Showing posts with label small batch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label small batch. Show all posts
What to do, what to do . . . you are craving something sweet and moreish, but the temperatures outside are ragingly hot and you just can't face putting on the oven to bake something. Thankfully I am here to save the day with the perfect solution!
The best ever chocolate oatmeal no-bake bars! Say what? No Bake! Count me in!!
.JPG "No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Bars")
These lovely bars are perfect for those days when you are craving something chocolatey and peanutty but don't want to turn on the oven. Plus they have that moreish nutty factor from the oats.
Using only five simple ingredients, plus vanilla, they won't break the bank either! Quick. Easy. Delicious! Where do I sign up?
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WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE NO BAKE CHOCOLATE OATMEAL BARS
This is a small batch recipe, making only six scrumptious bars, but you can easily double everything to make more if you wish. Just use a larger pan. I recommend an 8 or a 9 inch square pan in that case.
- 1/2 cup (120g) butter
- 1/4 cup (50g) soft light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (120g) rolled oats
- 1/2 cup (90g) semi sweet or dark chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup (45g) smooth peanut butter
.JPG "No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Bars")
I use regular salted butter. I haven't got the budget to keep two kinds of butter in my house. I actually don't find that things are all that salty as most of the time I don't add any salt to the recipe at all, just relying on the salt that is in the butter.
Oh boy do I ever miss Danish butter. I used Lurpak butter the whole time I was in the UK. I guess it has gotten super expensive now, but then again, it never was as cheap as the other brands. But boy oh boy was it every worth the extra pennies.
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Full disclosure here, today I used the large flake oats because I didn't have any medium oats. This gave them a lot of chewy texture. If you don't like a lot of chew, use smaller flakes.
Do NOT use instant oats.
.JPG "No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Bars")
I used Kraft brand smooth peanut butter. I think you could get away with using a natural peanut butter, but I don't like to say for sure because I never have done.
The chocolate chips I use are the Kirkland brand that you buy at Costco. They are my favorite. I could eat them just like regular chocolate.
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HOW TO MAKE NO BAKE CHOCOLATE OATMEAL BARS
The only thing easier than making these bars is eating these bars!
Butter a medium sized loaf tin and line with baking parchment leaving an overhang on the two long sides for ease of removal.
Melt the butter and brown sugar together in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat until the butter is completely melted an the brown sugar no longer feels gritty beneath a spoon. Stir in the vanilla and mix in the oats until well blended.
Cook over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter together in a small microwave safe bowl in the microwave, (on high) giving it a stir every 30 seconds until smooth.
Press half of the oat mixture into the loaf tin. (I find the bottom of a metal measuring cup works well at doing this.)
Remove two tablespoons of the chocolate mixture from the bowl and pour the remainder over top of the oats in the tin, smoothing it out evenly. Sprinkle the remaining oats over top and press down gently. Drizzle with the reserved chocolate mixture.
Chill in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours before cutting into six bars.
.JPG "No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Bars")
To cut these into bars, just lift it out by the overhang of the paper onto a cutting board. Make one cut down the middle of the bars lengthwise, and then make three shorter cuts cross wise.
Presto, six perfect and evenly sized bars! If you like you can cut them in half yet again, but I find them to be just the right size as is
.JPG "No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Bars")
These delicious no bake chocolate oatmeal bars with peanut butter are not suitable for packing into school lunches because of the peanut butter. Most schools these days are peanut free because of allergies.
I have to say I really enjoyed them with the larger flaked oats. I loved the nutty chewiness that they gave to the finished product. I think I will always use the larger flaked oats.
What's your favorite no bake treat to make in the summer months? I really want to know. Lets share!!
Some of my other no-bake treats on here are:
NO BAKE CHEESECAKE - Everyone who likes cheesecake always falls in love with this delicious no bake version! I love it because not only is it scrumptious but it is very easy to make. You can top it with any fruit filling you enjoy!
PEANUT BUTTER CORNFLAKE BARS - These delicious bars are a favorite summertime treat! Not only are they no baked, which keeps you out of the heat of the kitchen, but they are quick and easy to make. They also use only four simple ingredients, excluding the optional topping.
