Microwave brownie in a mug

Microwave brownie in a mug from mathanxiety

Category Cake and dessert recipes Serves 1 Prep time Less than 5 mins Cook time About 2 mins	Mumsnetter ratings based on (4) reviews Ease of finding ingredients 10 Ease of cooking 10 Success with kids 10 Success with adults 10 Overall Mark 10
Ingredients 2 tbsp plain flour  2 tbsp sugar  1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa  1 tbsp vegetable oil  1 tbsp water  Pinch of salt  Very small splash of vanilla essence  You can also add choc chips, coconut, or a few nuts if you like.	Handy Hint Eat your microwave brownie while hot or warm. Serve with a dollop of ice cream. Brownie recipe can be doubled, cooking time will vary.
Method 1. Place all ingredients in a mug.  2. Stir until thoroughly combined.  3. Put mug brownie in microwave and set to somewhere between 1 and 2 minutes at highest heat -- mine is perfect at 1 minute 40 seconds. courtesy of http://www.mumsnet.com/Recipes/i/4847-Microwave-brownie-in-a-mug

Naan Bread recipe - Recipes - BBC Good Food

Ingredients

• 150ml hand-hot Milk
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 2 tsp dried active Yeast
• 450g plain flour
• 0.5 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus a little extra
• 150ml natural Yogurt
• 1 large Eggs, lightly beaten

Makes 6 breads

Preparation and cooking times

1. Put the milk in a bowl. Add 1 tsp of the sugar, and the yeast. Stir to mix. Set aside for 15-20 minutes or until the yeast has dissolved and the mixture is frothy.
2. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the remaining 1 tsp sugar, the yeast mixture, 2 tbsp vegetable oil and the yogurt and egg. Mix and form a ball of dough.
3. Empty the ball of dough on to a clean surface and knead it for 10 minutes or more, until it is smooth and satiny. Form into a ball. Pour about 0.25 tsp oil into a large bowl and roll the ball of dough in it. Cover the bowl with a piece of cling film and set aside in a warm, draught-free place for an hour or until the dough has doubled in bulk.
4. Pre-heat your oven to the highest temperature. Put the heaviest baking tray you own to heat in the oven. Pre-heat your grill.
5. Punch down the dough and knead it again. Divide into 6 equal balls. Keep 5 of them covered while you work with the sixth. Roll this ball into a tear-shaped naan, about 25cm in length and about 13cm at its widest. Remove the hot baking tray from the oven and slap the naan on to it. Put it immediately into the oven for 3 minutes. It should puff up. Now place the baking tray and naan under the grill, about 7.5-10cm away from the heat, for about 30 seconds or until the top of the naan browns slightly. Wrap the naan in a clean tea towel. Make all the naans this way and serve hot.

Austrian Hash

serves 4

• 1.5 tbsp veg oil
• 400g smoked bacon lardons (or cooked ham)
• 500g cooked potatoes (preferably waxy ones) cold & cut into small chunks
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• 1.5 tsp hot sweet paprika (or sweet paprika + pinch chilli powder)
• small handful parsley roughly chopped

Method

1. heat oil in large frying pan
2. fry bacon & onion together for approx 10 mins until bacon is golden
3. lift out of the pan onto a plate then add the potatos & fry for 10 mins until golden
4. tip in caraway & paprika, season well, fry for another minute to release fragrance.
5. return bacon & onion to pan, taste for seasoning, add parsley
6. serve hot

per serving 379 cals, protein 17g, carbs 25g, fat 26g, sat fat 9g, fibre 2g, sugar 3g, salt 3.26g

Eggnog Bread Pudding with Bourbon Cranberries

Eggnog Bread Pudding with Bourbon Cranberries

1/2 cup dried cranberries (or currants or raisins)

1/3 cup bourbon (or brandy)

8 cups white bread (1/2 loaf bread), cut into 1-2 inch cubes

1 cup milk

2 cups eggnog

3 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1-2 tbsp additional sugar, for topping

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan (do not flour).

In a small bowl, combine cranberries and bourbon. Let soak for 30 minutes, or cover with plastic wrap and heat in microwave for about 30 seconds (until very warm) to help berries rehydrate with bourbon. If microwaving, let mixture cool to room temperature before adding to the rest of the bread pudding mixture.

