Fall fruit crumble with blueberries and white chocolate

Ingredients for about 8 servings:

FRUIT

- 2 medium-size pears, peeled and cubed
- 300g plums, cubed
- 3-4 tbsp frozen blueberries
- 1 tbsp potato starch
- 2 tbsp sugar
- vanilla

CRUMB

- 75g cold butter, chopped
- 100g light brown sugar
- 100g plain flour
- 50g rolled oats
- 100g white chocolate chips


1. Preheat the oven to 190C/374F.

2. In a large bowl, combine the fruit, potato starch, sugar and vanilla.

3. In another bowl, mix the brown sugar, oats, flour and chopped butter. Rub everything with your fingers until you reach an even, crumbly consistency.

4. Grease the ovenproof dish with butter and spread the fruits on the bottom. Cover with the crumb and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown on top. Serve while still warm.

BON APPÉTIT ! 

Roasted almond brownies

I must warn you - this will not be the healthiest and most nutritious dessert on my blog, in fact the amount of butter and chocolate used to make these beauties may be surprising for some of you. But let's face it - there is never too much chocolate, at least not in my family ; )

Ingredients for 21cm (8inch) square pan:

*adapted from Gourmet Traveller magazine

- 100g whole almonds (skin on) 

- 250g unsalted butter, cubed 

- 350g semisweet chocolate, chopped

- 270g sugar

- 4 free-range eggs

- 170g all purpose flour

- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 60g powdered milk

- 40g cocoa powder

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/356F. 

2. Place the almonds on a lined baking tray and roast in the oven for about 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool and roughly chop.

3. Melt the butter and 250g (!) of chocolate in a water bath, cool slightly, then add sugar and eggs. Mix until smooth. 

4. In another bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, milk powder and baking powder. Add the chocolate mixture and mix to combine. Stir in the rest of your chocolate. 

5. Transfer the batter to prepared square pan and sprinkle roasted almonds on top. Bake for 45 minutes (or until the cake tester inserted in the center comes out just slightly unclean, not entirely wet). Leave to cool completely before serving. 

BON APPÉTIT ! 

Pumpkin bread chocolate chip cookies with maple syrup

I especially like to bake in fall/winter season. It's this time of year again when the kitchen smells like warm, yeast dough and we don't mind adding cinnamon to literally everything. I've decided to celebrate the beginning of autumn with these little pumpkin bread cookies which will easily warm up your heart and mind even during the coolest and darkest days. 

Makes about 25 cookies:

- 250g (1 cup) pumpkin puree

- 60ml (1/4 cup) maple syrup

- 190g (1 cup) sugar

- 125ml (1/2 cup) canola oil

- 1 large free-range egg

- 300g (2½ cup) flour

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1/4 tsp cloves

- 1/4 tsp nutmeg

- 2 tsp baking powder

- 1 tsp baking soda

- pinch of salt

- 150g (1 cup) dark chocolate chips

1. Place the maple syrup in a saucepan and cook for about 5 minutes until aromatic and slightly thickened. 

2. In a large bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, sygar, oil and egg until combined. Mix in the flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in the chocolate chips. 

3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180C/356F.

4. Line the trays with parchment paper. Measure 1 tablespoon of dough for each cookie and place them on a tray leaving a wide spaces between (cookies will rise a lot). Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden-brown on edges. Serve while still warm with a glass of milk and softened butter.  

 BON APPÉTIT !