REFRIGERATOR TOFFEE BARS - These are such a simple make. As simple as stirring a few things together in a saucepan and simmering/boiling them on the stove for a short time . . . sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, butter . . . and milk . . . and layering the resulting toffee sauce in a pan with some crisp buttery crackers. Topped with melted chocolate chips, these always go down a real treat!
No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Bars (small batch)
Yield: 6
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 15 M
These tasty bars are so easy to make and help to keep the heat out of the kitchen. Using only a few store cupboard ingredients they are also very quick and easy to make. Delicious!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (120g) butter
- 1/4 cup (50g) soft light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (120g) rolled oats
- 1/2 cup (90g) semi sweet or dark chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup (45g) smooth peanut butter
Instructions
- Butter a medium sized loaf tin and line with baking parchment leaving an overhang on the two long sides for ease of removal.
- Melt the butter and brown sugar together in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat until the butter is completely melted an the brown sugar no longer feels gritty beneath a spoon. Stir in the vanilla and mix in the oats until well blended.
- Cook over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter together in a small microwave safe bowl in the microwave, (on high) giving it a stir every 30 seconds until smooth.
- Press half of the oat mixture into the loaf tin. Remove two tablespoons of the chocolate mixture from the bowl and pour the remainder over top of the oats in the tin, smoothing it out evenly. Sprinkle the remaining oats over top and press down gently. Drizzle with the reserved chocolate mixture.
- Chill in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours before cutting into six bars.
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
I was cleaning my fridge today and found myself with a few bits and pieces that needed using up. Some milk, eggs, bread and a bit of strawberry jam in the bottom of a jar. I could have just made a bread and buttery pudding, but I wanted to do something a little bit more special than that.
One of the things I really enjoyed in the UK was their propensity for creating beautiful puddings/desserts out of next to nothing. The British are masters at creating delicious desserts, or puddings as they are lovingly referred to over there.
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I decided to make a small batch Queen of Puddings. You might be tempted to ask what is Queen of Puddings. Its a fabulous dessert!
Invented back in the 1600's Queen of Puddings is bread crumb thickened set custard, spread with jam and topped with meringue. Essentially it is the perfect way to use up a bit of bread, eggs, jam and milk!
And who better to go to for inspiration than the "Queen" of puddings herself, Mary Berry! I love Mary Berry and the recipe I am sharing with you today comes from this cookbook, her complete cookbook.
I have to say that I have not enjoyed the GBBO a fraction as much now she is not on it anymore. She made that show in my honest opinion!
No, I am not a person that deals well with change.
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This is a recipe that I adapted from the book. Essentially I cut the recipe down to feed only three people and I converted the measurements to North American measures so that people in North American could also cook it.
I have made Queen of Puddings on here before. You can find that recipe here, and it is a very good one, but it's not Mary Berry's. I wanted to try hers.
I did make a few changes. One, I used more jam than she did. I needed to use what was left in the jar and I like jam. I had no desire to be stingy with the jam.
Also I added cream of tartar to the meringue to give it more stability. Its not something you see being used very often in meringue in the UK, but trust me when I say it makes a huge difference.
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WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE QUEEN OF PUDDINGS
This is such a simple pudding, using very simple every day ingredients. I am sure you have everything you need to make it in your fridge and larder right now.
For the pudding:
- 2 large free range egg yolks
- 1 1/4 cups (300ml) whole milk
- 1 TBS butter, plus more for greasing the pan
- 2 1/2 TBS fine granulated sugar
- the finely grated zest of 1/2 orange
- 3/4 cup (45g) fresh white bread crumbs
- 3 TBS strawberry or raspberry jam, warmed
For the meringue topping:
- 2 large free range egg whites
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 7 TBS fine granulated sugar
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For the milk, I always use whole milk. In fact that is all I have in my house. Its just richer in flavor and as being a single person household I can't really afford to have more than one kind of milk in the house and so I buy and use the one that will get the most use. Whole, not skim.
