Baking ideas

Carob-chip cookies

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Makes about 18 cookies

You will need:

125g (½ cup) butter
80g (1/3 cup) caster (superfine) sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
150g (1 cup) regular wheat flour
75g (½ cup) regular wheat raising flour
100g chopped carob

Preheat the oven to 170ºC (325ºF/Gas 3). Line two baking trays with sheets of baking paper.

Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla essence in the small bowl of an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes, or until well combined. Sift the flours into the margarine mixture. Use a wooden spoon to mix until well combined. Add the chopped carob to the dough and use your hands to mix into a soft dough.

Shape tablespoonfuls of the mixture into the balls and place on the prepared trays. Use a fork to flatten the balls until about 1cm (3/8in) thick. Bake for 12-15 minutes, swapping the trays around once, until light golden. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Recipes taken from Friendly Food, by Dr Anne R Swain, Dr Velencia L Soutter and Dr Robert H Loblay, published by Murdoch Books. It is priced at £9.79 on www.amazon.co.uk and is also available at the Murdoch Books warehouse on 01256 302 692.

Baked eggs in potato

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Makes 8 baked eggs

You will need:

600g (1lb5oz) white-skinned potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
Canola oil, for greasing
35g (½ cup) rice crumbs, approximately
1½ tbl dairy-free margarine
3 spring onions (scallions) finely chopped
Ground sea salt
8 eggs

Boil or steam the potatoes for 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain well, then return the potatoes to the pan and mash until smooth. You will need 460g (2 cups) of plain mashed potato for this recipe.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF/Gas 4). Lightly grease eight 80ml (1/3 cup) muffin holes and coat lightly with the rice crumbs.

Melt the margarine in a small frying pan, add the spring onions and cook, stirring, until soft. Combine the spring onion mixture with the potato and add salt to taste. Divide the potato mixture evenly among the muffin holes and press gently over the base and up the sides.

Break an egg into each potato nest bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the egg is just set. Allow to cool slightly and invert to remove from the muffin pan. Place egg-side up on serving plates.

HINT: To ensure you get a centred yolk, first break your eggs (one at a time) into a cup, then pour into the potato shell.

Recipe taken from Friendly Food, by Dr Anne R Swain, Dr Velencia L Soutter and Dr Robert H Loblay, published by Murdoch Books. It is priced at £9.79 on www.amazon.co.uk and is also available at the Murdoch Books warehouse on 01256 302 692.

Corn and chive muffins

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Makes 10 muffins

You will need:

Canola oil, for greasing
300g (2 cups) soy-free, gluten-free raising flour
2 tsp gluten-free baking powder
2 tbl soft brown sugar
100g (½ cup) drained, canned corn kernels
2 tbl finely chopped fresh chives
250ml (1 cup) rice drink
80ml (1/3 cup) canola oil
2 eggs, or equivalent egg replacer

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF/Gas 4). Lightly grease ten 80ml (1/3 cup) muffin holes with canola oil.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the sugar. Stir in the corn kernels and chives. In a separate bowl, combine the rice drink, oil and egg. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture. Use a large metal spoon to mix until just combined. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin holes.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Set aside in the tray for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

HINT: These muffins need to be eaten on the day they are made

Recipe taken from Friendly Food, by Dr Anne R Swain, Dr Velencia L Soutter and Dr Robert H Loblay, published by Murdoch Books. It is priced at £9.79 on www.amazon.co.uk and is also available at the Murdoch Books warehouse on 01256 302 692.

Once you have enjoyed an afternoon baking, instead of leaving pots and pans to soak overnight, simply reach for Fairy Power Spray. It is perfect for getting rid of hard-to-shift food after all that baking. Its powerful formula loosens baked on food's grip on your pans, grills and baking trays, reducing the need for hard scrubbing and boring soaking. Simply spray the area that needs to be cleaned, leave for 10-15mins, wipe and rinse it clean! Fairy Power Spray, burnt on food beware!

Baking ideas

Try some inventive recipes