Sunday baking

I am not a cook, baker or nutritional expert, but I am interested in food and nutrition. I constantly strive to feed my family a healthy, balanced diet but we are all a bit partial to the things that are supposedly not so good for us. So I do a lot of home baking in order to control the ingredients and amounts of fat, sugar and salt in things.  Today I want to share two recipes, the first probably can't be labelled as low sugar or fat but it does provide nutrients and a good hit of energy,  ideal for taking on chilly walks. The second is something my kids love for breakfast or a lunchbox snack and is certainly healthier than a bowl of sugary cereal . Here goes:

Peanut butter oat cookies

90g oats
90g natural peanut butter (no added sugar,  salt or oil)
90g pear and apple spread (available from most health food shops)
30g brown sugar
I egg
Handful of chocolate chips (optional)
Pinch of cinnamon (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees (fan) and line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper
2. Mix all ingredients together well
3. Dollop heaped teaspoons / half dessert spoons full of the mixture onto the paper and flatten slightly with a fork. The cookies don't spread much and you should get about 14.
4. Tidy up ragged edges and bake for approximately 20 minutes. They should be firm ish.
5. Transfer to a coolng rack and they should firm up as they cool.

I am still tweaking this recipe and find them quite sweet,  so may reduce the sugar further.  You can replace the fruit spread with more peanut butter as long as you keep the amounts the same. I have used both crunchy and smooth pb and both work.

Breakfast scones

8oz flour (I use 3 of wholemeal or spelt and 5 of white. If it's not self raising add 3 tsps baking powder)
2 oz butter or marg
1 egg made up to 150ml with milk
1 small carrot, grated
1/2 a very ripe banana,  mashed
A handful of nuts, seeds or both
A handful of chocolate chips (optional)
A tablespoon of brown sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees,  grease or flour a baking sheet
2. Add baking powder to flour if necessary then rub in the butter
3. Mix in the banana,  carrots and nuts / seeds (and optional ingredients if using)
4. Gradually mix in the egg and milk mixture until the dough comes together and is not too sticky to handle. Don't overwork the dough. You may not need all of the eggy milk
5. Tip onto a floured board, form into a round with your hand (about2cm high) and cut out circles with a cutter or glass. Repeat until all the dough is used up (I normally have one misshapen mini one at the end!). I usually get 6 to 9 scones depending on the size of the cutter
6. Place on the prepared tray and brush the ops with some of the remaining eggy milk
7. Bake for approximately 20 minutes until golden.

These scones are lovely warm with butter and are best eaten within 24 hours. I have added various ingredients in the past including blueberries and blackberries, cinnamon and vanilla. You can also swap the banana for grated courgette and add some grated cheese for a savoury version. Happy eating!