The magic of the NOMU MiniMakes Small Batch Baking range lies in its versatility! While most baking mixes are limited to one recipe per mix, MiniMakes lays the foundation for a heap of different variation recipes, allowing you to unleash your inner baker and get creative with your own ideas.

But that doesn’t mean you have to reinvent the wheel. Here are 10 super easy ways to add your own creative touch to the on-pack base recipes for MiniMakes cakes, brownies, blondies and cookies.

#1 Add fruit

While chocolate chips are always a great mix-in, fruit offers so much in terms of colour, appearance and flavour. Our Spiced Cake Batter Mix is perfectly suited for additions of finely diced apple and pear, and to make the best-ever Spiced Banana Bread. Roughly torn raspberries, diced strawberries and whole blueberries (we see you Lemon Blueberry Tray Bake) add bright pops of freshness to cakes, brownies, blondies and cookies, while eye-catching blood oranges and seasonal stone fruit make for striking upside-down bakes.

#2 Switch up the liquid

All the MiniMakes cake recipes use milk, which can be fully or partially substituted with other liquids for different outcomes.

Buttermilk and Amasi add a subtle tang to bakes, while yoghurt and sour cream help to make thicker batters to hold up heavier fruit and mix-ins. In addition to their lactose-free benefits, coconut and plant-based milks are a great way to add interesting nutty notes to your batter. You can even make non-dairy substitutions, like cooled coffee and citrus juice. Note: The acidity of citrus juice can affect the chemistry of your bakes, so we suggest swapping out only 2-3 tablespoons of the milk in the recipe.

#4 Add crunch

Bakes are so much more interesting when they have crunch and different textures going on. Folding chopped nuts into doughs and batters, or sprinkling them on top, is an easy way to achieve this. Pro tip: Toast nuts before using them to maximise their flavour!

Texture can also be added through streusel toppings (like in this Berry Jam Crumble Cake), and mixing crunchy ingredients like oats, seeds and toasted coconut in doughs and batters. A little sprinkle of brown sugar on top of cake batter can also help to create a delicious crisp crust.

#5 Upgrade your oil

MiniMakes cakes, brownies, blondies and chewy cookies require either melted butter or vegetable oil. These two ingredients are easily interchangeable, and can both be upgraded for a more sophisticated version of themselves. Regular melted butter can be transformed into brown butter, while olive oil can be used in place of regular vegetable oil. Check out these Brown Butter Milk Choc Chunk Blondies for a place to start!

#6 Make the most of citrus zest

Packed full of fragrant flavour and aroma, finely shredded zest is an underrated way to enhance MiniMakes base recipes. To extract maximum flavour from your zest, we suggest rubbing it into sugar to help release its essential oils (like in these Lemon Curd Blondies), although it can be added straight to batters or shredded on top of finished bakes if you prefer.

Citrus sugar is also delicious sprinkled on top of warm cakes or for rolling cookie dough in before baking. You can stick with one type of citrus or use a combination like lemon-lime and grapefruit-orange.

#7 Spice it up

Spices can transform ordinary flavours into something truly extraordinary! A pinch of cinnamon, cardamom, freshly grated nutmeg or chai spice can add warmth and depth to your baked treats. These Snickerdoodle Cookies speak for themselves.

#8 Switch up the shape

MiniMakes recipes can be made in all sorts of baking tin shapes and sizes! Switch up your favourite cupcake recipe by baking it into a single-layer cake instead. Choc chip cookies can be baked into gooey cookie bars, while brownie and blondie batter can be made into giant skillets for a decadent dessert. Have a look at our MiniMakes 101 blog posts for more information.

#9 Swirl, stuff, sandwich and ripple

Create tantalizing swirls of jams and fruit curds in cake batter, or ripple nut butters into brownies and blondies. Caramel and spreads can be layered in the middle of batters and doughs, like in this Biscoff-stuffed chocolate cookie skillet. Or upgrade plain ol’ cookies by sandwiching them together with ganache, spreads and buttercreams (hello PB&J sandwich cookies)…so many delicious possibilities!

#10 Finishing touches

Always try add a finishing touch to your bakes to reinforce its flavours. Baked an orange cake? Make a glaze of icing sugar and orange juice to drizzle on top. Peanut butter swirled brownies hot out the oven? Sprinkle over some finely chopped peanuts. These Pistachio White Chocolate Blondies, for example, wouldn’t be nearly as gorgeous without a drizzle of melted white chocolate. A final dusting of icing sugar, drizzle of Biscoff, dip in chocolate or sprinkle of chopped nuts can bring your bakes to life!

So many ideas to share, so little time! We hope that you’re feeling inspired by these tips to whip up your own signature NOMU MiniMakes creations.

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