Maple oat cookies

After spending a month with us, it was time for my Mum to go back home. She left early on Tuesday morning, and was still travelling yesterday, as though she was in Moscow on Tuesday, it takes another 22 hours by train to get to my hometown.
Every time she leaves, we say Good byes with a heavy heart. With her health issues and me being a "prisoner of Zenda" - not being able to travel far due to the elder son's mental health problems, we never know if we'll see each other again.
To cheer up myself and treat my boys, I was baking maple oat cookies.

After a recent debacle with Flora, I'm on the lookout for a new margarine for baking cookies with. While I prefer a real butter when I bake cakes, I used to add either Flora or Stork as an ingredient in cookies, as they help to keep the shape.
After Flora has antagonised the Mumsnet members, I am now trying to find an alternative. I'm not a very active Mumsnetter, more of a reader than a contributor, and resent the fact that all members were insulted en masse. So, it's a good bye from me, good bye, Flora.

If you know of a decent alternative which is good for baking cookies, please let me know.
In this recipe I used a Baking block by Sainsbury's. It's the first time I used it, and can't say that I'm impressed. The cookies did spread quite a bit and lost their pattern. This means, I'm still on the lookout for the perfect margarine.

Maple oat cookies (makes 18 cookies)
Ingredients:
100g demerara sugar
120g margarine
1 medium egg
60ml maple syrup
50g oats
180+ g self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
a pinch of sea salt

Cream the sugar with margarine, beat in one egg, add the maple syrup, oats, flour and baking powder as well as a pinch of sea salt. The cookie dough will be quite soft and sticky.
Dust hands with flour and pinch walnut-sized balls of dough, roll between your hands, then flatten and put on the tray, lined with a baking parchment paper or baking silicone sheet.
Bake for about 13-14 minutes. The cookies will be slightly golden and very soft.
Let them cool a bit before lifting off the tray, they are fragile at this stage and will break easily.
If you prefer crispy cookies, let them bake for a couple of minutes longer.

These are lovely chewy cookies, perfect with a cup of tea or coffee. My boys loved them.
The maple syrup adds a distinct aroma and flavour to the bakes.

Pancakes with apricots and mascarpone

Pancake day is almost here, and the Internet is buzzing with the pancake recipes and serving suggestions. There's even a cyberspace rivalry challenge Maple syrup versus Lemon juice and sugar (just follow the hashtag #MapleVLemon). Being the maple syrup camp follower, I'm happy to use the maple syrup in both sweet and savoury pancakes. To encourage me to make more pancakes, lovely people from Clarks Marple Syrup sent me a big bottle of their maple syrup.
I have posted a savoury pancake recipe earlier today. Now it's the turn of the sweet pancakes with apricots and mascarpone.

Pancakes with apricots and mascarpone
Ingredients:
6 apricots
1tsp apricot kernel oil (or any mild vegetable oil)
2tbsp maple syrup
for batter:
2 medium eggs
100ml kefir
200ml milk
100g plain flour
1tbsp sugar
1tbsp apricot kernel oil
for the filling:
mascarpone cheese and maple syrup (1 heaped tbsp of cream cheese + 1tsp maple syrup per pancake)
icing sugar (optional)

Apricots baked with the maple syrup

Halve the apricots and discard stones. Place them in a baking tray, and drizzle with the apricot kernel oil and maple syrup. Roast at 180C for 25+ minutes, until soft but not mushy.
Make the batter by beating the eggs with the milk, kefir, flour, oil and sugar. The batter has to be smooth.
I buy a Polish kefir from Tesco (Mlekovita). Kefir is quite popular in Russia as an ingredient for baking and making pancakes. It adds a light note of acidity and lightness to the pancakes. If you don't have kefir, use 300ml of milk and a couple of tablespoons of Greek style yogurt or even plain yogurt.
Fry each pancake for about 3+ minutes on each side. This batter makes thin crepe-style pancakes, which are perfect for being filled with whatever delectable foods you fancy.

