Cheesy-star cookies

You need:
2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
250g ricotta cheese
100g strawberry, diced (fresh preferable)


How to:

Turn the oven to 180C. Put cupcake papers in a 12-hole muffin tin. Sift flour and baking powder into a big bowl. Throw in the sugar, eggs, oil, milk, chocolate powder and vanilla. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Add the ricotta and mix in gently. Once it mixed, add strawberries, mix it using wooden spoon.

Spoon the mixture into the muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes. Poke the muffins with a skewer. If it comes out clean, they’re ready. If the skewer is sticky, bake the muffins for a little longer. When it's turn golden brown, move to wire rack and let them cool.




Makes about 12 mini-cakes.

Simple Chocolate Muffins

Simple Chocolate Muffins
(Recipe modified from Donna Hay’s Raspberry muffins)


You need:
2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoon chocolate powder / cocoa powder


How to:
Turn the oven to 180C. Put cupcake papers in a 12-hole muffin tin. Sift flour and baking powder into a big bowl. Throw in the sugar, eggs, oil, milk, chocolate powder and vanilla. Mix well with a wooden spoon.

Spoon the mixture into the muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes. Poke the muffins with a skewer. If it comes out clean, they’re ready. If the skewer is sticky, bake the muffins for a little longer. Carefully tip the muffin tin upside down onto a wire rack. Turn the muffins right side up and let them cool.




Makes 12 muffins.

Choco-Flakes Cookies

You need:
180 g soft butter
1 cup caster sugar
1 egg
2 cups sifted plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon chocolate powder
50g dark chocolate flakes
50g white chocolate flakes


How to:
Turn the oven to 180 C. Put the butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy. Add the egg and beat well. Add the flour and baking powder. Mixed it. Add chocolate powder, dark chocolate flakes and white chocolate flakes. Mix until it turns into a dough.

Use your hands to roll tablespoonfuls of the dough into little balls. Put on baking trays covered with baking paper. Make sure you leave some space between each biscuit. Flatten the balls a little bit. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.

Banana Bread

Banana Bread
(modified from Donna Hay’s recipe)

You need:
130g soft butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 medium size bananas
1 ½ cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 tablespoon of honey


How to:
Turn the oven to 160 C. Grease the inside of 30cm long X 7cm wide tin with butter (any tin on your pantry will do as well). Stick a large piece of baking paper on the inside. Put the rest of the butter, sugar and vanilla into big bowl. Beat until it’s pale brown and creamy. Slowly add the eggs and beat until well mixed.

Mash the banana with a fork and add to the batter.

Sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda over the batter. Add honey. Beat until everything is mixed in.

Spoon the mixture into the long tin. Bake for 1 hour. Poke the cake with a skewer. If it comes out clean, it’s ready. If the skewer is sticky, bake it for a bit longer. Let the bread cool in the tin. Tip out bread. Slice and smear with butter.