Baking

When the kids get home from school starving, it's a good time to slip something healthy on their plate. We've got five great ideas including muffins, a smoothie, snack balls, fruit dip and quesadillas...

This wonderfully light recipe uses lower-fat ingredients to recreate a popular dessert, without the added guilt. It's both delicious and visually appealing, making the perfect cake for special occasions.

This delicious recipe uses yoghurt and almond meal to create moist, fluffy cakes that are perfected with the orange, honey and cardamom syrup that's spooned over the top

Chopped pecans add a delicious nutty flavour to these traditional chocolate chip cookies

Filled with warming spices like cinnamon and star anise, this mixed berry and apple crumble is perfect for those chilly winter evenings

This classic butter cake, smothered in butter cream icing, will satisfy your sweet tooth. Best served with a cup of tea or coffee for a simple afternoon treat.

Sweeten up the festive season with this decadent chocolate cherry bombe alaska! The perfect dessert to share with family or friends.

This pear and coconut impossible pie gets its name from the fact that it's impossible to go wrong! This dessert pie is quick, easy, sweet 'n' fruity!

These succulent nibbles can be served in smaller portions as a starter, or alongside a green salad as a main dish.

This ghostly ship is a labour of love, but it would make the perfect centrepiece for your next Halloween celebration

This wonderfully flavoured lamb casserole with herb dumplings is a delicious weeknight family meal that everyone will love

To vary these fudgy cookies, try mixing and matching white and dark chocolates with different berries or dried cherries or apricots.

These festive tombstone brownies make the ultimate Halloween treats! Easy and delicious!

We love the simplicity and ease of this creamy chicken casserole. It's a one pot dish containing five different types of vegetables in a delicious creamy sauce. Perfect for a mid week family meal.

This recipe makes enough to feed a crowd - halve or quarter the recipe for a family dinner. An Italian classic, this pumpkin and goat's cheese lasagne with rocket and pepita salad is healthy, fresh, and full of delicious ingredients that work perfectly together.

Each meatball has an oozy mozzarella centre and contains hidden goodness with silverbeet and fennel. Serve with chunky pasta and lots of grated parmesan!

These creamy individual fish pies will be gobbled up by the whole family.

This delicious vegetarian lasagne recipe from The Australian Women's Weekly's 'Diabetes: Food For Life' cookbook is packed full of flavour and fibre, and is suitable for those following a diabetes-friendly diet.

This recipe makes two loaves of beautiful bread. You can make one to eat now, and one to freeze for later use.

A thick wedge of this zesty cake goes perfectly with a hot cup of tea.

This comforting recipe truly highlights why cauliflower and cheese are a match made in heaven. Combined with prosciutto, mustard, parsley and lashings of cheddar and parmesan, this recipe is a winter winner

This delicious roast cumin pumpkin, chickpea and hummus salad makes the perfect side dish for a gourmet dinner spread, or enjoy it on it's own as a healthy but filling vegetarian dish.

Milk, dark and white chocolate combine in this delectable brownie recipe

Delicious and perfect to share with friends and family; zucchini, feta and corn wedges from Australian Women's Weekly.

An afternoon delight!

Mindy mermaid

Ginger and kaffir lime perch parcels

This birthday cake is perfect for the little girl who dreams of having her very own pony

The key element to this chocolate mousse tart recipe is the texture of the mousse. It needs to be light and fluffy; be careful not to press out too many of the air bubbles while folding the mixture to ensure the best results.

These hearty pies are packed full of tender, shredded lamb shanks swimming in a rich olive, onion and vegetable sauce to create a warming winter family recipe. Recipe from the team at beefandlamb.com.au.

Sweet, cripsy and buttery, these little cinnamon-crusted tortilla shapes make a fun and tasty afternoon treat for your children. Serve them warm, fresh from the oven, or include as leftovers for school lunchboxes.

Treat the lucky lady in your life to this cute-as-a-button chocolate cake, topped with smooth buttercream and fresh flowers.

This loathsome crime lord has many enemies, but when Jaffa The Hutt is in cake form, he's not so scary. This epic Star Wars brownie birthday cake from Disney's Star Wars Party Cakes cookbook will win everyone over - adults included.

