Back to bananas

It's amazing that just a few ingredients can create such a delicious treat.  Banana bread is one of those baking staples for when you are lacking time or patience. It's not just easy to put together but even when you mess up the recipe a little it often still turns out wonderful and moist!
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This recipe combines the sweet and creamy textures of overripe bananas (there are many in this recipe - I've used 4!), wholemeal and plain flour, olive oil (yes, I bake with this!) eggs and a touch of brown sugar. The perfect accompaniment to your morning or afternoon tea. Enjoy!

banana bread
makes 1 loaf

4 medium ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup olive oil 
1/4 brown sugar
2 whole eggs
1 cup wholemeal flour
1/2 cup plain flour
pinch sea salt
1 tsp baking soda


Preheat oven to 170 degrees C.
Grease a loaf tin.
In a large bowl mix together bananas, olive oil, sugar and eggs. In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients: wholemeal and plain flour, salt and baking soda. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix - don't overmix! Place batter in loaf tin and bake on middle rack for about 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Take out of oven and lest rest before slicing

Bent on brownies

Delicious. Chocolate. Brownies. It doesn't take much to appreciate the sweet, rich density offered by a bite of brownie.
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These days I've been eating a lot of chocolate.  It's been Easter and therefore almost impossible to ignore all the stands of chocolate treats set up absolutely everywhere!

If you're going to eat chocolate you might as well find another way to eat it -- for example, in a brownie!  These ones are simple -- no intrusions, no additions like nuts -- just simple, unadulterated chocolate brownies. I used a combination of dark and milk chocolate, brown sugar and plain flour.  Too easy and seriously delicious!

chocolate brownies
makes 12 squares

175g good quality chocolate (150g dark, 25g milk), chopped
130g butter, chopped
120g brown sugar
pinch of salt
2 whole eggs, room temperature
75g plain flour

Preheat oven to 165 degrees C.
Line a square or rectangular tin with baking paper. Place chocolate and butter in a bowl and place over a pot of simmering water just until melted. Take off the heat and keep aside to let cool slightly.  In a separate bowl place sugar and salt.  Add chocolate butter mixture to sugar and salt and mix.  Add eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Finally mix in flour well - ensuring not over mix batter.  Pour batter into tin and bake approximately 25 minutes or until skewer inserted comes out clean. Take out of oven and let cool before slicing.