Mix the mascarpone cheese with maple syrup. Spoon it on top of each pancake, add a few apricot halves, fold the pancake. Dust with a bit of icing sugar and enjoy.
This is truly a heavenly combination of flavours.

Yet if you don't fancy this filling, or don't have time to faff with the apricots, just make the pancakes and drizzle with the maple syrup or honey. Less ingredients, but as tasty.

Disclosure: as mentioned in the previous post, I received a bottle of maple syrup and subsidiary fees to buy the ingredients in order to do two pancakes recipe posts. All opinions are mine.

And if you fancy more pancake recipes, have a look at these mouth-watering creations -

Choclette from Chocolate Log Blog made lush Spiced Kefir Pancakes with Manuka Honey and Creme Fraiche Chocolate Sauce;

Janice from Farmersgirl Kitchen cooked delicious Cinnamon Spice Pancakes with Cinnamon Poached Plums;

Jacqueline from Tinned Tomatoes made a batch of lip-licking Chocolate Chip and Raisin Scotch pancakes;

Dom from Belleau Kitchen rocks with his Two-Ingredient Nutribullet Banana Pancakes.

Savoury beer pancakes with wild mushrooms and bacon

Beer pancakes with wild mushrooms and bacon

I am always surprised when I read people saying on their blogs that they only eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. Why limit yourself to just once a year? Pancakes are a staple breakfast food in Russia, especially at the weekends. My guys love pancakes, and every Sunday is a pancake day in our family. They prefer the sweet varieties, topped up with sliced bananas, berries and cream. I love mine with honey or maple syrup. Savoury pancakes are also fabulous. Beer is one of the ingredients which adds a definite lightness and a savoury note to the pancakes.

Beer pancakes (makes 6)
Ingredients:
2 medium eggs
150ml beer
100g self-raising flour
a pinch of salt
butter, for frying

for the filling:
1tsp olive oil
100g cubed bacon
100g wild mushrooms
1tbsp maple syrup
1tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
100g mozzarella, cubed

Beat the eggs with the beer and flour, add a pinch of salt. The batter should be smooth. Pour a ladleful of batter into the buttered hot frying pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. There's enough batter to make 6 pancakes.

Beer pancakes

Chop the bacon lardons into cubes, fry them in the frying pan with a bit of olive oil. After 3-4 inutes of add the chopped wild mushrooms and a tablespoon of maple syrup, as well as some fresh thyme. Cook for another 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn down the heat and add the cubed mozzarella. Divide the filling between the pancakes and fold each pancake in half.

Wild mushrooms + Mushrooms with bacon and mozzarella

Drizzle more maple syrup if you like. The sweetness of the syrup works well with the salty savoury flavours of the bacon and mushrooms.

I have been asked by Clarks Maple Syrup to come up with a recipe for Clarks Pancake Challenge. Well, I am definitely in the maple syrup camp. As much as I love lemons in cooking, for me classic pancakes with lemon juice and sugar are just too boring plain. If I fancy a simple version, I would opt for maple syrup, or honey. Or do it the Russian way, with the soured cream and sprinkled sugar.

For more pancake recipes and cooking inspiration, visit Clarks recipes page.

If you're in the pancakes-once-a-year group, make sure you cook the best ones. And don't worry about the flipping bit. In fact, I have read that it's only the rubbery pancakes which flip easily. You cannot flip a large thin crepe or Italian lacy crespelle without tearing it.
Whichever recipe you choose, have fun with your pancakes and stack them high!

Disclosure: I received a bottle of maple syrup and a subsidiary fee for buying the ingredients. All opinions are mine.

If you liked this recipe, you might be interested in the following recipes:
Pancakes for Findus
and
Ricotta pancakes

Top that! (pancake toppings)

This Tuesday many households all over the country will be flipping their pancakes. Shrove Tuesday is preceding the first day of Lent, it is the last chance of enjoying the rich foods before long fast of 40 days. Did you know that the earliest known record of the pancake recipe goes back to 5AD? That Roman recipe suggested adding honey and pepper to the pancake. The Tudors liked their pancakes made with the good old ale, and used plenty of spices like cinnamon and ginger in the batter. The pancake as we know it today is a later creation, thanks to the influence of the French cuisine of the 18C.

