet enough, the biscuits are also sweet, not to forget the bananas too 😊

I just used a little amount of Vanila sugar for the double cream coating.

Before i start with the ingredients i’d like to mention that many use caramelized condence milk which saves a lot of time, but i must say the toffee we make by letting the  condence milk tin boil around 2-2 ½ hours in the pot, is THE Toffee ever! ( i tred the ready made one too but that was the first and last ime! It’s not even close to what the toffee is made after being cooked in water.

So before you get started on this recipe, place the tin in a deep pot where you can cover it with water, the tin HAS to be uder the water to get an even result, it has to keep simmering in the hot water at least 2  hours, and then it forms this lovely brown caramel which is divine!!!

 

IMPORTANT: Please do not open the tin immediately as the toffee will be on a boiling point and can shoot out,so please let it stay 5-8 minutes and then open the tin carefully

So now we can start to prepare the rest:

The ingredients you need are:

For a 28inch baking form:

16-20 Digestive biscuits (plain)

100 gram of soft butter

1 tin of condenced milk (for the toffee)

2 large or 3 medium sized bananas

2 tblsp lemon juice

1 pack of double cream ( i had a 250ml pack)

2 sachets of vanila sugar ( make hardly 1level tblsp)

2tblsp of a mix form ½ and ½ coffee powder and cacoa powder

Shaving of any good chocolate bar( i used the mix of dark and normal choc bar)

 

-put the biscuits in a large freezer bag. Either with a zip or just simply put a clip to close

                                         -crush them with a rolling pin

I don’t like when they are crushed into to fine powder, i like the chunks in them, upto you how you want your base.

-now mix the crsuhed biscuits with the butter till you get a nice smooth mixture.

-i used a baking pan so i can open it easily,  of course you can use a dish for pie too.

-spread the mixture evenly in the pan, and press all sides with a help of a flat spoon or a spatulla so that the base is even all around

-put it in the fridge to settle at least ½ an hour.

-In the mean time the toffee is ready

-Peel and cut the bananas in fine round slices and toss them in the lemon  juice so they will not turn brown and will stay fresh yellowish

-beat the double cream adding the vanila sugar in it and beat till peaks form, keep aside

Now take out the base you made from the fridge and spread the  warm toffee mixture evenly over it, use a small spoon to spread it on the whole base

( beofre you spread the toffee, do whisk it gently with a fork so the toffee is smooth and even and spreads easily)!!

-now lay the sliced bananas on the top

-spread the ready whisked cream so that the top is all covered from each end

-sprinkle the coffee/choc mixture with the help of a tea sieve according to your choice and then some shavings directly on the top as much as you like 😊

-Let the Banoffee chill in the fridge 4-5 hours and then ejoy it with a cuppa tea 😊

* Do not count the calories

*Forget you have a weighing machine

*Enjoy these moments and just be happy 😊

 

 

**It’s Cookie Time**

While enjoying the beautiful chill Autumn Sunday at home today, i was surfing through my recipes and thought it is time to start thinking of the baking sessions in Winter :)

I am so looking forward to it as i love the Fall and Winter, the cold chilly eves in front of the heaters wrapped up in woolen shawls and knitted socks with a large cup of hot coffee or hot milk with honey holding with both hands absorbing the heat through it and taking a sip and enjoying the atmosphere with candles... Phu i just love it!!!

I planned to re-load my recipes of the differents cookies i usually bake and many of you loved them and baked them too, so may be this will give you some motivation to get set to bake soon :)

So here's my most favorite cookies recipes which are a must bake each year :D

My last post was some time 2 months ago,though i have been cooking but you know that moment where you hardly have the time even to eat properly let aside taking pics :D

But here i am with the Seasonal Goodies 

Winter brings cravings of all what is sweet fluffy buttery and heartwarming and not to forget the cals but; honestly are we even thinking about it  :)D

Chocolates are always there to be gobbled when it’s cold and freezy, but the delish taste and aroma of fresh baked cookies is simply out of this world, heavenly unbeatable.

I  spent the last three days playing around with different doughs :)

Don't get irritated with the different Colors of the Pictures as i have used two different cameras

My actuall Cam is on a journey now a days :)

I mostly make the ones which are requested from my family and friends sort of “Block Buster” lol .

So the most favorite are always the Date Rings and the Cranberry/White Choc and these are always in my hit list.

I made a new batch of cookies this time with Coconut and lemon zest and lemon oil, and some chewy Orange peel/Walnuts they are really very tasty, the combination of lemon with coconut and the orangy touch feels really yummy good.  I think I will change my sides and stand with the Orange Cookies :)

I will just jot down the recipes under each Cookie precisely and short, so try it out and enjoy your winter eves like me :)

Oh yes I’d like to  mention here  that I have  used all organic ingredients here, specially for the cookies as the flour is really the main ingredient and it makes a difference visibly, but of course the plain all-purpose flour is also very good, nothing against it as I have been using that for ages and ages but with the passing time I have skipped to many organic things, especially after attending the seminars and knowing what all comes under the name “Refined” I try to avoid  chemically refined stuff as far as possible :)

As I always write in my notes, Always the Best for our “Machinery” it has to carry us a long long way :)

Okay back to the recipe:

Cranberry/White Choc Cookies

An all time runner and loved for its chewy structure

The important thing is not to bake it too long, when the recipe says 8-10 minutes then it actually is 8-10 and not 10-12 minutes as we usually tend to exceed the given time

But yes exactly these two minutes do make a great difference!

My experience speaks here :)

As you take them out from the oven they may seem a bit raw but no worries they are cooked and  are just too soft and crusty  and be careful  they are not to be shifted immediately so give them a  2-3 minutes  cooling time and then shift it with the help of a spatula over to the cooling wire.

