Do you like granola? I like granola. But I hate paying £4 for a box with 3 pieces of walnut and one cranberry. If you’re with me, join me by making your own! And might I suggest you give my granola recipe a try…

It’s really easy to scale your granola making up or down. You can also create your very own granola blend. Once you have the proportions down, anything is possible. Mine is lightly sweetened, but you can amp it up to your taste. More sweetener will also give you bigger clusters. For a vegan version, sub in maple syrup – but use less, as maple syrup tends to taste sweeter.

You can use different kinds of nuts, too. I’ve made it with hazelnuts and pecans, Brazil nuts and walnuts, and have even gone as far as a three-nut combo. Crazy, I know.

Add in your own flavorings – a sprinkle of cinnamon or a few drops of vanilla go a long way. Get creative with your crunchy granola self!

Once you have a vat of toasted granola, you might wonder what to do with it besides shoving it straight into your mouth.

Sprinkle that sweet, nutty, homemade granola on top of plain (full fat obviously) Greek yogurt with jam. Sometimes I go off the deep end into DIY territory, but hear me out. You can turn that yogurt into any flavor you want it to be. Strawberry, apricot, blackberry bourbon… just try telling me dyed-pink yogurt sounds better.

Pour some milk on it, cow or otherwise. Sprinkle it onto ice cream. Put it on a fruit crumble. Tweak your cranachan. (If you have any other suggestions, I’d be happy to try them.)

Feel like everything is out of your control? Start small with granola. Then take that slow-release energy out there and tackle the world.

Crunchy nutty granola

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On the Counter

• 200 g oats
• 75 g nuts
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1.5 tbsp coconut oil
• 75 g dried fruit

What to Do

• Optional first step: Sieve the oat dust from your oats.
• Preheat the oven to 160C/gas mark 3/325F.
• Combine the coconut oil and honey. On very low heat, melt them until the mix is thin and runny. This is especially handy if it's cool in your kitchen or your honey is crystallized. Stir to combine.
• Chop the nuts into pieces about the same size (or slightly larger than) an oat.
• In a large bowl, combine the oats and nuts.
• Drizzle the oil and honey on top, stirring the oat mix as you go. Stir until evenly coated. Dig deep!
• Spread the mix evenly onto two baking sheets.
• Bake for 10 minutes.
• Gently mix in the dried fruit and bake for another 10-15 minutes. Don't let it go further than lightly golden brown.
• Cool before storing.
• Mix your granola into yogurt, on top of ice cream, or enjoy it as a cereal with milk.

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https://www.onmykitchencounter.com/2017/02/12/crunchy-nutty-granola-recipe/

I’m going to be straight with you, dear readers. Carrot cake is not my favorite type of cake. And honestly, most times it’s not a cake I would choose. Usually I think the frosting is too sweet and the cake is too spicy and not to mention the raisins… I like carrot cake, but I knew there was a lot more potential in there than most of them could offer.

So I made my own. And while I was at it, I thought I would play around with natural, non-sugar sweeteners. Because carrot cake is pretty moist (or should be), I knew that I wouldn’t be ruining everything by trying liquid sweeteners like honey and agave syrup.

I’m not cutting sugar entirely, though I am experimenting more with replacing it with other sweeteners. I’m not into the whole sugar replacers… no matter what the marketing says, I feel like I can still pick out the taste of sweetener, so I avoid it.

Note: Honey has a higher glycemic index agave syrup, if that’s something you need to worry about. Funnily enough, though, agave syrup tastes sweeter than honey. I tried both at the same proportions, and thought they both made for good, not overly sweet cakes. In other recipes where the amount of liquid/dry ingredients is more essential, it’s worth knowing that agave syrup is less viscous than honey, so you might need to cut the proportion of other liquids.

On the Counter

Cake:
150g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
100g honey OR 100g agave nectar
3 free-range eggs
200g wholemeal flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp grated nutmeg
200g carrots, peeled
100g (1 cup) walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

Set aside 30 grams (1/3 cup) of walnuts for decorating

9 x 2 1/2 inch or 23 x 6 cm springform pan

Frosting:
230 mL/1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp real maple syrup
30 g walnuts set aside from cake

What to Do

Baking:

Grate the carrots, preferably so the shreds are very small. (This is easier to do with fresher carrots, but carrot cake is a good use for slightly sad carrots… up to you.)

Preheat the oven to 180 C/ 350 F. Grease the inside of your springform pan with butter.

Whisk the melted butter, egg and honey or agave together until they are well combined and are very slightly bubbly.

Sift in all the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt).

Carefully fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a rubber spatula. If you do this carefully, you’re less likely to get flour lumps. Stir in the carrot and walnuts.

Once you have a solid colored batter and the carrot is evenly distributed, gently pour the batter into the springform pan. It should pour evenly into the pan, but if it’s not even, gently spread it out with the rubber spatula.

Bake for 30 minutes. You can test if it’s done by inserting a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, it’s ready.

Frosting:

Let the finished rest until it’s completely cooled. (Not even a little bit warm!) Remove it from the pan and then gently slice off any of the top of the cake that stops it from being flat. Eat your spoils.

