makes 15 muesli bars & 30 cookies
Woooooohooooo – finally – I am going on my little beach holiday!!!! Bloody hell I can’t wait, and just in case you aren’t back at work yet, or planning some long weekends away over the summer, I thought these two recipes might come in handy. The muesli bars are completely addictive, (I keep them in the fridge or chilly bin (esky) as I like them cold at the beach), and can’t help but go back to keep breaking little bits off every time I have a cup of tea – the combination of nubbly oats, sweet figs, honey, earthy walnuts and spicy ginger is fabulous. Meanwhile the bikkies have a pretty classic and delicious flavour profile with apricots, white chocolate, almonds and tropical coconut – perfect. Crikey it feels like aaaages since I posted some baking recipes…
And so – yay – today I jump on the ferry to head to Waiheke, then tomorrow I’ll take the long route to Whangapoua for a few nights, finishing with a stay in Whangamata on my way home. I am so excited to be having a wee summer roadie – my Mini will be packed to the gunnels with beach towels, togs, food (obvs), whisky and wine – hurrah! This past week my darling Pog has been wilting in the scorching Melbourne heat with gorgeous Will, while lovely Hoob has been back at work on and off in Welly, and meanwhile I have been prepping for the work year ahead, hitting the gym (makes it sound so much more impressive to say ‘hitting’…), walking and generally mooching around home. But, now the dogs are ensconced at the kennels, the sun is shining (pleeease stay that way), and I’m off! Take care and I’ll see you back here in a while…
figgy ginger & walnut muesli slice
125grams butter
¼ cup runny honey
1 cup wholegrain oats
½ cup regular rolled oats
½ cup self raising flour
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup dried figs, stems removed, chopped
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup finely chopped crystallised ginger
Preheat the oven to 180˚C and line a 21cm x 23cm (or equivalent) baking tin with baking paper. Melt the butter and honey together in either the microwave on low power, in 30 second bursts, or in a saucepan on a gentle heat on the stove top. Pour the melted butter mixture into a large bowl and add all of the remaining ingredients. Mix together until well combined then tip into the prepared tin and smooth into place with the back of a tablespoon. Cook for 30-32 minutes until golden. Leave to cool in the tin, then slice when completely cold. Store in an airtight container, layers separated by sheets of baking paper, for up to a week.
white choc, apricot, coconut & almond cookies
220grams butter, softened
3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
¾ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 3/4 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/3 cups desiccated coconut
200grams white chocolate, chopped
¾ cup dried apricots, chopped
¾ cup sliced almonds
Preheat the oven to 180˚C and line 3 oven trays with baking paper. Beat the butter, condensed milk, brown sugar and golden syrup together until smooth and creamy. Sift in the flour and baking powder and mix to combine. Add the remaining ingredients and mix again until everything is incorporated. Use a tablespoon to take scoops of mixture, roll into balls and place well-spaced on prepared oven trays. Squash gently with the heel of your palm or a fork, and bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks and store in an airtight container once fully cold. These delicious morsels will last for up to two weeks and freeze well.
Figs, ginger and nutty wholegrains (and walnuts!) – these are a few of my favourite things! Will definitely be giving them a try 🙂 Have a lovely beach escape!
Yay – I hope you enjoy them! Just got back from my beach escape, it was so fun, but now it’s back to business 🙂