Here’s how to make them:

180 g soft butter

100g sugar

1 large egg

2 tbs brown sugar

2tsp Vanila extract

250g Ap Flour (plain flour)

1 ½ tsp cornstarch

1/4 tsp level baking soda

2-3 pinches salt

150g of mixed cranberry/white choc together

70 g nuts of your choice, I chopped walnuts and almonds  to add in

-beat the butter till fluffy white

-add the sugar and beat again

-add the egg, beat well, it will seem crumbly, it’s normal don’t panic or throw it away :D

-sieve the flour, corn starch baking soda and mix in slowly and keep beating till all forms a  very sticky dough

-Drop in the vanilla extract and mix in the dried ingreidients: White Choc and Cranberries

-Wrap it in a cling and keep in the fridge for at least an hour

This dough has to be chilled before you work on it as it is too soft and needs to set.

Take out of the fridge and let it come to the room temperature but not too warm or else it will be difficult to handle.

You can either roll it out or cut out cookies with the cutter or just roll is into a thick roller pin and cut squares with a sharp knife or you can also make tiny balls and place them on the tray, they will spread and form a nice round cookie while being baked

Best is to use a parchment paper to have a smooth flat structure, besides it’s easy to slip them out of the tray.

Bake these in a preheated oven on 180°C for ONLY 8-10 minutes!

After taking them out of the oven, allow them to 

cool down and then sprinkle some castor sugar 

on them , it’s optional, your own choice

They stay soft and delish in a good tight Tin Container

Coconut /Lemon Cookies

120g soft butter              

150g sugar

1 large egg

1 ½ cups plain flour ( Approxi  200 grams)

1/4 tsp level baking powder

½ tsp vanilla extract

2 pinches of salt

Zest of one lemon

1 tbs lemon oil

100g desiccated coconut powder

3-4 tbs castor sugar for coating

-combine butter andsugar and beat fluffy

-add the egg vaniia extract baking powder salt and the lemon oil and beat all together

-add the flour and beat once again

-now add the coconut and mix all with a wooden spoon

-place castor sugar in a bowl

-make small balls and toss them in the sugar and then place them on the baking tray lined with a parchment paper.

-I just pulled some apart to form macaroons

-Bake them in a preheated oven on 190°for 9-10 minutes

Take them out and allow cooling on a wire rack

Keep in a air-tight Tin Container.

Ps: When i say Cup it's always meant a measuring cup. It's the best to use that as there are different types of cups and mugs and if you use that, the recipe might fail due to the incorrect measurements

This is what i use

Date/Fig drops in bitter orange marmalade with nuts

I have no exact recipe or measurements for these as I have really just created something with my fantasy :)

I had bought the bitter orange marmalade from the weekly market and just used it twice on my toast. So as I was making the date rings last year, I had plenty left over dates so I simply chopped them, added Figs, threw in some  chopped  Walnuts and Almonds and mixed all.

Poured some organic honey on it and 2-3 tbs of the bitter marmalade and to bind all these I just took 1-2  tbs of flour and mixed all. Just pinched the dough in small uneven sticks and baked in a preheated oven on 170°Ctil they were a bit darker in color, it took around 10-14 minutes

Sprinkled  castor sugar on them after they had rested a while. Voila!

In the Christmas time we have these very delicious fruit cakes with all dry fruits in it, like cherry, raisins, dry plum, dry apricot, orange and lemon peel, I love that fruit cake but due to some liquid ingredients in it I don’t eat it, so as I made these ,here I could feel THAT taste as I also soused it in the marmalade for an hour. I think it’s worth a try

Orange Peel/Walnuts Cookies

The ingredients are more or less similar to the Coconut Cookies with the exception of some little tid bits.

One important hint, don’t get confused with the Zest and Peel

Zest is in simple words: The Grated skin of the Orange

Peel is the skin itself, like when we peel off any fruit, in this case i peel the skin and cut it in very fine stripes and lay it to get dried up. It’s the best aroma you can get. It seems like a lot of work but it is’nt

Just peel, cut and let them dry. My friend had ordered Lemons and Oranges from  Mallorca (They are the best Sun-Riped fruit ever)  and gifted me some so I used them till the last drop with skin and seeds :D

I also use the tiny sachet we get with the lemon and orange peel, it’s available everywhere

So here we go;

   120g soft butter

150g sugar

1 large egg

1 ½ cups plain flour (Approxi 200grams)

¼ tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 pinches of salt

Zest of 1 big orange

Peel of 1 Orange

(Later you can press the fresh juice of both and enjoy the pure vitamin C :D )

2 cups of Walnuts and I added cranberries to it too

I always add more things to just see the new outcome, that’s how we create new dishes  na :D

-beat butter,sugar,vanilla extract,orange zest and peel baking powder with salt

-beat in the egg, will make all look crumbly but that’s the way it is

-add theflour slowly and keep mixing

-add the nuts and cranberry and just fold

-place  walnut sized dough balls on the baking tray with a distance of ½ inch allowing it to spread

Bake in the preheated oven on  180°C for just 6-8 minutes!!

Same process, take out,allow to cool,sprinkle castor sugar,let totally cool down before you preserve in the Tin Box

Coconut Macaroons

I used the same dough of the Coconut/Lemon Cookies just added a bit of fresh milk to make it a bit soft

 

Date Rings

http://www.raniazohaib.com/2012/12/cookies-baking-fun-time.html

Some beautiful impressions i gifted our friends

These pictures are Courtesy a dear friend who shared these with me with great delight and joy as a thankyou...It's me who has to Thank you :)

Some for more friends :)