Veggie, MoreComments Off on Easy and delicious peanut noodle sauce
It’s half term here and so I find myself looking for easy wins when it comes to feeding the kids and that’s where this easy peanut noodle sauce comes in. I don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen when the boys are at home in the day. School feels like it steals so much of my time with them, I don’t want any further interruption when I get whole days to hang out. Noodles (or doodles as young Laurie calls them) are a favourite and always return empty plates. Albeit, plates with some vegetables picked out and left on the side. Oh to be two and so picky! READ MORE
How are the resolutions going? This year I decided to absolutely not make any new year’s resolutions. I’ve made many in my time and have found, after a good few years of research, that they are more often than not, pointless. READ MORE
Nothing but nothing is prepared and it’s almost (gasp) December. This has never happened before. At least, if it has, I have blanked it out. I have a few stocking fillers. I have a list of possible gifts to buy. I have a box of Christmas cards and some silver bells to attach to the presents I haven’t bought yet. But that’s it. What’s wrong with me? READ MORE
So really, all in all, I’m trying to manage your expectations. It’s not that I don’t want you to make them. I do. These are good. Oh my, they are GOOD. You could make yourself sick eating the whole lot and still want to go back for more. However, they’re a bit of a pain in the backside.
But like my good friend Kitty says about women – all the best ones are a bit of a pain in the backside. In my opinion, the same applies to chocolate-peanut snacks.
P.S. Please, please, please don’t sub the dry roasted peanuts for salted peanuts, or, heaven forbid, unsalted peanuts. They need to be dry roasted. I know it seems wrong, but just trust me on this one.
I made a lovely video with the Scoff folks to show how to make these homemade Snickers. You can see the vid on my YouTube channel and also the Scoff one. You can watch it below too.
Oil a tray size 30 x 40cm (ish) with a little olive oil and cut a piece of non-stick baking parchment to fit the bottom. Melt half the milk chocolate with 1 tbsp olive oil in the microwave until molten. Tip into the tray and level out by tapping the tin on the work surface. Leave to set in the fridge.
Once the chocolate has set, make the nougat by placing the granulated sugar, honey, liquid glucose and 230mls cold water into a saucepan over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Turn up the heat and boil until it reaches 150°C (use a sugar thermometer).
Whisk the egg whites in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment until you achieve soft peaks, then when the sugar thermometer is at 160°C slowly pour the boiling sugar into the egg white mixture with the whisk rotating at a medium speed. Try and aim the sugar at the egg whites rather than at the edge of the bowl.
Let the mixer whisk for about 3 – 4 minutes at a high speed until the mixture is very thick, starts to pull away from the side of the bowl and the stand mixer feels like it might be struggling. Stop the mixer then add the peanut butter and stir with a spatula or spoon then tip onto the chocolate layer. Straight away, tip the dry roasted peanuts over the top evenly and then press down with a piece of oiled non-stick baking parchment. Leave to set.
Make the caramel by heating the cream in a pan until boiling point. At the same time heat the golden syrup and the granulated sugar in a large pan until 155°C (use a jam thermometer), then remove from the heat and stir in the just boiled cream with a wooden spoon. Be careful as it can spit. Leave off the heat for 5 minutes. Then put back on the hob and heat until 127°C. Once this temperature is achieved remove from the heat and stir in the butter – be careful as it bubbles up a fair amount. Leave to cool in the pan for 20 minutes.
When cool but still spreadable, pour over the peanut layer of the snickers bar and allow to set in the fridge. Use a knife to eek it over the peanut layer if you need to. When the caramel has set (give it at least an hour) melt the other half of the chocolate with 1 tbsp oil (as before) and pour over the caramel layer. Leave to set.
Once completely set use a knife to cut into squares/bars. You can dip the knife into hot water before cutting to achieve cleaner cuts.
I’ve been to LA. I’ve been to New York. I’ve been to Miami, albeit briefly. I have been to San Francisco many, many times. If I were to visit an American pal for Thanksgiving this is what I would take. Though I doubt it’d stay frozen what with the long transatlantic flight.
