School kids are returning to class, but what parent even remembers how to fill a lunchbox? Get ahead with these easy, tasty and wholesome ideas - guaranteed to keep their energy levels up.
Chocolate, oat and raisin cookies
This is my go-to crisp cookie recipe and one I've been baking for years.
Ingredients
90 grams butter, melted
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup caster sugar
1 large egg, size 7
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup plain flour
¾ cup rolled oats
½ teaspoon each sea salt, ground cinnamon and baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
⅓ cup raisins, roughly chopped
⅓ cup sunflower seeds
1¼ cups dark chocolate baking bits or buttons, roughly chopped if large
Directions
1. Lightly grease 2 large flat baking sheets and line with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan bake.
2. Combine the butter and both sugars in a bowl then whisk in the egg and the vanilla.
3. Combine the flour, oats, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, raisins sunflower seeds and half of the chocolate bits in a large bowl.
4. Pour on the butter mixture and stir to combine well, making sure there are no pockets of flour in the batter.
5. Scoop out spoonfuls of the dough and place on the trays, spacing them apart as they will spread quite a bit. I put 9 on each tray. Don't overcrowd the trays or they will melt into one huge biscuit.
6. Flatten with the back of a fork then top with a few of the reserved chocolate bits.
7. Bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until the cookies are a good golden colour.
8. Leave for 2 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. The cookies will keep for 4 days stored in an airtight container.
Change-outs:
- chopped roasted pumpkin seeds
- craisins or cranberries
- white or milk chocolate
- chopped dried apricots or figs
- chopped nuts – peanuts, macadamias, almonds, cashew nuts
- Recipe by Claire Aldous
Ramp them up blueberry streusel muffins
Jam-packed with plump, juicy berries and topped with a lightly spiced streusel, watch these disappear in double-quick time. A slather of good butter is optional but recommended.
Makes: 8
Ingredients
Muffins
1 ⅔ cups plain flour
½ cup caster sugar
2½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 cups blueberries
150ml milk
1 large egg, size 7
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup rice bran oil
finely grated zest 1 large lemon
Spiced streusel
¼ cup plain flour
¼ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
45 grams Westgold
butter, diced
Directions
1. Grease 8 holes of a standard muffin tray. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan bake.
2. Streusel: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips to make damp, coarse crumbs. Chill until ready to cook.
3. Muffins: Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl then toss through the berries to coat in the flour.
4. Whisk the milk with the egg, vanilla, oil and the lemon zest. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold into the dry ingredients until only just combined. Don't overmix or the muffins will be tough.
5. Spoon the mixture into the tins then top with the streusel mixture.
6. Bake for 25 minutes until puffed and golden on top. Best eaten on the day of making.
- Recipe by Claire Aldous
Carrot cake bliss balls
Naughty and nice, these bliss balls contain wholefoods as well as zesty spices.
Makes: 22
Ingredients
2 small carrots, grated
14 medjool dates, roughly chopped
¼ cup dessicated coconut
1½ cups walnuts
1 cup pecans
finely grated zest of 1 orange
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¾ cup dessicated coconut, for rolling
Directions
1. Put the carrots and dates in a food processor and whiz to blend.
2. Add the dates, ¼ cup coconut, walnuts, pecans, orange zest, cinnamon and ground ginger and pulse to combine – do not over whiz, you want the texture to have a little "chunk" to it rather than being totally smooth.
3. Put the ¾ cup dessicated coconut in a shallow dish. Take tablespoons of the mixture and roll into balls, then roll lightly in the coconut and store in a baking paper lined container. Refrigerate for two hours to set before serving.
- Recipe by Sarah Tuck
Find more great recipes at dish.co.nz