Pancakes with mascarpone and fresh berries

Judging by the numerous pancake polls, the Brits like to eat their pancakes the traditional way, with lemon and sugar. As a girl who grew up in Russia, I don't fancy lemon-sugar combination. It is either honey for me, or the soured cream with sugar. Of course, there are so many recipes and variations of pancakes, that you could probably eat them every day for a year and serve them differently each time.

For the classic American style pancakes you will need bacon rashers and maple syrup.
I use a standard recipe, that works well in many pancake recipes.
You will need
2 medium eggs
80ml milk
1tbsp soured cream (optional)
1tbsp wholemeal flour
3 heaped tbsp self-raising flour
a pinch of salt
1tbsp melted butter (optional)
butter for greasing the pan
sugar from 1/2tsp to 1tbsp (whether you want them savoury ot sweet)
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt and sugar. In a measuring jug whisk the milk and eggs. Pour the egg mix and melted butter into the bowl and mix well. Leave it to stand for 10 minutes.
When the pan is hot, pour the ladelfuls of batter. Turn them carefully and cook until both sides are golden brown.
Serve with the crispy bacon and maple syrup.

For a vegetarian version, skip the bacon. Add the blueberries to the batter and serve with the maple syrup as well.

For my American style pancakes I used Clarks original maple syrup (blended with carob fruit syrup). It is a classic combination of sweet and salty flavours.

If you are more of a chocoholic, perhaps you would prefer to drizzle some liquid chocolate over your pancakes?
Choc Shot Liquid Chocolate by Sweet Freedom is a versatile ingredient. You can make a cup of hot chocolate with it, just stir into hot milk. Drizzle it over ice cream, toast, fruit salad or porridge. It has 25% fewer calories than regular hot chocolate.
From the list of credentials: it is 100% natural, GM & gluten free, with Low GL.
One teaspoon of liquid chocolate is 13.7kcal (per 5g).

Daddy's pancake

My guys, big and small, love their pancakes with lots of fresh cream, squirted from the Anchor bottle. Slice half a banana per each bigger pancake, squirt lots of cream and drizzle the liquid chocolate.

Eddie's pancake

Choc Shot on pancakes? mmm, yummy

If you like, swap the cream for ice cream or thick Greek style yogurt. Add any berries you like, or caramelized fruit like pears or banana.

Or do a mini-tower from pancakes, mascarpone and fresh berries. You will need about 2tbsp of mascarpone, 1tbsp of maple syrup, 1tsp lemon juice and a handful of raspberries and blueberries. Eddie loves blueberries and calls them chuckleberries (in case you don't watch Tree Fu Tom, these are sweet juicy berries which can laugh). As mascarpone is quite thick, mix it with the lemon juice and maple syrup to make it more spreadable. Add half a tablespoon of the cheese mix to each pancake, top up with berries.

Whichever recipe you enjoy, have fun on the Pancake day! And don't forget, pancakes are not just for Pancake day.

For more information about Clarks maple syrup range visit their page Clarks Maple Syrup UK.
I suggest you visit their Recipes page, as it has some fabulous mouthwatering ideas like Cinnamon and Clarks Maple Syrup Pancakes with Caramelised Pear and Pecan Brittle, White Chocolate and Blueberry Pancakes with Maple Syrup Drizzle and many more.

Disclosure: I received a bottle of Clarks maple syrup and Choc Shot Liquid Chocolate each, to write a post on pancakes, though as you might know well, I do talk about pancakes very often.

Clarks maple syrup giveaway (c/d 24 October 2013)

I have recently tested and reviewed a couple of Clarks maple syrups (see my post Family Fun with Clarks maple syrup). I love the sweet smokey taste of the maple syrup, and it is one of my kitchen staples.

Maple syrup is a versatile ingredient, a perfect accompaniment to pancakes and blini.