In a large bowl, whisk together milk, eggnog, eggs, sugar, nutmeg and vanilla. Add bread cubes and gently fold them into the mixture until all the custard has been absorbed. Stir in cranberries and remaining bourbon (any that hasn’t been absorbed into the cranberries but is still in the dish).

Pour into prepared pan, spread into an even layer and sprinkle top of loaf with additional sugar, if desired.

Bake 50-55 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean and the top is golden brown.

Allow to cool in pan and then transfer to a plate for serving.

Serve warmed. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Serves 8-10

Mini Panettone-and-Pear Sandwiches

Mini Panettone-and-Pear Sandwiches

4 thin slices panettone, crusts trimmed, each slice cut in quarters
1/4 cup Nutella
1/2 pear, thinly sliced
Butter, for frying

Spread each bread slice with Nutella. Lay 1 or 2 pear slices on 8 of the bread slices, trimming them to be flush with the bread’s edges. Top with remaining slices of bread. In a cast-iron pan, melt a pat of butter. When pan is hot, lay two of the sandwiches in the pan, frying until brown, 1 to 2 minutes, pressing down once or twice. Flip and fry another minute or so. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with coffee or tea (or maybe port?), and perhaps a wedge of brie. Yields 8 small sandwiches.

Betsy’s Panettone French Toast

Betsy’s Panettone French Toast (from Montreal Gazette, December 13 2006) – Serves 4
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cup milk or cream
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 slices panettone or pandoro, about 3/4 inch thick
3 tablespoons butter for frying, divided useFOR SERVING:
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
Maple syrup

Lay the tall cake on its side to cut it, and each slice is a perfect star. Before slicing, trim off the brown top and bottom edges of your cake. For this recipe it’s best to leave the panettone or pandoro slices out and unwrapped, under a tea towel, to dry overnight. This will prevent them from soaking up the egg mixture too quickly and becoming mushy.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large, shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk or cream, salt, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Dip each slice of panettone into the egg mixture so that both sides are saturated but the cake is not falling apart.Melt one tablespoon of butter in a large non-stick frying pan or griddle. Working a few slices at a time, fry the panettone over medium-high heat until golden brown, a little crispy and slightly firm to the touch, about three minutes each side. The inside should remain soft, but not mushy. Transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with remaining slices.

Serve with a spoonful of mascarpone cheese. Pass the maple syrup at the table

Panettone Toffee Banana Pudding Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

6 ounces unsalted butter

6 tablespoons golden syrup

6 ounces dark muscovado sugar

4 large bananas, peeled and cut into pieces

7 ounces milk

7 ounces double cream

1 pound panettone, cut into thick slices

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat the oven to 190 C (gas mark 5, 375 F).
2. Melt the butter in a pan with the golden syrup and muscovado sugar. Let it bubble for 5 minutes.
3. Add the banana pieces and cook for 5 minutes more until softened.
4. In a bowl, mix together the milk and cream.
5. Cut the panettone slices into strips (like bread "soldiers") and dip each one in the milk and cream.
6. Arrange half of them in a 1.2 litre (2 pint) ovenproof dish, then pour over half the banana mixture.
7. Repeat with the remaining panettone strips and banana mixture.
8. Bake for 20 minutes until the top is golden and bubbling.
9. Leave to rest in a low oven until ready to serve.

Panettone Mincemeat Bread & Butter Pudding

Serves 4-6

75g leftover mincemeat

Alcohol such as baileys, brandy whisky or rum (optional)

50g butter

1 panettone, sliced into small squares

100ml milk

375ml double cream

4 eggs

125g caster sugar

A few drops vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to mark 170°C (325°F) mark 3.
2. Put the leftover mincemeat in a bowl and cover with your chosen alcohol. Leave to soak.
3. Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the panettone slices for 2-3 minutes or until golden on both sides.
4. Arrange the panettone slices with the mincemeat, overlapping slightly in a baking dish.
5. Pour the milk and cream into a pan and bring slowly up the boil. Whisk the eggs with the sugar until frothy and pale. Add the milk and cream mixture to the eggs and stirring continuously, add the vanilla extract. Pour the mixture over the panettone and set aside for 30 minutes to allow to soak in well.
6. Bake in a bain-marie or roasting pan filled with hot water to come halfway up the sides of the dish. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until just set in the middle.

