Do you make cakes/cookies/treats etc instead of getting shop-bought stuff? If so can you inspire me with ideas?!

[Caz10]

This is something I'd like to do a lot more, I was just looking at my shopping and realising how much is taken up by "snack" stuff - crackers, choc biscs, cereal bars, flap jacks etc.
I've just got a new food mixer so am good to go - what can I make that will last a wee while in a tupperware? Without us all becoming very porky overnight?!!
I got a nice banana loaf recipe from the BLW site and it went down a treat with everyone, was thinking things like that, oat cookies etc.
TIA!

I badly need ideas too. Savoury ones would be good. Snack time at our house is turning into Toast Time...

I keep meaning to make not-too-sugary flapjacks.

www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/blueberrymuffins_67846

easy and delicious

lemondifficult i have a breadmaker, so obviously I HAVE to have toast in the morning/afternoon/evening to use up the bread/get my money's worth etc etc.....i pile on the pounds just looking at that machine....sigh!

Thank you angelonthetree!

On the whole, we make our snacks as I think shop bought stuff just tastes bad but it does depend on how much time we have. Flapjacks - sweet and savoury (savoury are really nice), mini muffins, also sweet and savoury, all kinds of biscuits, savoury breads and roasted nuts.

Sadly I don't think there's much in the homemade cake-cookie-treat line that is healthy, unless you're talking fruit

The only thing I can think of is frozen grapes, which are amazing and last forever in the freezer.

I make flapjack (add raisins, dried fruit, desiccated coconut, rum, whatever is leftover); plain sponge fairy cakes; have a US recipe for a fresh fruit loaf cake; sugared/spicy nuts and seeds.

Am intrigued by the idea of savoury flapjacks...

Me too! Any chance of a recipe?!

Savoury flapjacks sound great.

banana bread is very easy, delicious, great for an after school snack

Apricot Bars just brilliant and more-ish, I make for lunch boxes

These are the recipes I make over and over again

here is my favourite cookie recipe

My DCs would LOVE those apricot bars!

The apricot bars are awesome. They disappear in a flash and are so yummy so yummy

Cheese straws are apparently a doddle to make. Anyone got a quick & easy recipe for those? Half a chance they could then be dipped in sthg vaguely healthy like hummus.

I bake things like brownies and flapjacks then freeze them, just take out one at a time to put in lunchboxes, otherwise I would pig out and eat them all in a couple of days. Also scotch pancakes always go down well in our house and are less fatty/sugary than the flapjacks and brownies.

For savoury treats, we sometimes make marmite toast sticks, cut the crusts of a few slices of bread, spread thinly with butter and marmite, cut into fingers and cook in a low oven till they are completely dried out. Even more special if you sprinkle them with a bit of finely grated parmesan before baking.

savoury cheese scones could be another one?

the freezer is your friend for keeping things fresh until you need them - I often make loaf style cakes and cut in half and pop one in the freezer. It is as fresh as it came out the oven when defrosted!

You can also make cookie dough and keep in the fridge for a few days and make a few cookies at a time

Oh wow I didn't know that re freezing, very helpful thank you! We normally feel obliged to eat the whole lot over a couple of days ha! Great idea re a roll of cookie dough too.

Is defrosting just as simple as leaving it out? Overnight?

Cheese scones are dead easy but need to be eaten within 24 hours. I'd be glad of a savoury flopjock recipe if anyone has one.

Brownies/blondies are simplest and have longevity for sweet treats.

A savoury flopjock... Sounds interesting....

I have an AMAZING Peanutbutter and Oatmeal cookie recipe. They are vegan though, using soy milk. Massive batch and if kept airtight last weeks without tasting funny.

Will post recipe if someone wants it.

We do wholemeal scones (sweet and savoury), oat biscuits with raisins, chocolate cake (a really brownie-ish one which keeps well for days and is not as oversweet as brownies usually are), scotch pancakes, banana pancakes (though these two don't last well, but it only takes a few minutes to make them).

I'd love a peanut butter and oatmeal cookie recipe (is it very sweet?)

Yes please Mrs Huxtable

Ok, give me a minute. No, they're not super sweet.

This won't meet the requirement for healthy I'm afraid, but I am currently working my way through the cakes and treats in Nigella's Feast book. I have made her cut out cookies, her snowflake brownies, her crumble and her apricot trifle in the last couple of weeks, all divine, and VERY easy.

Big Crunchy Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Cookies (Isa Chandra Moskowits)

225g plain flour
175g rolled oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
175ml rapeseed or other veg oil
175g crunchy peanut butter
200g granulated sugar
225g brown sugar
125ml vanilla soy milk (I use plain soy milk and add a bit more vanilla extract)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

-preheat oven to 180 degrees
-toss together flour, oats, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl
-in a seperate bowl mix the oil, peanut butter, sugar, soy milk and vanilla
-combine dry and wet ingredients and mix
-the recipe now says to use 5 tablespoons of dough per cookie. DO NOT do this as they come out so massive! 1-2 tablespoons are more like it.
-roll the dough into balls and flatten out on the baking tray/sheet to about 1cm thickness
-bake for about 8-10 minutes till cookies have puffed a bit and are lightly browned
-allow to cool at least 10 minutes to firm up before moving them

They really keep forever. I think I now need to make these before DD1 arrives.