We’ve all been there – it’s all too easy to pick up the mobile phone and tap on that food delivery app to satiate our food desires. But, convenience can come at a price: factor in the marked up delivery and food prices and it’s becoming more costly. Even getting a takeaway snack can make a serious dent in your pocket over time.
Instead, how about trying your hand at making these popular snacks at home? Most of the ingredients that each recipe calls for are also part of our extended price freeze initiative. Here’s the 3 snacks you’d be surprised are cheaper to make at home!
Cornflake Cookies
Cornflakes aren’t just for breakfast! Start with getting more value out of every box by making a batch of this crunchy and buttery cornflake cookies. This recipe yields delightful yet economical cookies enough for four people. The last time we checked, a box of cereal cookies was selling for $35 per box. $13.46 versus $35? Enough said.
Cost breakdown:
- FairPrice Block Butter ($4.50)
- FairPrice Plain Flour ($1.85)
- FairPrice Corn Flour ($0.70)
- FairPrice Sugar ($1.35)
- 2 eggs ($0.18 each egg or $1.75 for 10 Pasar Fresh Eggs)
- Vanilla essence ($1.45)
Total: $13.46
Method
1. Beat 200g of butter and 150g of sugar until pale and creamy.
2. Add in 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence.
3. Beat the eggs lightly and stir into the mixture.
4. Mix 300g of plain flour and 30g of corn flour. Fold in the combined flour into the mixture; the cookie dough should not feel sticky.
5. Crush the cornflakes into coarse pieces.
6. Scoop out 1 teaspoon of the cookie dough and roll onto the crushed cornflakes.
7. Transfer onto a baking tray lined with baking paper.
8. Bake for 25 minutes at 180°C or until golden!
Frozen Prata Tuna Puffs
Can’t find frozen puff pastry in your neighbourhood supermarket? Simply use a humble pack of frozen prata! This recipe yields about 12 tuna puffs for $11.58. That’s less than a dollar for each puff — in comparison, one store-bought tuna puff can easily cost double! This means that you save at least $12 with these delicious homemade tuna puffs!
Cost breakdown
- FairPrice Frozen Roti Prata ($2.05 for 6 pieces)
- FairPrice Tuna Chunks ($2.10)
- FairPrice Block Butter ($4.50)
- FairPrice Mayonnaise ($2.75)
- 1 egg for egg wash ($0.18 each egg or $1.75 for 10 Pasar Fresh Eggs)
Total: $11.50
Method
1. Place a piece of frozen roti prata on a greased baking tray.
2. Brush butter (softened at room temperature) on the roti prata.
3. Combine the tuna with the mayonnaise before spreading the mixture on top of the roti prata.
4. Sandwich the mixture with another piece of prata and cut the filled dough into quarters, if you’d like.
5. Hold a fork perpendicular to the roti prata edge and press along the length to seal the mixture in.
6. Brush the roti prata puff with egg wash and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Hokkaido Milk Bread
You might be thinking, why bother to make bread when you can get a store-bought one for a few dollars. Imagine the aroma wafting through your home during the baking. You get the drift. (Pun intended.) The total cost of the ingredients may seem high at first glance but, don’t forget – the ingredients are good for a few loaves, while one loaf at a Japanese bakery in Singapore would cost about $5. You do the math!
Cost breakdown
Starter:
- ¼ cup of bread flour ($3.35)
- ¼ cup of FairPrice Full Cream Milk ($1.70)
- ¼ cup of water
Dough:
- 2½ cup of bread flour
- ¼ cup of FairPrice Sugar ($1.35)
- 2¼ teaspoon of active dry yeast, 1 yeast packet ($2.15)
- 1 tablespoon of FairPrice Full Cream Sweetened Condensed Milk ($1.30)
- 1 teaspoon of FairPrice Salt ($0.25)
- ½ cup of FairPrice Full Cream Milk
- 1 egg, beaten and at room temperature ($0.18 each egg or $1.75 for 10 Pasar Fresh Eggs)
¼ cup of FairPrice Block Butter ($4.50)
Total: $14.78 (will yield many loaves of bread)
Method:
- Combine the ingredients for the starter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir for 4-5 minutes in a continuous motion or until the starter thickens in consistency similar to that of mashed potatoes.
- Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside until the starter cools to room temperature.
- In a stand mixer bowl, whisk the bread flour, sugar, yeast, dry milk powder, and salt. Once properly mixed, add in the milk, starter, and beaten egg.
- Beat on low for 5 minutes with a dough hook attachment. Add in butter and beat for an additional 5 minutes. Turn the speed up to medium and beat for another 5 minutes.
- Lightly oil a bowl and transfer the dough into it. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough sit for an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Transfer dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 equal pieces of smaller dough.
- Roll each one out to be 8 inch x 5 inch and then fold each of the long sides in 1 inch. Starting on one of the shorter edges, roll up and then place in a greased 9″x4″ pan. Repeat with each piece of dough. Cover and let rise for an additional 45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Once the dough has risen, brush the top of the dough with melted butter.
- Place into the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before removing bread from the pan. Cool the bread on a cooling rack.
* Recipe adapted from here.