Pannettone Tiramisu

Quick tiramisu

Veg

Ingredients

• 4 shots espresso, or a four-cup cafetiere of strong coffee
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 50ml/2fl oz amaretto, or to taste
• 1 ready-made panettone, cut into rectangles 15cm/6in long, 1cm/½in deep
• 500g/1lb 2oz mascarpone
• 1 vanilla pod, split, seeds scraped out
• 150g/5oz icing sugar
• 200ml/7fl oz double cream, whipped until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed
• cocoa power, for dusting
• 1 tbsp coffee powder, for sprinkling
• dark chocolate, grated, to garnish

Preparation method

1. Mix the espresso, caster sugar and amaretto, to taste, in a large bowl.
2. Add the panettone slices to the coffee mixture and set aside.
3. Place the mascarpone, vanilla seeds and icing sugar into a separate bowl and mix together.
4. Add the double cream and fold into the mascarpone mixture.
5. Place a piece of soaked panettone onto each plate. Add a spoonful of the mascarpone and cream mixture to each soaked panettone slice, then place another panettone slice on top to make a sandwich.
6. Spoon more cream over the top and sprinkle with the cocoa powder and a little coffee powder. Transfer to the fridge to chill for 1-2 hours.
7. To serve, remove from the fridge and sprinkle with gratings of dark chocolate.

Sloe Gin

Ingredients:

• 1lb/454gm of washed sloes
• 4 ozs/112gm of white granulated sugar
• 75cl bottle of medium quality gin
• Sterilised 1 litre (at least) Le Parfait jar or wide necked bottle
• 2-3 drops of almond essence

Method:

Wash sloes well and discard any bruised or rotten fruit. Prick fruit several times with a fork and place sloes in either a large Kilner/Le Parfait jar or a wide necked 1 litre bottle. I put several sloes in my palm to prick them rather than picking them up one by one.

Using a funnel, add the sugar and top up with gin to the rim. Always open sugar bags over the sink as sugar tends to get caught in the folds at the top of the bag.

Add the almond essence.

Shake every day until the sugar is dissolved and then store in a cool, dark place until you can resist it no longer (leave for at least three months, we usually let it mature for a year).

Some people strain the grog (through muslin/jelly bag) after 3 months and bottle it, leaving it mature for six months. We strain and bottle after a year. Don’t leave the straining process any longer than a year; leaving the fruit in too long can spoil the liqueur.

Tips and tricks:

• Make more than you need the first year, so you can compare different vintages. This liqueur does improve over time.
• Some people drain the grog through muslin after a couple of months, to clarify the liqueur and bottle. We don’t bother as one old soak tipped that, once the gin is drunk, you can pour medium sherry on the fruit and start all over again! The latter is devilish and drinkable within three months. We have a recipe for this in our wine and gin section.
• Keep your fruit gin away from the light as this will maintain the colour. Unless it is in a dark green or brown bottle. Wrapping it in brown parcel paper will keep out the light.
• Make notes on a label of your fruit gin/vodka /sugar ratio and stick it onto the bottle(s) so that you have a record, if you make a particularly good batch. We note our responses as the grog matures. Yucky after sixth months can be to die for in a year (you will probably not remember without notes). Notes seem boring when you are making the grog but they are so worthwhile when you start again the next year. It won’t be long before you will get a feel of what works well for your taste (and the notes will come into their own).
• Adding almond essence to sloe gin lifts it from good to great. I haven’t tried this with the damson gin but return in a years’ time for our review.
• Don’t kill the liqueur with too much sugar at the start. Use the amount above to start your sloe or damson gin and then every couple of months take a tiny sip. At this time add more sugar if it is too sharp for your taste.
• Gin v Vodka? Vodka can be used as the spirit for these recipes. Although I’m a vodka drinker, we tend to stick to a gin base for our fruit liqueurs.
• A good damson gin can be made from ordinary damsons available in the shops. As they are bigger you would need to put them into a larger Le Parfait jar (I’d use a 2 litre size).
• People have been picking sloes from September 1st around here. Some people say that you shouldn't pick sloes until after the first frost. This can be circumvented by putting your sloes in the freezer overnight. We don’t bother with either method and always have great results.
• This year we have made up a number of small (1lb honey jars) of sloe gin to give as Christmas presents.

