Spiced apple pie with creamy caramel custard

 Apple pie with lattice crust
Spring has sprung, and in typical Cape Town fashion the weather has gotten itself all confused. It is getting lighter in the mornings (always a good sign), but you usually still need a jacket for the early mornings, short sleeves for when the sun is blazing at midday, and an umbrella on stand-by for any afternoon downpours. Basically you need to make like a scout and be prepared – for anything!

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Vanilla and chocolate almond butter cookies

Top shot of cookies and milk

 

If you are a regular Cupcakes and Couscous reader then you: a.) are awesome and b.) will probably know that I love a good cookie recipe. These cookies came about when the recipe I was actually trying to make went slightly off track, but luckily in a good way!

 

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Creamy tomato penne with pesto

 Quick pasta dishes
We love a good pasta dish in our house, and this is one of my go-to recipes for a quick and delicious week night meal. The sauce is ready in under thirty minutes and can even be made ahead of time and reheated. And I have to say it again – it is so tasty!

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Iced cappuccino crunch brownies

 Cappuccino brownie recipe

Earlier this month I attended the Good Housekeeping Celebrity Bake Stars event at D’Aria in Durbanville. There were bubbles and nibbles and foodies galore, and the audience was treated to a demonstration by Zola Nene and Clement Pedro who shared loads of fun recipe tips and tricks.

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Sweet potato, butternut and chevin Tarts

Sweet potato puff pastry tarts.

“Paddington thought for a moment. ‘I think I’ll start in the kitchen,’ he said. ‘I may make some pastry. Bears like pastry.’ “

Excerpt from Paddington and the Busy Day – Michael Bond

I cannot make anything pastry related without thinking of good old Paddington Bear. At the age of one my daughter decided he was the best thing ever – so much so that he was the theme for her second birthday party. (You may remember these marmalade sandwich cookies from a while back.) Her younger brother, now almost two, has followed suit, and we would not dream of tucking him in at night without at least one Paddington adventure to send him off to sleep.

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Vegan chocolate nut brittle cake

A triple layer vegan chocolate cake with nut brittle.
This is the first time that I am officially delving into the world of vegan cooking and if you are feeling the chocolate cravings on this post long weekend Wednesday-that-feels-like-a-Monday then this is just for you.

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Sticky lemon and poppy seed muffins

 

Over the last year I have worked on some very interesting and fun campaigns, and I feel lucky to be able to do this from home. However, this work-from-home scenario is not without its challenges, chiefly in the form of two very busy (but adorable of course) and engaging little humans.

 

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Almond and apricot thumb cookies

 

This recipe takes me straight back to my childhood. Thumbs cookies were one of the first cookies I mastered on my own and there was many a Saturday afternoon when I proudly presented a batch to the family to be enjoyed with afternoon tea. I do not make them nearly as often these days but they are still a favourite and special because I associate them with happy memories of learning to bake.

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