Cornflakes and milk , my secret indulgence, my hug-in-abowl, my go-to treat when I need comfort. I am often asked in interviews what my favorite foods are and I giggle at the expressions I get when I tell people….Cornflakes, milk and sugar…. and remember to put the milk on first otherwise the sugar falls to the bottom of the bowl.

Cornflakes however have been with us since 1898 when in a fortunately failed attempt at making granola,  W.K. Kellogg, and his brother, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, changed breakfast forever when they accidentally flaked wheat berry. W.K.  experimented until he flaked corn, and created the delicious recipe for Kellogg’s Corn Flakes. Today Kellogg’s Cornflakes brightens breakfast in over 180 countries around the world).

Cornflakes came in handy when I wanted to find an easier and cheaper Florentine recipe. I love Florentines, after all with nuts, caramel and chocolate as key ingredients, what is not to like.  For the un-informed, Florentines are Italian biscuits made by setting nuts and cherries in a caramel base and then coat the base with chocolate. See, told you…… very hard not to like!

The problem is that nuts are not cheap and if I have to make a batch big enough to sustain my nibbling family, I have to make another plan. Another problem with making Florentines is that you have t make a caramel and for many people, it will be a pitfall. You have to have a candy thermometer and quite frankly, it sounds way to complicated already.

So, my search started on the internet and I found  loads of recipes using cornflakes and condensed milk and taking my secret indulgence into consideration, these recipes appealed to me even more than the authentic Florentine recipes.  Sadly the recipes were so different and I could not find two that used the same quantities in their ingredients, so I just did my own thing, writing down as I added so that you could all have the benefit there of.

Cornflakes Florentines

Makes 24

Ingredients

5 x 250 ml Kellogg’s Cornflakes

150 g Safari flaked almonds

250 g Moirs Glaze Cherries

250 g Safari Seedless Raisins

250 g dark chocolate chips

1 x 397 g tin condensed Milk

Method

Preheat oven to 180 C. Place all cornflakes, nuts, cherries and raisins in a big bowl and add the condensed milk. Stir through and make sure that everything has a light coating of condensed milk.  To make the Florentines is a bit messy, but here is my easy way. Spray two baking sheets with Spray ‘n Cook and get hold of a cookie cutter or food stacking ring( 7 cm in diameter) as well as a small glass with a bottom that fits in the ring or cookie cutter. Oil the cookie cutter or stacking ring on the inside as well as the bottom of the glass. Place the stacking ring on the baking sheet and spoon a big spoonful of the mixture in the ring and flatten with the oiled bottom of the glass, pushing it through the ring onto the baking sheet. Repeat until you have used up all of the mixture. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cookies have turned a light caramel color. Remove from the baking sheet and cool on a wire rack. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over boiling water and spread on the bottoms of the Florentines.  When completely cooled down, pack in a beautiful tin and tie a bow around it…… Sunday is Mother’s Day!

Sunday is Mother’s Day and now that I am a mother myself, I appreciate this special day set aside for us, even more.  My mother makes me think of this quote:

“No man is poor who has a Godly mother.”
― Abraham Lincoln

Thank you mom for all you do, all your prayers, thoughts, deeds of loving kindness and just being who you are, I find great comfort in knowing that you are my mom!! Lief vir Mamma!

“There’s a story behind everything..but behind all your stories is always your mother’s story..because hers is where yours begins.” ― Mitch Albom, For One More Day

As a mother I am so aware of my children and their well-being that I was honored to get involved in the Bake a Difference/Save Seven Lives campaign. You will hear a lot more about it in the next few days and weeks, but for now, hop over their website and get involved, register as a donor. You can save a life!

Moir’s has been around for a long, long  time, I remember mom’s biscuits, Christmas Cakes and big cakes, always made with Moir’s. A wonderful piece of history to read.

 Tomorrow morning just after the 9 o’clock news, I will be  back in my seat at RSG studios, chatting to Mine and Retha Voslo who are also involved in the Save Seven Lives Cupcake Drive. Get ready to be amazed! I will also in weeks to come take you into the kitchens of other bloggers, chefs and interesting South Africans this year. So buckle up, it is going to be an awesome ride. Tune in 100-104FM or listen online here!