Ricciarelli biscuits

Makes about 20-25 biscuits

• 300g whole almonds
• 225g caster sugar
• The zest of half a lemon
• The whites from 2 large eggs
• A few drops of good-quality vanilla extract
• A few drops of almond extract
• Icing sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 160C/gas mark 3. Place the almonds on a tray and roast them for about 15 minutes or so, turning them every so often, until they are golden but not too brown. Leave to cool.

Put the almonds in a small food processor with half of the caster sugar and the lemon zest and blend as finely as you can get them.

Clean a mixing bowl or the bowl of a mixing machine with boiling water to remove any traces of grease. Using either an electric hand-held whisk, or the mixing machine, whisk the egg whites until they are stiff, then add the remaining sugar and continue beating until stiff again. Fold in the ground almond mixture with the vanilla extract and almond extract.

Line a baking tray with silicone paper or baking parchment, dampen your hands with a little water, take about half a dessertspoon of the mixture at a time and roll into balls and flatten lightly until they are about 1-1cm thick; or alternatively, pipe them in a piping bag with a plain nozzle. Place the biscuits on the baking tray about 3cm apart.

Bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until golden. Allow to cool on the tray, then remove and dust with icing sugar.

Coconut Milk Fudge

Coconut Milk Fudge [Coconut Brigadeiros]
Adapted quite a bit from The Brazilian Kitchen, via the New York Times

A.k.a. Coconut Milk Caramels or Coconut Brigadeiros. Nervous about the gooey/sweet factor, I played around a little, using unsweetened coconut milk (the recipe didn’t specify, so I used what I thought would work) and then salted butter (honestly, by accident, but that pinch of salt really helped keep the treat on this side of treacly).

These candies are infinitely tweakable. Personally, I think they’d be fantastic with a pinch of cinnamon, Mexican or otherwise. My mother wanted to try them with a drop or two of almond extract. I think vanilla could work well in there, too. And you can roll them in the suggested toppings — coconut, pistachios and sprinkles — or use your own. Crushed cookie crumbs, anyone?

For classic, coconut-free brigadeiros, chocolate and other versions, check out recipe leads here.

Yield: 24 to 30 candies

1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons salted or unsalted butter (salted will give the candy more contrast)
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/3 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut (I lightly toasted mine, for crunch)
1/3 cup ground pistachios (see Note below)
1/3 cup chocolate sprinkles or “vermicelli” (see Note below)

In a medium-size heavy saucepan, combine condensed milk, coconut milk, butter and corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and whisk constantly until fudgy. The recipe notes that when mixture is ready, it will pull together into one soft piece, leaving browned residue on bottom of pan and that this should take 8 to 10 minutes. This took me 20 to 25 minutes, and the candy began taking on a beige, caramelized color.

Slide mixture into a bowl. (Don’t scrape the pan; leave any residue behind.) Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until very firm, at least 4 hours. Or, you could realize that the nanny has to leave in an hour, chill it for only 30 and discover that nothing bad will happen if you don’t wait the whole cooling time. You’ll have to be more careful if you use “real” i.e. meltable chocolate sprinkles but otherwise it will have no ill-effect to speed the process up.)

Scoop out teaspoonfuls of the mixture (I used my one teaspoon measure) and use your hands to roll into balls, about 3/4-inch in diameter. I found having just a drop or two of water in my palms — not wet, just a little moist — helped form them. Set aside on a baking sheet.

Place toppings in wide bowls and roll brigadeiros through them, covering the surface completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 1 month. Serve at room temperature.

Chocolate “vermicelli”: I got a little freaked out when I saw the ingredient list on the chocolate sprinkles I had brought home from the store. Look, I don’t need to pretend that chocolate sprinkles are health food, but I like to imagine I’m eating something with at least a minute smidgen of chocolate in it. I ended up spending way too much on a bottle of “chocolate vermicelli” (they look like chocolate sprinkles but are almost 100% pure chocolate, and delightfully, taste that way too) but I’d buy them next time from Amazon or King Arthur Flour’s Baker’s Catalog for much less.

