Microwave coconut macaroons

Ingredients

• 1 Egg White
• 3/4 Cup Unsweetened Coconut
• 1 Tsp. Cocoa
• 1 Cup Icing Sugar

Method

1. Add egg white to a small bowl and beat until foamy on top.


2. In another bowl mix together icing sugar and cocoa; then add egg white mixture and stir thoroughly;




3. Add coconut and mix together.


4. Line a microwaveable plate with a piece of parchment paper and add 4 spoonfuls of the mixture to the plate

5. Microwave on high for 90 seconds.
6. Let cool and move to rack.
7. Repeat as this mixture should make 8.
8. ENJOY!

Gingerbread House

This American recipe is the best for making gingerbread men, a gingerbread house, and so on.

This makes a HUGE amount - I usually make half quantities. It is a very forgiving recipe and is very easy to work with.

Beat together:
1 cup (6oz) melted vegetable shortening
1 cup (8 oz) sugar, mixed brown and white or all white
6 - 8 tablespoons (1 cup) honey or golden syrup
1/2 cup water, 1 large beaten egg

Beat in:
3 cups (18 oz) flour
1 tablespoon bicarbonate of soda
1 1/2 tablespoons ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons each of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg (or equivalent in mixed spices) Quantities may be increased to taste

Slowly add a further 3 cups flour - the dough will be very soft - and pat the dough together. Refrigerate a little if wanted.

Bake 10 - 12 minutes at 180 degrees (350 degrees Fahrenheit) until slightly brown. Cool on a wire rack - the biscuits should usually crispen up.

Mulled Wine

The easiest recipe:

Ingredients

• ½ bottle red wine
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 star anise
• 2 cloves
• 1 orange, sliced
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 50g/1¾oz brown sugar

Preparation method

1. Place all of the ingredients into a saucepan and simmer gently for 6-8 minutes, without boiling.
2. To serve, pour the mulled wine into heatproof glasses

Mary Berry's recipe: spiced citrus fruit, water and red wine, with sugar to taste.

Ingredients

• 1 large orange
• 3 lemons
• 12 cloves
• 2 satsumas or clementines
• 2 x 750ml bottles red wine
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 150g/5½oz caster sugar (optional)
• brandy, to taste (optional)

Preparation method

1. Carefully peel the zest very thinly from the orange and lemons using a vegetable peeler. Squeeze out the juice and reserve.
2. Stick the cloves into the satsumas.
3. Pour the wine, 1.2 litres/2 pints of cold water, and the citrus peel and juices into a large, heavy-based saucepan. Add the clove-studded satsumas and cinnamon sticks. Bring the mixture just to the boil, then reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering, cover the pan with the lid, and continue to simmer for about 1 hour. Stir in the sugar gradually during cooking, until the mulled wine is sweetened to your liking (you may not need all of the sugar).
4. Strain the mulled wine and serve hot in cups.

Otherwise, Glögg:

Ingredients

• 1 bottle of red wine
• 100g/3½oz demerara sugar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tsp cloves

To serve: raisins, crushed hazelnuts

Preparation method

1. Combine all ingredients (except the raisins and hazelnuts) in a pan and warm up very slowly, never allowing it to boil.
2. Place two tablespoons each of raisins and hazelnuts into each glass and ladle in the glögg. 

Candied Orange Peel

So delicious. So easy. So quick. Recipe from here, thank you very much!

Candied Orange and Lemon Peel:

• Peels from two oranges and two lemons, pith removed
• 2 cups of sugar
• Use a paring knife to get as much of the pith removed as possible. In a large microwave safe bowl (with a lid!) cover the peels with water. Cover and microwave for two minutes. Drain and rinse the peels. Repeat this step.

Once the peels are rinsed the second time, put them back into the microwave safe bowl. Cover with one cup of sugar. Pour the cup of water on top. Cover and microwave for 4 minutes.

The house will smell fantastic at this point.
On a large plate, add the final cup of sugar, a little at a time for each batch of peel. In small batches spoon the peels (draining the syrup off) into the sugar bowl. Toss to coat, and then place them on a sheet of parchment paper. Repeat until all peels are coated in sugar. Let them air dry for about an hour.

A lot of people coat the candied peels in chocolate once they’ve dried, but I like them just like this. The perfect combination of bitter, tart, and sweet.

Also, save the syrup from the microwave step. It’s nice for cocktails! I also save the sugar from coating the peels. I’m not sure what I will do with it yet, but I couldn’t throw it away!

Pancakes

Some pancake recipe ideas here.

Banana pancakes, gluten free:

Basic Batter:
1 large banana, mashed (should be around 1/3 to 1/2 cup when mashed)
2 eggs

optional add ins:
1/8 tsp baking powder (see notes)
2 tbsp nut butter, pb2/peanut flour, almond flour or dessicated coconut (see notes)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup blueberries/ raspberries/ chopped nuts
2 tbsp mini chocolate chips

Peel and mash the banana, stir in the egg. Mix in any non-chunky add ins that you want (e.g. nut flours or butters, baking powder...).

Heat a non stick skillet and lightly spray with oil. Tun the heat down to medium-low.

Pour a circle of batter into the pan (I used about 1 or 2 tbsp of batter per pancake).

Cook until golden brown on the underside (around 1 minute) sprinkle on any chunky ingredients (e.g. chocolate chips, fruit, nuts, if using), then use a metal spatula to flip and cook until golden brown on the other side (30 seconds to 1 minute).

Serve warm with whatever the heck you want

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5 minute no bake cheesecake

5 min No Bake Cheesecake...

NO BAKE CHEESECAKE

Ingredients
370g cream cheese (room temp – this is important!)
400g tin of sweetened condensed milk
250ml thickened cream
1/3 cup of lemon or lime juice.


In a mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese to get most of the lumps out. Then add the other ingredients, making sure the juice is added last. The reaction of the citrus juice will start to set your mixture almost immediately. On the low speed of your hand mixer, blend well until all ingredients are incorporated. Immediately pour mixture into pre-prepared crust. Refrigerate for 1 – 1 ½ hours.
For the crust take 250g of your favourite plain biscuits and crush well. Stir in 125g of melted butter and press into the base of a lined spring-form tin.

2 minute meringues

Mix one egg white into 300g icing sugar. Mix to a firm ball with hands/knife.
Form into marble sized balls, place 4 on a kitchen towel on a plate, evenly spaced apart.
Microwave for one - two minutes.

Video here.