For the bread crumbs I used a couple of slices of stale homemade Brioche bread. Rich and eggy and beautifully soft.
The jam was the last of my strawberry jam from last year. My sister had given me a jar. Beautiful, delicious and not as high in sugar as some.
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HOW TO MAKE QUEEN OF PUDDINGS
This is really a very simple make. As you know I can be rather lazy. I had enough of complicated when I was working as a chef. I tend to like cooking much simpler things in my every day life.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter an 8 inch deep metal pie tin. Set aside.
Place the milk into a saucepan with the, orange zest, butter and first amount of sugar. Heat just until the butter melts, the sugar dissolves and there are bubbles around the edge of the pan.
.JPG "Queen of Puddings")
Beat the egg yolks in a bowl. Gradually add the milk mixture, whisking continuously. Stir in the bread crumbs and then pour the mixture into the buttered dish. Leave to sit for 15 minutes.
Pop into the preheated oven and bake until just set, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Beat the egg whites along with the cream of tartar until they start to stiffen. Continue to beat whilst adding the sugar for the meringue one tablespoonful at a time. Beat until the meringue is glossy and forms nice stiff peaks.
.JPG "Queen of Puddings")
Spread the jam over the bread custard. Spoon the meringue over top covering it completely and making nice peaks.
Return the pudding to the oven for a further 10 to 15 minutes, until the top of the meringue is crisp and golden brown. Serve warm and spooned into bowls.
The British would enjoy this with additional lashings of warm custard or pouring cream. I enjoyed it just as is.
.JPG "Queen of Puddings")
I can remember when I first moved over to the UK being a bit confused when it came to the term "pudding." For me pudding had always been a milky dessert, thick and creamy, available in three flavors, vanilla, butterscotch and chocolate.
It came in a box and you could either cook it or you could get boxed mixes that allowed you to make it "instantly."
.JPG "Queen of Puddings")
In the UK "Pudding" is the term they use to describe the dessert course. It can be pie, or crumble, or cake, ice cream, or bakes such as this one, etc. It is always delicious and is most people's favorite part of any meal.
It will come to the table accompanied with jugs of warm custard sauce or cold cream for pouring, whereas here in North American we might enjoy our "puddings/desserts" with cold ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.
The British never sweeten their cream and I have to say I quite got used to it that way and love it. We eat far too much sugar here in North America I think!
Anyways, I hope you will be inspired to try this very traditional, very delicious, simple British dessert!
.JPG "Queen of Puddings")
STICKY TOFEE RICE PUDDING - Creamy and rich there is no sugar in the rice pudding itself. It relies on the sweetness from chopped dates to flavour it, and some vanilla. Topped with a rich toffee sauce and toasted pecans.
MIXED BERRY PUDDING - Rich, hearty, warming and delicious with stewed summer fruits . . . berries . . . blueberry, raspberry, blackberry . . . baked at the bottom of the dish, with a light blanket of cake baked on top . . . buttery and rich . . . with a moist yogurt batter. Delicious!
BUTTERMILK LEMON PUDDINGS FOR TWO - Lemon pudding on the bottom, dense buttery buttermilk cake on top. Delicious served with fresh tart berries. It doesn't get much better than this!
Mary Berry's Queen of Puddings (small batch)
Yield: Serves 3
Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 H & 5 M
A delightful pudding that never fails to please, downsized for the smaller family. A bit of this and a bit of that and a lot of British ingenuity. Delicious!
Ingredients
For the pudding:
- 2 large free range egg yolks
- 1 1/4 cups (300ml) whole milk
- 1 TBS butter, plus more for greasing the pan
- 2 1/2 TBS fine granulated sugar
- the finely grated zest of 1/2 orange
- 3/4 cup (45g) fresh white bread crumbs
- 3 TBS strawberry or raspberry jam, warmed
For the meringue topping:
- 2 large free range egg whites
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 7 TBS fine granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter an 8 inch deep metal pie tin. Set aside.