It transforms a simple dish of porridge into a Royal meal.

It works wonderfully in baking, enhancing the flavours of cupcakes, cakes and cookies.

For more recipe ideas and suggestions visit Clarks Maple Syrup.

Lovely people from Clarks have kindly offered a selection of their tasty syrups as a prize for 3 of my lucky blog readers.

Each of three prizes will include:

Clarks Pure Canadian No.1 (Medium) Maple Syrup
Clarks Pure Canadian No.2 Amber Grade Maple Syrup
Clarks Original Maple Syrup (blended with carob fruit syrup)
Clarks Vanilla Maple Syrup (blended with carob fruit syrup)


If you would like to win this prize, please fill in the Rafflecopter form.
T&Cs:
Only the first step is mandatory: all you need is answer the question by leaving a comment (there is no right or wrong answer)
(if you login as Anonymous, please leave you Twitter name or FB name, so that I could identify you, I do not suggest leaving the email address in the comment)

All the other steps are optional, you don't have to do them all. All it takes to win is just one entry.
Only one entry per person is allowed (however, you can tweet daily to increase your chances).
The giveaway is open to the UK residents only.
Once the Rafflcopter picks the winner, I will check if the winner has done what was requested. I will contact the winner, if they do not reply within a week, the prize will be allocated to another person.

If you haven't used the Rafflecopter before, you might want to watch this simple video.
The giveaway will close on 24 October 2013 at midnight (the night from the 23rd to 24th)



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

Family fun with Clarks maple syrup

When it comes to the maple syrup, Clarks, the UK's best selling maple syrup brand, knows a thing or two about it. Family-run Clarks Maple Syrup offers a varied range of delicious syrups.

Clarks explains:

"Small farm producers in Quebec, Canada, harvest the sap of the maple tree and then boil it; this simple process creates deliciously sweet Clarks Maple Syrup - it really is as simple as that!"

Maple syrup is a wonderfully versatile product which could enhance a whole range of dishes, from sweet to savoury. Cupcakes, sponge cakes, ice cream, milkshakes, salad dressings and sauces: maple syrup is not just for pancakes and waffles

In the last week or two I was testing two different syrups from the Clarks range:

Clarks No.2 Amber Maple Syrup 
"A pure blend, with a rich colour and deep flavour. Ideal for marinades, baking and dressings, or simply as a healthier alternative to sugar, rrp £2.99"

This blend has a gorgeous deep colour (I wish my hair was this rich shade) with a tint of auburn. The taste is intense and delicious.

Another flavour that I tested was:
Vanilla Maple Syrup blended with Carob Fruit Syrup
"A blend of pure Canadian maple syrup, carob fruit from the Mediterranean and natural vanilla flavouring. This syrup works well for sweet dishes and baking.  Try it mixed in with porridge or on waffles for breakfast - or poured over ice cream for a sweet treat, rrp £2.10"

This syrup is milder in flavour than the Amber maple syrup, and more delicate. The labelling on the bottle is very clear that this is a mix with the carob fruit syrup. It was lovely used in Maple syrup, vanilla and oat cookies (see below). And also lush on porridge.

"Maple Syrup is a good source of zinc to aid the immune system and has as fewer calories weight-for-weight than sugar and honey. It can also be a great ingredient for those looking to make small changes for a healthier lifestyle - try adding a dash of Clarks to your morning coffee instead of sugar."

I love baking, and if you follow my blog, you might have noticed that we often have a baking session with my kids.

Carrot and maple syrup cupcakes (about 8)
Ingredients:
1 orange (juice and zest)
2 medium eggs
100g granulated sugar
100ml olive oil
100g grated carrot
2tbsp maple syrup
1tsp cinnamon
1/2tsp ground ginger
1tbsp ground almonds
150g self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
3tsbp sunflower, pumpkin seeds and pine nuts (topping)

Grate the carrot in the mixing bowl. Add the zest and juice of one orange, eggs, sugar, olive oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, ginger, ground almonds, self-raising flour and baking powder. Mix well.
Spoon the cupcake mix into the paper cupcake cases and sprinkle the sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and pine nuts on top. Place the muffin tin (with the cupcake cases in) in the oven preheated to 180C and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Insert the wooden skewer to check if it comes clean.
The cupcakes are fluffy and delicate in texture.
Lovely eaten warm, but nice cold as well.