I made a lovely video with the Scoff folks to show off how to make this pie. You can see the vid on my YouTube channel and also the Scoff one. You can watch it below too.
Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Blitz the Oeros in a food processor until they resemble fine breadcrumbs. Add the butter and blitz again. Press into a 28cm wide pie dish or tin and bake for 5 minutes.
Whisk the double cream to stiff peaks then in a separate bowl mix the cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar and vanilla seeds until really smooth and well combined. Fold in the shipped cream using a large metal spoon and a cutting motion. Pour into the pie crust and freeze for 1 hour. Just before serving dribble with melted chocolate and a couple of Oreo biscuits crumbled over the top.
P.S. To sign up for my free monthly newsletter just click here. It has a baking SOS, recommendations on bits of kit I can’t live without, my kitchen catastrophe of the month, a sneak preview of a recipe coming up on this blog and a letter from me telling you what I’ve been up to. Remember to check your inbox for a confirmation email and also to add my email recipesfromanormalmum@gmail.com to your contacts. Otherwise I could go to spam.
There’s a natural saturation level of competance in pretty much everything. Reach your limit and the wheels come off. In business it’s called the Peter Principle – where one gets promoted to a level above what they can cope with. Readers, I think I have reached my parenting Peter Principle.
I have always been on time. Hey who am I kidding, I’ve always been early. I never really got it when other Mums would chat about it taking 2 hours to leave the house and then still forgetting something. Well 3 kids in and I get it. Yesterday I drove to a park 3 miles away, all set up for a stomp around, some swing pushing and dodging of drunk people, plus lunch at the cafe with my baby and next eldest son as dining companions.
I opened the boot to remove the balance bike (yes, I am a walking middle class cliche) and the changing bag was missing. So, basically the baby was completely ill equipped. We had to cut the trip short. My 3 year old was not impressed. I think I saw a look of disapointment in his eyes at my organisational skills. There is nothing like a 3 year old finding you a let down to focus the mind.
Today I will endeavour to be a less forgetful mother. And to make more of these cookies, as they may just help with forgiveness.
Lots more recipes like this in my book, Recipes from a Normal Mum, out now… on Amazon, with The Book People, at Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose, The Book Depository and many smaller outlets.
Made about 30 but it really depends on the size of the dough balls
Ingredients:
250g soft butter
150g soft dark brown sugar
150g self raising flour
230g porridge oats
200g salted peanuts
100g raisins
Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Line four baking trays with non stick baking paper.
Cream the butter and sugar for 4 minutes in a stand mixer using the flat beater starting low speed and working up, or 6 minutes with a handheld electric mixer or about 8 – 10 minutes with a wooden spoon. The mixture will be lighter in colour than when you started and very creamy.
Add the flour, oats, peanuts and raisins then mix well until combined. Take pieces a little larger than the size of a plum and form into a ball using your hands. Place on the baking tray and squash down a little until your ball is about 1cm high. Continue until the dough is all used up and remember to space the biscuits about a biscuits width apart.
Bake for around 20 minutes until the edges are starting to go a little golden but the middles will still look uncooked and soft and puffy. Leave to harden on the tray and when you’re happy they won’t fall apart – about 20 minutes later, transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight tin.
Holly Bell
I’m a mum of 3 boys, a cookbook writer and also a finalist on the 2011 Great British Bake Off.
I’ve decided to record the recipes I use, partly to save them somewhere and partly in case someone else might like to use them...
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P.S. To sign up for my free monthly newsletter just click here. It has a baking SOS, recommendations on bits of kit I can’t live without, my kitchen catastrophe of the month, a sneak preview of a recipe coming up on this blog and a letter from me telling you what I’ve been up to.
Remember to check your inbox for a confirmation email and also to add my email recipesfromanormalmum@gmail.com to your contacts. Otherwise I could go to spam.
Holly Bell 