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!

That looks a yummy recipe - thanks

Thanks, will try tomorrow!

Also, if you decide to make massive cookies, baking time is 12-15 minutes!

Pancakes (drop scones) in this house. Make with wholemeal flour for a treat. Also home made humous, cheesy wholemeal soda bread, scones, flapjacks.

I see people in the supermarket with trolleys full of penguins, clubs and kit kats and just feel sorry for them. I can whip up some gingerbread men, chocolate biscuits and shortbread in no time at all. What are these people doing?

Seriously though, flapjacks are a piece of piss and cheese straws are as complicated as remembering to take the puff pastry out the freezer

Oh and Victoria sponges. Weigh two eggs. Weigh out the same weight of both stork and caster sugar. Cream sugar and stork. Add the 2 eggs, one at a time. Sieve in same weight self raising flour. Fold into mixture. Makes 12 wee sponges or one cake. Kids will enjoy helping and decorating.

soupmaker - I do the same thing, but cba with sifting and all such nonsense. All in bowl. Mix up. cook.

Flapjack is dirt cheap to make yourself. I make shortbread regularly too as it lasts a lot longer than sponge cake and is good for packed lunch boxes

I'd like the savoury flopjock recipe too! I do flapjack in the microwave- melt the sugar, syrup and butter; add oats and flatten in a microwavable dish, micro for about 2 min, yum.

Can someone plaese post their shortbread recipe? Is it hard to make? I keep reading stuff about the dough temperature having to be spot on or something...

here's a really good recipe for banana cookies, that are pretty much like flapjacks, but with hardly any sugar. (read it carefully you don't need 8oz of sugar; just enough to make the weight of the bananas up, I've been known to use all banana and no sugar)

forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=5392570&postcount=4

These are amazing. Cheap, easy and everyone who tries them loves them

Dairy book of home cooking circa 1970 shortbread recipe.
200g softened butter
100g caster sugar
300g plain flour
50g semolina (I use extra plain flour instead to non ill effect tho)
Cream butter and sugar til fluffy. (at this stage I add some vanilla extract as my
kids like it). Stir in flour and semolina with a fork. Draw mixture together and press it into a greased tin. Prick all over. Bake at 170 for 40 mins or the colour of pale straw. Leave in tin 5 mins, dredge with extra caster sugar and cut.
I use a silicon brownie tin and don't bother with greasing.
This recipe's method is different to most other shortbread recipes but is easier than rubbing in and always makes tasty shortbread imo

Caz, Charmingly, Lemon, Cristiane, sorry it's taken me a while to get back to you.

Savoury flapjacks - can be plainer for kids or pimped for grown ups. Freeze well and can reheat or warm up in the oven.

200g oats
200g grated cheese
200g grated courgette
200g grated carrot
2 small or 1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 eggs, beaten
salt & pepper

Sweat off the veg til softened, add everything else. Put into a lightly oiled tin and bake at 190 degrees C for 30 mins. Let them cool and firm up a bit before you cut.

Swap carrot for sweet potato or do half and half, add toasted pine nuts, pesto, add garlic to the veg, use a more exciting cheese than cheddar (gryere?). Chopped olives would be nice, sundblushed tomatoes. Adapt as you like I reckon.

PS - I guess these are quite healthy, but overall I don't think that snacks and treats have to be uber 'healthy'. Nothing is inherently unhealthy really, it's more about quantity and frequency eaten. If you stuff yourself with butter and sugar all day everyday, bad news, but a biscuit or two in the middle of a every diet that is a healthy balance of fruit, veg, lean meats, fish, fibre etc, no problemo I reckon!

Thank you couldtry. Going to do the savoury flapjacks, banana cookies and marmite fingers this week totally defeating the object of eating in healthily and in moderation.

Lovely banana loaf recipe in this month's edition of Good Food magazine - called "Paul's Banana Loaf." (I think - its on the last page anyway) It has chocolate chips but I used raisins and
half the sugar specified and its delicious.

That sounds nice! Am I right in saying that for things like loaves, muffins, you can be quite free and easy with changing the quantities of ingredients like sugar, fruit etc, and they should still turn out ok?

I made the Apricot Bars - they are divine, divine. Fired by success I am cooking Hugh' F-W's Breakfast Bars this weekend as they look sort of healthy but mainly yummy

I'm a recipe slave, Caz. I have the Fear about going off piste.

I make flapjacks, tea loaf ( fat free except one egg ) but we spread it with butter sometimes, traybakes eg lemon drizzle and sometimes cookies.

Caz - IME its OK to change sugar content in some things, if you up fruit you need to similarly adjust liquid, ie if its fresh fruit, you'd need less liquidy ingreds, if dried fruit, more.

I wouldn;t arse about with flour or egg quantities.

cq

I make a quick these cheese straw or if I have more time these cheese biscuits.

What about Raspberry & Apple Crumble squares.

taffeta is that the Nigella tea loaf? So easy and delicious and feels very frugal I think. I have started mixing some wholemeal into the plain flour on that one

here it is

a lot of my favourite recipes are in the Be-ro recipe book which you can get for about £1 I think.

i have just finished stuffing in some lovely chocolate chip cookies that DS and i made last night. they took about 10 mins to mix up and 10 to bake. nice with raisins in too.

the shortbread highlanders are also good, i made a big batch at new year and they kept well.

lots of nice sweet and savoury stuff in it plus basic icing instructions etc. have got oats in to make flapjacks but not got round to it.

my mum used to use an old 1960s one and i don't think it's changed too much. :)

i also buy too much snacky stuff, i love baking but never seem to be organised enough. :(

the dc are waiting beside the hob when i make scotch pancakes here,they are so easy and quick

we also have a waffle maker,again dc can't get enough of them

scone both plain and cheese

apple cake

cheese straws