Tick all the flavour boxes with these hearty pot pies, complete with a creamy, cheesy filling, salty bacon and fresh broccoli. Break off your crumbly crust and soak up the filling for extra goodness.

This hearty, warming dinner uses lentils instead of flour to thicken the sauce and add extra fibre at the same time, creating a healthy but delicious weeknight dinner.

Sweet, salty, stick and incredibly moorish, these American-style pork rashers make the ultimate Friday night dinner at home with the family. They're wonderfully tender, and go brilliantly with a creamy coleslaw.

This delicious Italian-style prosciutto and tomato flatbread pizza is wonderfully indulgent, but is easy enough to enough as a quick weeknight dinner. The whole family will love tucking into this one.

Topped with lashings of sweet raspberry jam, tart fresh berries, fluffy marshmallows and oozing melted chocolate, these delicious dessert pizzas make an indulgent after school snack for your kids and their friends.

This all-in-one dish is a family favourite for dinner in a flash.

Indulge yourself with this rich and decadent tart filled with sweet goodness.

A strudel made from a mix of earthy Portobello, brown and white button mushrooms, and slender straw and oyster mushrooms. Whatever funghi you can lay your hands on will make a delightful filling when bound in a sauce scented with red wine and rosemary, then encased in a thin shell of crispy pastry.

Sink your knife though a crisp, golden pastry to reveal a hearty, creamy middle... This delicious family pie takes all the flavours of steak and Diane sauce and combines them to create the ultimate comfort food.

These little dark cakes are sized to share, but you could also bake them in Texas muffin tins – just shorten the cooking time. Recipes and styling by Fiona Hugues. Photography by Jani Shepherd; Gatherum Collectif.

This monumental chocolate cake is Fiona Hugues' extreme solution to those times when you need an epic cake to either celebrate something audacious or silly, or to shed tears over as you commiserate with a loved one. Fiona has included every fantastic, wicked treat that she has at some time or other danced around with, or sat and wept with, and enveloped them in a Snickers-like cream and then drizzled in salted caramel sauce. Recipe and styling by Fiona Hugues. Photography by Jani Shepherd, Gatherum Collectif.

A light but not overly sweetened cake including ricotta which adds that rich goodness needed to treat yourself.

You can't go wrong with a rich and creamy semolina that not only looks crave-worthy but also tastes it too!

This rich, but not too-sweet, mocha roll is one of Anneka Manning's favourite desserts from her cookbook 'BakeClass'. It's perfect for entertaining, and it's much easier to make than you’d expect!

Bringing together sweet blueberries and sour lemons, this simple cheesecake from Anneka Manning's cookbook 'BakeClass' is light but luscious. It’s the perfect end to a lazy summer meal.

Looking for delicious and easy snack ideas? Whip up a batch of this tasty (and healthy!) chia and tomato guacamole with sumac crisps!

Beautiful Mediterranean flavours infuse this potato, kumara and haloumi bake

Layers of potato, kumara and pumpkin are cooked in a cheesy, bacon-laced sauce for this golden-topped vege bake

This was one of my all-time favourite desserts as a child and when I’d see Mum preparing it, I’d lick my lips with anticipation. By all means use filo pastry but Mum always used flaky pastry as we’d not yet heard about filo in the ‘70s!

I am very fond of green peppercorns and their floral, warming flavour goes beautifully with pork. In this recipe, I’ve combined crushed green peppercorns with grated fresh apple for a wonderful “stuffed” meatloaf.

Yes, you read that right, this apple pie has a hint of sharp aged cheddar added and it is a taste sensation!

The secret of this pudding is in having a variety of colourful fruit. I’ve used late-season plums to add colour and flavour but you could also use quince or rhubarb.

This pear and cinnamon cake recipe by Nici Wickes is quick and easy to make as a dessert, served with lashings of butterscotch sauce, of course!

Homemade focaccia is easy to make and impressive! This recipe is from a cooking school in Siena, which Nici Wickes has adapted to make it faster for any home cook to make. It’s bread-making at its best!

You don't need to miss out on these gorgeous, fluffy sweet Easter treats just because of allergies or intolerances. These gluten free hot cross buns taste just as good as the original recipe (especially with butter)!

