Last weekend we decided to pack up and head off to the beach for a long weekend.  Fortunately Nana and Grandad live at the beach and don’t mind  us using their home when they go away.  All we have to do is feed the cat and put the wheelie bins out.  Free Weekend at the Beach!!!!  Well, free as long as we pack our own food.  A weekend of takeaway meals and snacks for our family can add up to a small fortune.  So, Wednesday became baking day.  And what did I bake to take away with us?  Pear muffins, a healthy snack, and a great breakfast option,  Apricot, Cranberry and Pecan Bars which were almost completely devoured on our drive and Chocolate Muesli Bars (these are like a healthy chocolate crackle, but not a Rice Bubble in sight).  I know, another chocolate recipe, but let’s face it, muesli bars usually contain either chocolate or dried fruit, so why not aim for a healthy balance of both?  I don’t know what I was thinking, but I honestly expected to have some left over for today’s lunch boxes.  How wrong can you be? 

 So, today is now another baking day and before my Fruit Bats (the girls) left for school they asked if I could make those yummy muffins again today.  Pear Muffins are a hit, even The Vegemite Kid was happily munching on one until he came across a piece of pear and decided he didn’t eat pears so he passed it on to one of his sisters.  Apparently you can completely puree the pears instead of just mashing them up with a potato masher so I will give that a try today.  I wonder how many times I can fit the word So into this post today.  Pears have no colour in muffins, and if you can’t see them, you don’t know they are there.  Small confession:  On two occasions I heated these muffins slightly in the microwave and served them up with hot homemade custard and ice-cream for dessert.  It was  sooooo good!

Pear Muffins

Ingredients:

2 Large cans of sliced Pears, drained and mashed

2/3 Cup of Sugar

4 Tbl. of Oil (you can use Applesauce, but it will change the consistency slightly)

2 Eggs

2 1/4 Cups of Self-Raising Flour

2 tsp. Cinnamon

3/4 tsp. Baking Soda

3/4 tsp. Baking Powder

1/4 tsp. Salt

Method:

Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.  Don’t over-stir or your muffins will be chewy.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full with batter and bake at 180C until they spring back when touched lightly and start to  go a light golden colour.

Don’t you love Dump Recipes!  Throw it all in, mix and bake.

LunchBox Tips….

Try substituting apples, peaches or apricots for the pears.  Yum!!!!

The Apricot, Cranberry and Pecan Bars were just the Apricot and Pecan Muesli Bar Recipe with Cranberries added.  I love this recipe.

 

Chocolate Muesli Bars

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Honey

1/4 Cup Sugar

75g Butter

2 1/2 Cups Rolled Oats

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

1 Cup Chocolate Chips or Chopped Chocolate (I used Dark Chocolate)

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 19x29cm baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

Place the honey, sugar and butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved. Remove and set aside to cool slightly.

Place the oats, cinnamon and chocolate in a large bowl. Pour in the honey mixture and stir until well combined and the  mixture is evenly coated. The chocolate will melt as you stir in the warm honey mixture.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared tray and flatten the surface with a spoon or the palm of your hand

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden and set. Remove, set aside to cool completely then slice into bars and serve.

LunchBox Tips….

I found it better to cool the bar completely, slice into 12 bars and then refrigerate before eating.  They held together well in the lunch boxes.  This recipe is a new favourite.