I have also baked a batch of Maple Syrup, Vanilla and Oat cookies yesterday to celebrate my little man's first day at the nursery. It was a stressful day for us both. I think we were both happy to be reunited after three hours of separation. My little man is all grown up now. To calm down our nerves, what could be better than a cooking session? Freshly baked cookies were a perfect snack for a relaxing afternoon. I used Clarks Vanilla Maple syrup in this recipe for the more delicate flavour. The sweet aroma of baking was comforting and tempting, and these cookies are ideal for the afternoon munchies or before bed with a glass of milk.

You can find out more information, along with lots of recipes, at Clarks.

Disclosure: I received two bottles of Clarks maple syrup for the purposes of reviewing, all opinions and recipe suggestions are mine.

Liquid gold: Clarks honey

We eat lots of honey here, I don't know if it's thanks to my Russian origins (my husband claims he got addicted to tea with honey when he was in high school in Canada) but my kitchen always has a supply of different honeys. British honeys could easily compete with the honeys from all over the world. Honey is a tasty accompaniment to pancakes, blini, crumpets, it transforms the salad dressings, glaze, sauce, and is perfect for both sweet and savoury dishes. Clarks It! has created a new simple design for its Clear Honey.

Pancakes and honey, a marriage made in heaven

If you are a fan of Clarks maple syrup, you are familiar with their iconic splat design. This idea has been extended to a new design for Clarks honey: a flying bee over a flower. A clean striking design, deceptively simple and clear on the message that it contains British honey.
The brand is actively supporting the British Bee Farmers in its policy of blending the British honey.
Clarks think it is important to use a higher quantity of British honey, using 15% British honey - more than any other brand.
What makes Clarks different?
I was astonished to read that 90% of honey we consume is imported to the UK, most of it comes from Asia (80%). The British honey is pretty expensive. If you visit the farmers' market, you might have sighed at the prices. Saying that, I do want to support the local bee keepers and buy a few jars every time I have a chance to stumble upon the farmers' market.
Most of the honey-producing brands blend cheap Chinese and European honey, but are rather economic with the truth, saying it is a blend of EC and non-EC honeys.
I would love to know more about what I am buying, and welcome Clarks' initiative to include a more expensive British honey in the blend.
I would also love them to be more specific about the origins of the blend (it says on the jar "A blend of EC and non-EC honeys").
According to CEO and founder Bob Clark: "We realised that no one else produces a blended honey that contains British honey and we saw a great opportunity to be first to market. It was crucial that we had a brand and design that would stand out on shelf against the established players and communicate to consumers that they were getting British honey how they like it, clear and runny".

Runny honey changes a simple dish of porridge into a delightful treat.
My guys love their tea with a spoonful of honey. My husband adds it to his muesli or granola every morning. How about drizzling it over a fruit salad? Delicious!

Honey is a versatile ingredient. It adds a touch of sweetness and depth of flavours to a meat or fish dish.
Honey and soy sauce glazed salmon

And if you are feeling under the weather, have you tried a cup of hot milk with a spoonful of honey?

More recipes using honey:
Honey cake with walnuts and mascarpone
Honey cake with prunes and soured cream

For more information visit Clarks Honey UK

Disclosure: I received a breakfast hamper from Clarks (see the top image). All opinions are mine.

Rachel's Organic Low Fat Mango Yogurt

We are fans of Rachel's Organic smooth creamy yogurts: they are organic, low fat, bio live and have a great selection of flavours. Brilliant to eat on their own as a snack or pour over the cereals/muesli at breakfast time.

