A collection of recipes for your packaging free lunch box

These are some of my standard baking recipes – they’re all quick to make once you’ve done it a few times, very reliable and keep well.

If you’d like to share your can’t fail baking recipes, email them to me at gina@wanakawastebusters.co.nz, and I’ll add them to this page.
 

Crunchy Muesli Bars

110g butter
3 T (tablespoon) golden syrup
90g sugar
8 dried apricots (NZ, chopped)
1 tsp cinnamon
150g rolled oats
60g coconut
30g sesame seeds (optional)

• Preheat oven to 160C
• Grease baking tin (approx 25cm by 20cm) and line with baking paper.
• Melt butter, syrup and sugar in saucepan and bring to the boil.
• Add apricots and cinnamon, then pour in the oats, coconut and sesame seeds (if using).
• Mix and pour into tin. Press down with back of a wet spoon until compacted.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and cut into slices while still warm. Store in airtight tin for up to a week.

Alison Holst’s Apple and Cinnamon Cake

1 C flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 C sugar
2 eggs
2 T oil (canola or other)
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 medium sized apples (Braeburn and Granny Smith are good varieties)
½ C finely chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans or lightly roasted hazelnuts) – leave these out for school baking.

• Heat oven to 180C
• Grease 20cm baking tin, and line the bottom with baking paper.
• Sieve first four ingredients together. Add sugar and mix.
• Core apples, chop roughly and put in food processor (might need 2 batches). Pulse briefly until pieces are about 1cm.
• Add eggs, vanilla and oil to food processor. Pulse again very briefly to mix.
• Add apple and egg mixture to dry ingredients and fold together.
• Spread into cake tin evenly and bake 30 minutes, until centre springs back when pressed. Cake will still be quite flat (3-4cm).
• Cool 5 minute, then turn out on wire rack to cool. Keeps well in airtight tin.

Bliss Balls

¼ C good honey
¼ C tahini
¼ C coconut
¼ C sunflower seeds
¼ C raisins

• Mix in bowl. Add more coconut if too wet, or other dried fruit and/or seeds as inspired to do.
• Roll in small balls with wet hands. Roll balls in coconut or toasted sesame seeds. Keep in fridge.

Pikelets

4 T sugar (I leave this out because I prefer unsweetened pikelets)
1 ½ C flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 C milk
2 eggs
pinch of salt

• Whisk sugar (if using), milk and eggs.
• Add sifted dry ingredients.
• Beat until mixture glides off the back of a spoon, adding more milk if necessary.
• Heat a frying-pan to medium-hot, and melt a small amount of butter in the pan.
• Cook about 3 minutes until pikelet starts to bubble. Turn and cook briefly on other side until golden brown.
• Serve with jam or other topping - my children have been known to put vegemite on pikelets, which they claim is quite tasty.
• Keep in airtight container in fridge for a day or two.

Chocolate Chippie Biscuits

250g butter
150g sugar
100g condensed milk
1 egg (beaten lightly)
350g flour
4 tsp baking powder
150g chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

• Preheat oven to 180C.
• Cream butter, sugar, vanilla and condensed milk until colour lightens (with an electric egg-beater if you have one).
• Add egg with a little flour, and beat briefly.
• Sift flour and baking powder and add to mixture. Stir well with a spoon.
• Mix in chocolate chips.
• Roll into small balls in hands and place on greased tray. Flatten with a fork.
• Bake 8-10 minutes until golden brown.

Raspberry Coconut Muffins

2 C flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ C castor sugar
1 C coconut
¾ C rice bran oil
¾ C buttermilk (or milk with squeeze lemon)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup frozen raspberries

• Mix dry ingredients together.
• Add wet ingredients and frozen berries and mix lightly (with a knife).
• Fill mini-muffin cases or muffin tins. Bake at 170 C until bounce back when lightly pressed.
• Freeze extra muffins, and put directly in lunch-boxes when needed. They will be ready to eat by lunch-time.

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