Baking, baking, baking

There has been a lot of baking going on in the last few weeks as I try out new recipes and prepare for Monkey #2's upcoming birthday.  The Two Cheeky Monkeys family are all big fans of bread, so I am always on the lookout for healthier recipes which contain whole wheat or grains.  And last week I tried out Silvia Colloca's no knead spelt loaf recipe and was pretty pleased with the results.  I just need to tweak the recipe a little to achieve the bread flavour we like and I think this recipe's going to be a keeper!

Since Mr Cheeky Monkeys bought a massive bag of rolled oats to sprinkle over my spelt loaf, I decided I had to find some other recipes to use them (there's only so much you can put on a loaf of bread).  Being the "health conscious" mum that I am, I decided to try out Martha Stewart's oatmeal and raisin cookies recipe.  These biscuits smell delicious while they are cooking and are also a great way of getting whole wheat into your kids without them knowing (not that I have that problem with the Monkeys).  And best of all, not only do they taste great, they are very quick and easy to make.

Finally, I'm also showing off the cupcakes I made for Monkey #2 to share with her classmates at school.  They're made from a black forest cake recipe (just the chocolate cake part), then topped with vanilla icing and blue and pink popping candy.  I'm not a fan of popping candy, but Monkey #2 and her friends all are, so that's what matters, I guess.