- Place the milk into a saucepan with the, orange zest, butter and first amount of sugar. Heat just until the butter melts, the sugar dissolves and there are bubbles around the edge of the pan.
- Beat the egg yolks in a bowl. Gradually add the milk mixture, whisking continuously. Stir in the bread crumbs and then pour the mixture into the buttered dish. Leave to sit for 15 minutes.
- Pop into the preheated oven and bake until just set, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Beat the egg whites along with the cream of tartar until they start to stiffen. Continue to beat whilst adding the sugar for the meringue one tablespoonful at a time. Beat until the meringue is glossy and forms nice stiff peaks.
- Spread the jam over the bread custard. Spoon the meringue over top covering it completely and making nice peaks.
- Return the pudding to the oven for a further 10 to 15 minutes, until the top of the meringue is crisp and golden brown.
- Serve warm.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
Its that season! Strawberry Season! One of my favorite times of the year. I try hard not to eat strawberries at any other time as they are always so disappointing, so I try to take advantage of Strawberry season and enjoy it as much as I can!
One way I do enjoy them at other times of the year however is as jam. I used to make pots and pots of strawberry jam with the children were growing up. Now there is just me, and with me being a Diabetic, I no longer need pots and pots of jam.
That doesn't mean that I don't enjoy the occasional treat of it however. I was very excited to find this strawberry jam recipe for honey strawberry jam without pectin, for a couple of reasons.
First of all it uses honey to sweeten it and honey is a natural sweetener, and secondly because it is a small batch recipe, making only two half pint (1 cup) jars! Win/win!!
I adapted the recipe from one that I found in this book. Preserving by the Pint, by Marisa McClellan. I actually purchased this book back in November of last year and have waiting somewhat patiently for strawberry season so that I could put it into practice!
Its a fabulous book, filled with quite a few small batch recipes for jams and preserves, ideal for the smaller family. Some have unusual flavors (think Blueberry Maple, or Mustard Rhubarb Chutney.) I highly recommend!
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Making jams and pickles has always been very therapeutic for me. It is just something I have always really enjoyed. Of course when I was raising my family it came in very handy. I don't think my children ever had a store bought jar or jam or pickle.
The shelves of my larder were filled with loads of them. I made strawberry jam, blueberry jam, grape jelly, blackberry jelly, raspberry jam, peach jam, and don't get me started on the pickles.
One year I canned 52 quart sized jar of dill pickles alone! And they ALL got eaten! We love LOVE our dill pickles!
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WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE HONEY STRAWBERRY JAM (SMALL BATCH)
I was so excited to get this book and to know that I could once again prepare small batch recipes of jams and preserves for myself. This is a very simple recipe, using only a minimum of simple ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds (680g) fresh strawberries
- 1 cup (340g) honey
- 5 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)
- the juice of 1/2 lemon
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Use only the sweetest freshest berries that you can find. Strawberries and honey have beautiful taste affinity for each other. You will not regret making this.
Because of the honey there is no need to use any processed sugars in this jam. Everything is completely natural.
You can add thyme if you wish, but you can also leave it out if you want to keep the flavors simple.
Do know that jams sweetened with honey do not last as long once opened as those made with sugar, so it is probably wisest (and that's what I did) to preserve the jam in 1/4 pint (1/2 cup) sized jars.
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WHY PROCESS PRESERVES
Processing preserves in a boiling water bath canner is not as intimidating as one might suppose and it really does help to ensure that your jam will not be contaminated and that it will be properly preserved.
Boiling the filled jars kills any contaminants that might have landed in the jars. (safe only for high acid foods, hence the addition of lemon juice.)
The oxygen in the headspace is heated sufficiently to make it expand and push its way out of the jar. Once the jar is removed from the hot water, the jar will cool, the space will contract, ad the lid will pull down and form the perfect vacuum, because there is no oxygen left to hold that space.
This is what helps to keep your jams and pickles safe to eat and fresh.
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HOW TO MAKE HONEY STRAWBERRY JAM (SMALL BATCH)
Its really very simple. Really!