Serve up a family feast that’s so delicious, they won’t even notice how healthy it is!

Dollar-wise dinners to get you through the week.

Dollar-wise dinners to get you through the week.

It wouldn’t be Easter without some chocolate tucked in there, right? Try this easy pain au chocolat recipe and be rewarded with hot pastry and delicious melted chocolate

This is pure comfort food. Layers of spiced bun and apple baked with a vanilla custard makes for a moreish treat.

This fun construction-site themed birthday cake is great for young children who love getting messy and playing with trucks.

This old-fashioned crème is magical – and delicious paired with roasted nectarines!

The combination of salmon with beetroot and watercress in these burgers make them a flavour bomb!

You’ve got to try this potato recipe! I’ve gone all Swedish on it with gherkins and sour cream, but you can load up the top with anything really.

The real hero on this plate is the roasted capsicum sauce that transforms a simple steak dinner into something quite special.

This tart is fun to make and simply gorgeous to eat!

These make the most delectable side dish. Lovely big beefsteak tomatoes are perfect. Try these for breakfast or alongside some lamb chops.

This moist and delicious cake is visually irresistible as well as being easy to prepare. It’s great to have for dessert or to have with a cup of tea or coffee.

This orange and almond cake is perfect for afternoon tea.

This is one of The Australian Women's Weekly's go-to chocolate cakes. It’s moist and light and very chocolatey, making it a great recipe for a special occasion or afternoon tea.

Individual chunky beef and mushroom pies are encased in golden puff pastry and served with a homemade tomato sauce

These cheesy parmesan and spinach baked eggs make a delicious savoury breakfast perfect for any day of the week. From start to finish, this tasty dish can be ready in 20 minutes - giving you a quick and easy recipe you'll want again and again.

Berry and nutella shortcakes, pastry recipe, brought to you by Australian Women's Weekly

With swirls of Nutella and the crunch of caramelised hazelnuts, this ice-cream is set to impress and delight.

Combining two of our favourite things, chocolate and hazelnuts, these incredible cookies are filled with an irresistibly creamy centre.

A classic biscuit that is loved by all, the humble chocolate chip cookie is beautiful enjoyed with a glass of milk or coffee. They're great to bake with little ones, too.

This elaborate-looking one-bowl cake takes little effort to pull off, but is definitely a crowd-pleaser.

Celebrate summer berries with these little and lovely gluten-free friands

These indulgent bars star popped amaranth, an ancient grain, paired with dark chocolate, crunchy cashews, toasted oats and tart cranberries. A drizzle of dulce de leche brings a kick of sweetness. Recipe courtesy of McCormick's.

Give your usual potato frittata a gutsy flavour kick by adding capsicum and olive. Serve it warm from the oven with a green salad or take it on a romantic picnic.

This gorgeous recipe is from AEG Ambassador and one of Australia's top chefs, Mark Best. It's wonderfully moist, sweet and moreish. Enjoy a big slice with a dollop of your homemade honeycomb butter.

One of Australia's top chefs, Mark Best, has shared his recipe for his decadent chocolate tart. The pastry and filling is all made from scratch, creating the perfect balance of crispy, creamy and sweet in this wonderful dessert.

Sink your teeth into this deliciously wholesome, healthier cauliflower pizza - loaded with fresh tasty ingredients and mouthwatering flavour!

These crispy cigars from Deborah Hutton's book, Entertaining Made Easy, make a great party starter. They can even be made in advance, set aside and just popped into the oven when people start arriving.

These chocolate cupcakes are the perfect alternative to traditional Christmas pudding, and look cute to boot!

How cute! These little Christmas tree cupcakes look good enough to eat.

These funny little cupcakes are sure to delight adults and children alike this Christmas!

These snowy cupcakes look straight from the slopes, but taste totally tropical!

Make any festive gathering a winter wonderland with these Christmas snowflake cupcakes!

These cute little cupcakes wouldn't look out of place on the Christmas tree!

Bring a little bit of glitz and glamour to your favourite cupcakes.

An easy (and tasty) alternative to a gingerbread house!

A crunchy, pepperminty, Christmas twist on a cupcake!