Vigorously stir the maple syrup into the sour cream until well combined and the cream is smooth. Gently spoon or spread it on top of the cake, using the back of the spoon (or frosting spreader) to make sure it goes on evenly.

Sprinkle on the rest of the toasted walnuts. Serve!

The cake and frosting keep well in the fridge for at least 3 days.  

This year, for St. Patrick’s Day, I ate tacos with fish from the English coast, drank an English beer with those tacos… and made Guinness bread. (Hey, I tried!)

Here in London, St. Patrick’s Day isn’t the kind of holiday it is in the US. People go out here, but it doesn’t have the same kind of exciting buzz or the green rivers. I’m guessing it might be because of the formerly sour relations between the two countries…

So while this post doesn’t include any unnaturally green food or silly hats, it does have a delicious and somewhat sweet bread to snack on while getting over a big night out. My favorite way to have it is warm with a bit of butter on top.

The best part about making this bread is that it didn’t require any yeast or rising. A bit of baking powder and some fizzy(ish) beer does all the work!

Notes: I cut 1/2 the sugar from the original recipe, but it’s still a sweet bread. If you want something more savory, you could cut it even more.

Also, while I would love to write that this bread is vegetarian, it’s unfortunately not. If you’re strict, it’s worth knowing that Guinness is processed with something called isinglass, which is made from fish.

Original recipe from: The Black Peppercorn

On The Counter

3 cups flour, sifted
1/2 tsp (2.5mL) salt
4 tsp (20mL) baking powder
1/3 cup (30g) oats
1/3 cup (85g) demerara (raw) sugar
12 oz (340mL) Guinness
1 tbsp (6g) oats
non-dairy spread or butter to grease loaf pan

What to Do

Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Grease a 9.5in x 5in x 3in (24cm x 13cm x 7cm) with the butter/spread.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, 1/3 cup oats and sugar.

Slowly mix in Guinness using a wooden spoon. Try to avoid lumps, but don’t overmix. The batter should be quite sticky.

Scoop the batter into the greased pan and sprinkle the remaining oats on top.

Bake for 45-50 minutes. Test with a toothpick at 45 minutes. If it comes out clean, remove from the oven. If it doesn’t, put it back in for 5 more minutes at a time.

Place on a cooling rack for about 30 minutes. Slice while still warm.

For me, this cake was a lot more than just a cake. It was a bit like a test. And an attack of nerves. And an attempt to prove that I can cook, even though no one asked me to prove it. This was especially trying because I don’t really bake much, and this cake most certainly requires baking.

The gentleman and I took a trip up to his hometown, Edinburgh, to meet a new member of his family. There was a family lunch to celebrate her, even though she’s too young to eat anything we had at the table. As a surprise, and a gesture of good guestliness (or something), I decided to bring a dessert. Two of the guests were lactose intolerant, so this needed to be a pretty specific dessert. Enter: Angel-food-inspired cake.

Having never made this cake, or any angel food cake before, I decided to test this magical dairy-free cake out on myself and some willing coworkers. Thankfully, it was a big hit, and I didn’t have to spend the Friday night before our trip frantically and nervously trying to plan something new. Instead, I spent it frantically and nervously baking the cake I’d first done two days before.

And then it went to Edinburgh, packed carefully into my carry-on bag, still in its springform pan, through security, onto the plane and then around town for a bit. And it stayed in one piece, no problem. Worth noting, then, that this cake is pretty hearty in travel situations.

Finally, the cake hit the table, and it was a big hit! Dairy eaters and non really enjoyed it, and I proved not only to myself, but to others that I could … bake. (I’ll save the actual cooking for next time.)

And finally, to the recipe.

Adapted from Big Girls, Small Kitchen

Serves: 10, depending how big your slices are.

On The Counter

10 oz (280 g)almonds, chopped roughly or pre-sliced
1 1/4 cups (125 g) granulated sugar
8 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon (1 g) salt
1/4 teaspoon (1 g) cream of tartar
zest of 2 lemons
6 tbsp (90 g) flour
dairy free spread or oil for greasing the pan

What To Do

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Generously grease an 8 inch (20 cm) springform pan and set aside.

In a food processor, pulse the almonds and sugar until almonds are finely chopped. The almonds can be larger pieces; don’t over-process. You don’t want nut butter! Mix in the lemon zest and set aside.

Add salt and cream of tartar  to egg whites and beat until they form stiff peaks.

Sprinkle the lemon almond sugar onto to egg whites, a bit at a time. Fold it in gently. You want to keep as much volume as possible in the whites.

Once the almond mix is almost completely combined, sift the flour on top, and fold it in gently. Stop when all the dry ingredients are incorporated.

Pour the batter into the springform pan, and spread it evenly.

Bake for 35-40 minutes. To test the cake’s doneness, stick a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, your cake is finished. If it does not, bake in 5 minute increments until it does.

Cool your cake for at least 20 minutes before unlocking the pan and removing it. It will store fine in the pan, if you’d like to transport it somewhere.

In all the serving, eating and chatting, I completely forgot to take a photo of the cake on a plate! Instead, I’ll end with a photo of the cake before it hit the oven.