CAROB or DARK CHOCOLATE GLUTEN FREE COOKIES

I've made this recipe five times over the past week, in an attempt to get the ingredients and their amounts exactly right. I have also served these cookies to many people over this time period, but the person who has most enjoyed these cookies is my fiancee! He has put in a request for these cookies to be baked every single week from now on. If you do not like the idea of caffeine in your cookies, opt for the carob option. If you feel cheated eating a cookie without chocolate in it, add dark chocolate chips, carob chocolate chips or cacao nibs. If you do not eat eggs, replace the 1 egg with 2 extra tablespoons of coconut oil. The only problem you will face with these cookies is just eating one at a time! 

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup real maple syrup (not flavoured)
• 1/3 cup carob buttons or dark chocolate or cacao nibs 
• 3/4 cup almond meal
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon bi-carb of soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 free range egg
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, in liquid form 
• pinch of sea salt

Baking

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius and line a baking tray with baking paper. 

2. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir well to combine. 

3. Shape the dough into 12 even sized balls, then flatten with your hand or a fork on the prepared baking tray. 

4. Bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees, then lower the heat to 160 degrees for 5 minutes. 

5. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely - this is the hardest step of all! 

Makes / 10 / 12
Total Baking time / 25 minutes 

GLUTEN FREE & LACTOSE FREE BANANA MUFFINS

Adapted from the amazing glutenfreescallywag.com this recipe was a banana birthday cake for a loved one on Friday night and a tray of muffins on an idyllic Sunday afternoon. I love making gluten and lactose free treats, as they are difficult to get right, but when you do you feel like you have really accomplished baking. I suggest using maple syrup as you can really taste this delectable flavour in the finished product. Hopefully these muffins last me all week!! 

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup liquid coconut oil, plus extra to grease muffin holes
• 1/2 cup gluten free flour
• 1 cup gluten free self-raising flour 
• 1/2 teaspoon gluten free baking powder
• 2 heaped teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup almond meal 
• 3 free-range eggs
• 1/4 cup stevia or natural sweetener of your choice
• 1/4 cup maple syrup 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence 
• 1 heaped cup mashed banana (2 large ripe bananas)

COOKING / BAKING 

1. Preheat a fan force oven to 160 degrees celsius. Lightly grease a 12-hole muffin tin with coconut oil. 

2. Sift the two flours, baking powder and cinnamon into a medium-sized bowl. Add the almond meal and stir to combine. 

3. In a separate large bowl add the eggs, stevia and syrup and whisk well until the sugar has dissolved. Add the vanilla and mashed banana to the bowl and stir well. 

4. Fold the flour mixture into the egg, sugar and banana mixture gently. Evenly spoon the batter into the 12 prepared muffin holes and bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until cooked. 

Makes / 12

Total Preparation time / 10-15 minutes 

Total Baking time / 25 minutes 

x Emily 

RAW KEY LIME TARTS

I have to thank social media outlet Instagram for this amazing recipe, as I came across it whilst looking through my feed. Nutrionistinthekitch.com is the author of this recipe and she has an amazing website, with so many healthy, vibrant and inventive dishes listed for all to view. Friday afternoon called for some creative baking and 12 of these little bright green tarts were made in my kitchen. I do not often make raw food (as I overdosed on a raw cheesecake once (I ate too many slices) and was very very ill) however this tart is something special. Do not be scared of the green colour or the amount of avocado in the tart, as the end result tastes fresh and citrusy.

INGREDIENTS

Crust/Base

• coconut oil, for greasing
• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut 
• 1 cup walnuts
• heaped 1/2 cup pitted dates (soaked in warm water for 30 minutes)

Filling 

• 2 1/2 avocados
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons lime zest
• 1/2 cup honey 
• 2 kiwifruit, skin peeled & thinly sliced, to garnish

PREPARATION / COOKING (of some description!)

1. Lightly grease a 12 cup muffin tin with coconut oil. 

2. Combine the coconut and walnuts in a food processor and blend until coarse. Add the dates and process until the mixture starts to stick together. You may need to add a splash of water or two to get the mixture to this point. Place 1 1/2 tablespoons of the date, walnut & coconut mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup and press down gently, so that the mixture fills 1/3 of the hole. 

3. Place all the filling ingredients into the food processor and process until smooth. Spoon a large tablespoon of the filling into each muffin cup and smooth the top with a spoon. Place a fresh slice of kiwi fruit on top of each tart. 

4. Freeze for 60 minutes / 1 hour to set. Continue to leave in the freezer and remove a few minutes before eating by placing the tart at room temperature. 

Serves / 12

Total Preparation time / 

Serving size / 1 tart = 192 calories 

x Emily 

MILLET, ORANGE & LEMON MUFFINS

Whilst this photo is crystal clear (no filter on instagram required) I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to import the original photo onto my computer. So I have to be satisfied with an instagram one. 

Moving on...these muffins are adapted from another Heidi Swanson specialty and are incredible for a gluten and dairy free treat. They are fluffy, bright and the zest of the orange and lemon is very prominent in the flavour. You almost feel as if you are eating a fruity cornbread when treating yourself to one of these muffins. It’s also a great way to consume some millet, which is an ancient seed (often mistaken for a grain) that can be cooked similarly to how quinoa, brown rice, oatmeal and farro is cooked. Millet’s popularity has risen in recent years due to the fact that it is gluten free and due to its nutritional benefits. This little seed contains ample amounts of magnesium (which assists in lowering blood pressure, decreases the risk of heart disease and eases muscle cramps and tightness), is full of fibre which slows down digestion and leaves you feeling fuller for longer, is high in alkaline (which helps our body pH to stay balanced) and is easy to digest.

INGREDIENTS

• coconut oil, to grease muffin tin 
• 1 heaped cup gluten-free plain flour
• 1 heaped cup gluten-free self raising flour
• 1/3 cup raw millet
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda / bi-carb of soda 
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup lactose-free yoghurt
• 2 free-range eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup almost melted nutalex 
• 1/2 cup organic honey
• the grated zest of 1 medium lemon and 1/2 a large orange
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon orange juice 

BAKING 

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to just above 200 degrees celsius and place a rack in the top third of the oven. Lightly grease a 12 hole muffin tin with coconut oil (using baking paper to grease creates the least amount of mess). 

2. Stir together the flours, millet, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. 

3. In another large bowl, whisk the yoghurt, eggs, nutalex, honey and lemon & orange zest and juice until well combined. 

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredient bowl and stir gently until the flours are just stirred through. 

5. Divide the batter into the 12 prepared muffin holes, filling the batter to the rim or just below. To ensure that the muffins rise evenly, wet a tablespoon with water and run the spoon along the tops of the batter in each hole to even the muffin tops. 

6. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the muffin tops are golden and you can just start to see cracks forming on the top of the muffins. Leave in the tin for five minutes, then transfer the muffins onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely. 

Makes  / 12

Total Preparation time / 15 - 20 minutes 

Total Baking time / 20 - 22 minutes 

x Emily 

Image by brisbanegovindas.com.au