Pistachios: Since toasted nuts always, always taste better than raw ones, I toasted and ground a batch to coat the candy only to find the brown/green shade… um, a little unpretty. Looks won out and I used ground raw pistachios in the end. I actually ended up preferring the softness of the coating.

Those tiny cups: I know someone is going to ask me where I bought those colorful little candy cups and I’m sorry, as my answer could not be more inconvenient: Vienna. A grocery store. I’m kind of obsessed with going to grocery stores in foreign countries and always walk out with random stuff like this. Anyway, Amazon sells #4 size cups (1-inch base) in brown and white; however, mine are actually #3 size (3/4 to 7/8-inch base) which I found online at a smaller store.

FENNEL SUGAR MICE FOR FLATULENCE

2 egg whites

250g icing sugar

200g dessicated coconut

4 tbsp fennel seeds

20 drops peppermint essential oil

A few drops homemade natural colourings (optional):

- for pink, use beetroot juice or blackberry jam

- for yellow, use turmeric

- for green, use juice pressed from chopped parsley

To decorate:

Cloves for eyes

Pumpkin seeds for ears

String for tails

1. Beat the egg whites until frothy but not stiff. Stir in the sieved icing sugar, coconut, fennel seeds and peppermint essential oil, and mix until the mixture forms a firm dough. (Feel free to add more sugar if the mixture is not stiff enough to hold its shape.)

2. Knead in a few drops of colouring (optional).

3. Form the dough into 21 little mice shapes - greasing your hands lightly with sunflower oil beforehand helps immensely with this. Place cloves for eyes, pumpkin seeds for ears and string for tails. Arrange the mice on a sheet of greaseproof paper and leave in a warm, dry place to harden for 24 hours.

USE: When windy, eat 1-2 mice per day, remembering to remove the cloves first.

STORAGE: Will keep in an airtight tin for up to 6 weeks.

ANTI-ANXIETY SAFFRON EGG NOG

500ml whole milk

2 bay leaves

36 threads / 3 pinches saffron

2 strips orange rind

3 tbsp golden syrup

200ml single cream

3 eggs

150ml white rum

Grated fresh nutmeg, to serve

1. Pour the milk, bay leaves, saffron, orange rind, golden syrup and cream into a pan, and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Strain through a sieve.

2. Break the eggs into a glass heat-proof bowl, then slowly whisk in the hot milk mixture.

3. Place the bowl above a pan of boiling water and heat gently, stirring, until the mixture thickens to a custardy consistency. Then take it straight off the heat.

4. Whisk in the rum, then pour the mixture into a jug. Cool, then leave to stand in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours before serving.

5. Serve over ice with grated nutmeg.

USE: Drink no more than 1 wineglass a day.

CAUTION: Contains alcohol.

STORAGE: Keep in the refrigerator. Will last for 2 weeks.

ROASTED CRANBERRY MINCE PIES

1 kg cranberries, fresh or frozen

1 Bramley apple, chopped

1 tsp mixed spice

100g unsalted butter

100ml maple syrup

300g soft brown sugar

3 tbsp dark rum or Cointreau

100g candied orange peel

Flour, for dusting

2 rolls ready-made shortcrust pastry

Icing sugar, to dredge

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

2. Distribute the cranberries and chopped apple between two roasting tins. Sprinkle over the mixed spice and fleck with the butter. Drizzle the maple syrup over. Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the fruit is slightly shrunken with a golden tan.

3. Remove the roasted cranberries from the oven and place in a bowl. Mix in the sugar, rum or Cointreau and candied orange peel.

4. Sprinkle flour onto a work surface and roll out the pastry to a thickness of about 3mm. Using a 7cm cookie-cutter, cut out discs of pastry and place into a greased mince pie tin. Prick the base of each pie with a fork and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

5. Remove from the oven, and spoon the cranberry filling into each pastry cup. Return to the oven to cook for another 5 minutes.

6. Leave the pies to cool, then dredge with icing sugar.

USE: Eat 1 or 2 pies a day.

STORAGE: Store in an airtight container and eat within 1 week.