Prepare a boiling water bath and sterilize two half pint jars along with their lids. (See recipe notes.)
Wash, hull and chop the berries, placing them into a bowl. Add the honey and stir. Strip the thyme leaves from their stems (if using) and add them to the bowl. Stir everything to combine and leave to sit for 10 minutes.
When the honey has dissolved and the berries have released their juices, scrap the combination into a deep wide pan. Stir in the lemon juice.
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Bring to a bubble over high heat. Cook on high for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the mixture is thick and sticky. You can tell if it is one by pulling a spatula through the cooking fruit. If the mixture doesn't immediately rush in to fill the space, your jam is done.
Spoon into the prepared jars. Wipe the rims clean with a clean wet cloth. Apply the hot sterile lids and rings and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Once opened this will only keep for 2 to 3 weeks. If your family cannot eat 1/2 pint within that time period, consider canning it in quarter pint (1/2 cup) jars.
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RECIPE NOTES -
Sterilize your jars by putting them into a pot of cold water to cover. Bring to the boil. Remove the jars and set them on a clean sterile towel.
Place the lids and rings in a small saucepan. Cover with water and bring to the barest simmer on the back of the stove.
Prepare your jam. Carefully fill the jars with the hot product, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Wipe rims with the ends of a cloth dipped in distilled white vinegar. Apply lids and bands, screw shut (finger tip tight) and then process in the water bath as per the instructions for your water batch canner.
.JPG "Honey Strawberry Jam")
Strawberry jam is my favorite of all the jams! We enjoy it as a filling for cakes and cookies. On simple buttered white bread, on buttered toast.
And when I was a child we often enjoyed it spooned over the top of vanilla ice cream as an extra special treat. Oh so tasty!
.JPG "Honey Strawberry Jam")
Mom used to make freezer jam with the strawberries, just by following the instructions on the jar of Pectin. It was always really good.
She would put us to work every year picking loads and loads of berries. We would enjoy a nice dessert of strawberry shortcake more than a few times and then her jam the rest of the year! It was divine!
.JPG "Honey Strawberry Jam")
PEAR AND SAFFRON JAM - This is a really delicious and very pretty colored jam. Easy to do and doesn't make a ton.
SPICED PEAR CHUTNEY - You can't really go wrong with making a delicious chutney. It is a gift that will give to you all the year through.
Honey Strawberry Jam (small batch)
Yield: 2 (half pint/250ml) jars
Honey and strawberries have a blissful affinity for each other. This is a brilliant combination!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds (680g) fresh strawberries
- 1 cup (340g) honey
- 5 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)
- the juice of 1/2 lemon
Instructions
- Prepare a boiling water bath and sterilize two half pint jars along with their lids. (See recipe notes.)
- Wash, hull and chop the berries, placing them into a bowl. Add the honey and stir. Strip the thyme leaves from their stems (if using) and add them to the bowl. Stir everything to combine and leave to sit for 10 minutes.
- When the honey has dissolved and the berries have released their juices, scrap the combination into a deep wide pan. Stir in the lemon juice.
- Bring to a bubble over high heat. Cook on high for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the mixture is thick and sticky. You can tell if it is one by pulling a spatula through the cooking fruit. If the mixture doesn't immediately rush in to fill the space, your jam is done.
- Spoon into the prepared jars. Wipe the rims clean with a clean wet cloth. Apply the hot sterile lids and rings and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
- Once opened this will only keep for 2 to 3 weeks. If your family cannot eat 1/2 pint within that time period, consider canning it in quarter pint (1/2 cup) jars.
Notes
Sterilize your jars by putting them into a pot of cold water to cover. Bring to the boil. Remove the jars and set them on a clean sterile towel.
Place the lids and rings in a small saucepan. Cover with water and bring to the barest simmer on the back of the stove.
Prepare your jam. Carefully fill the jars with the hot product, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Wipe rims with the ends of a cloth dipped in distilled white vinegar. Apply lids and bands, screw shut (finger tip tight) and then process in the water bath as per the instructions for your water batch canner.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
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