Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Moist Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffin

These are the most moist banana -chocolate chip muffins i have ever made. The ideal treat for a mid night snack!
What you need:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tspn baking soda
1/4 tspn salt
1/8 tspn cinnamon
1 1/4 cups mashed bananas ( i used about 4)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup non fat milk
2 eggs
1/2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 tspn vanilla essence

Making it work:

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin

1. Preheat over to 180c, line muffin cups
2. Stir flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a bowl
3. Combine bananas, sugar, butter, milk, eggs & vanilla in a separate bowl
4. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, pour all of the wet ingredients into the bowl and mix till combined.
5. Fold in chocolate chips and fill muffin cups 3/4 full.
bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.

Cinnamon Apple Pie

I made this a while back but only got to posting it now.
Almost everyone whose ever bakes knows how to bake an apple pie. Its one of the simplest things to do. This is my own recipe.

What you need:
Apples ,  about 3, cored, skin peeled and cut into cubes.
Butter, about 50g
Sugar, a tablespoon, normal white or brown
Cinnamon, a dash, according to your taste
Vanilla, essence 1 tspn or 1 pod
Puff pastry ( instant), i used a brand i got from my local grocer, Kawan Puff Pastry.

Making it work
Chuck the butter and sugar into a saucepan on medium heat and let the mixture caramelize. Give it a mix after a few minutes. If you are using vanilla pod you can chuck them in too.
When the mixture starts to simmer, dunk the apples in and give it a good mix. If you like your apple pies really sweet you can add more sugar to this mix. Add cinnamon and let the apples stew in the caramel mixture and absorb all those lovely flavors.
Once the apples start getting a bit soft, take the saucepan off the heat and set it aside to cool down for a bit. the thing is, if you put this hot mixture onto the pastry, you'll ruin it and get mush all over your fingers.
Once the apples have cooled off, get your pastry out of the fridge. Pre-heat your oven to 180C and line a baking tray.

Cinnamon Apple Pie. i got creative and made a bunch of shapes. 

Sprinkle some flour on your work surface and place a sheet of the pastry. This is where you can get creative. You could roll the party out into a big square and put about a tablespoon full of apples and wrap it up like a spring roll or roll it up lie a curry puff shape.Whatever shapes you make, make sure you seal the edges so that the liquid doesn't leak out when you are baking it. With a knife or fork, cut some small slits on the top of the pastry.
Once your done, place them on a baking sheet and bake for 25 min or so.

Peach Trifle

 A trifles is an ol-school desert. It is made up of layers of plain sponge cake, sliced fruits, custard, cream, jelly and of course the alcohol. There are many variations to this dessert and most old families have their own signature style.
The D'cruz family trifle i learnt to make when i was in my teens. This however is not the family recipe, I made this Peach trifle for a recent birthday party. I stuck to the usual basics of cake and fruit, but gave it a little twist. If you are tired of birthday cakes, give this a try..

Peach Trifle

Ingredients

• fruit cocktail - drained and separate juice
• peaches – drained and sliced.
• sponge cakes
• All purpose whipped cream
• Sherry ( or any wine or brandy would do)
• Handful of chocolate shavings for decoration. 

 Putting it together

1. Crumble up the cake in a bowl until it resembles fine bread crumbs
2. Whip the cream and set aside.
3. To make the base, first off, use about 1/3 the cake crumbs and spread it out on the bottom of the dish. If you are using a very large dish you may need more. Press the crumbs down and pour half of the sherry and syrup from the canned fruit so that the cake crumbs hold. The base of the trifle should be about half inch thick.
4. Arrange about 1/3 of the fruits on top of the cake.
5. Spread a layer (about half inch thick) of whipped cream over the fruit.
6. Repeat with cake crumbs, fruit and cream….and ending with cream.
7. Once done, stick it in the fridge for about 20-30 mins to chill then serve.

I have not provided exact measurements here because it really boils down to how much trifle you want to make and how big your dish is. Mine was about 9inch round bowl and I used about 2 cake loafs.
Give this a try…