Rachel's Organic have just launched a brand new low fat mango yogurt:

"Rachel's new low fat mango brings a taste of the exotic to your palate with a blissful combination of the world's finest and juiciest organic mangoes".

When I opened my grocery shopping bags, Eddie snatched the big pot of mango yogurt and insisted on trying it at once.
What did we think of the new flavour?
It is very moreish. Smooth, creamy, with nice chunks of mango for the extra texture (there is also a mango puree added to the yogurt for the sweet fruity flavour).
It is also very delicate.

If eating yogurt neat is not your thing, how about blitzing some smoothie or milkshake with it? I typically whizz a chopped banana, a few tablespoons of yogurt, some fresh berries (whichever I have: strawberries, blueberries or raspberries) and a couple of tablespoons of ice cream for the most delicious drink that my guys love so much.

Or make a batch of cupcakes!
Mango yogurt and honey cupcakes
Ingredients:
150ml Rachel's Organic mango yogurt
175g caster sugar
3 medium eggs
150g self-raising flour
70g ground almonds
2tbsp honey (any runny honey would do, I used Clarks)
1tsp vanilla essence
1tsp baking powder
160g butter, melted
lemon juice (about 4tsp) and icing sugar (5 heaped tsp)

Beat the eggs with the caster sugar, and add all the other ingredients, mixing well. Pour in the cupcake cases and bake in the oven preheated to 180C for about 15-20 minutes. Check that the wooden skewer comes clean. Decorate with the simple lemon juice/icing sugar mix and a bit of freeze-dried strawberries.

These cupcakes are very delicate and soft in texture, really light. My older son gulped three of them almost in one go.

Rachel's Organic Low Fat Mango yogurt is a lovely addition to the great range of yogurts, a versatile product that would make you ask for more.

If you want to know what the other bloggers thought of this new yogurt, please visit their blogs
Madhouse Family Reviews
and
Splodz Blogz

If you love baking with yogurt, here are a few more recipes
Incy Wincy Halloweency Yogurt Cake
Chocolate Polenta Cake
Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Yogurt Frosting

To find out more about Rachel's Organic range and enter their competitions, check out the Rachel's Organic Facebook page.

Disclosure: I received several vouchers to buy the yogurt. All opinions are mine (and family's).

Honey and soy sauce glazed salmon

Honey and soy sauce glazed salmon
Ingredients:

2 big fillets of salmon (about 350g each)
1 lime (zest and juice)
3 tbsp soy sauce (I used Amoy Special Selection)
2 tbsp runny honey (for example, Clarks)
3tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 clove of garlic
1tbsp grated ginger (or frozen ginger flakes)
3 baby leeks

To make the glaze mix the following ingredients: the olive oil, honey, soy sauce, fish sauce, zest and juice of 1 lime, 1 finely chopped clove of garlic and some grated ginger (I confess I have a packet of ginger flakes in the freezer from Waitrose, very convenient for when you need just a small amount of ginger.) Don't worry about the amount of honey, 2tbsp might seem a lot for the fish, but as you add the juice and zest of 1 lime, it will counter-balance the flavours. But by all means, experiment yourself, this is not written in the Scriptures.
Slice the baby leeks.
Place the salmon fillets in a deep baking tray (the sauce will be splattering quite a bit, as you can see from the photo below). Scatter the leeks over the fish and leave it to marinade for at least half an hour before roasting/baking in the oven at 180C for about half an hour.
Serve hot with the rice.

The flavours are pretty amazing: the salmon is zingy and spicy, and very-very tasty. I had a medium piece left, and the next day made a potato salad with chopped potatoes, sliced apple and flaked fish (with the olive oil/lime dressing). It was lovely cold as well.

Many thanks to Darlene Schmidt for the inspiration. I have stumbled across her recipe for Salmon in Asian Soy, Honey & Ginger Sauce on About.com. I have adapted the recipe to suit the ingredients I had (I omitted the hoisin sauce and changed the quantities of the other ingredients etc but it was her recipe that inspired me. I have found quite a lot of soy and honey recipes for the salmon online, but this one was the most exciting).