Cocoa Coconut Roughies

 

Needing a super fast easy treat to appease the kids? A treat that's sugar, gluten and diary free, nutritious and satisfies a sweet tooth craving. These Cacao Coconut Roughies are so good, you'll need to make double quantities to keep up with the demand as the kids will love them.


Preparation Time: 3 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Makes: 15-20 rectangles

Ingredients

100g almond meal (or hazelnut meal for a nuttier taste)
80g rice malt syrup
50g dessicated coconut
100g coconut oil
20g linseed
20g cacao powder
pinch of sea salt
20g rice bubbles for an extra crunch (can leave out if you want)

  

Method

1. Combine the almond meal, rice malt syrup, coconut, coconut oil, linseed, and rice bubbles if you are using these.

2. Press mixture into a small lined tray and press into the mix with your hands and place in the fridge or freezer to set for 5-10 minutes.

3.  Once this mix has set, remove from the tray and cut into little rectangles. It is best served chilled or else they will melt on a warm day.To store keep these in a container in the fridge or freezer for a longer shelf life. But I doubt that they're last that long.

Handy tips
If you need it to be sweeter, throw in  a few chocolate drops and that will hit the spot.

Decadent Chocolate Fondants

I haven't forgotten you all and I've been on adventures to Taiwan and Hong Kong which I will need to fill you in at another time but I needed to stop and write a recipe for my decadent chocolate fondants.

I recently ate at Big Stone Tapas in North Sydney and I couldn't get over how amazing the chocolate fondant dessert was. It was one of the things I missed most on my travels was being able to cook and bake for my family.

I decided to rectify this to replicate a quick and easy chocolate fondant that could be whipped up whilst we enjoyed our family dinner of spaghetti bolognese.

Serves 6

Ingredients

100g dark chocolate
100g unsalted butter

2 eggs
2 egg yolks
100g sugar

100g plain flour

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celcius

2. Use a thin slice of butter and use this to grease the ramekins. (I use a pannacotta mould as I wanted these to be small as these were rather decadent)

3. Add chocolate and butter into a microwave dish with lid and place in the microwave for High 50 seconds. The chocolate wouldn't have completely melted but stir this mixture around and it will melt due to the residue heat from the butter.

4. Add eggs and egg yolks with the sugar into a mixing bowl and whisk for 3 minutes until pale yellow in colour.

5. Add the chocolate mixture to the egg mix and fold in the 100g of flour.

6. Divide the mixture into the ramekins and place on an oven tray.


7. Bake for 8-10 mins or until the surface is cooked but still soft in the centre.

8. I like to serve mine with a dollop of yoghurt as it is a rather rich dessert.

Chocolate chip cookies

I have cookies on the mind and with a few play dates planned with friends and their kids, this was the perfect excuse to make a batch or two. My girlfriend told me she could smell these on the footpath leading up to our house and was positively drooling.

One batch is definitely not enough, as my kidlets and hubby gobbled these up before I even had two, so I had to make another batch. How can I refuse my youngest when he asks "more cookies please mummy".

Makes 20

Ingredients

60g unsalted butter
95g brown sugar
50g caster sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

100g wholemeal flour
100g almond meal with chia (throw in chia seeds with almonds to make this delicious flour alternative)
1/2 tsp bi-carb soda
85g quality dark chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius (150 degrees fan forced)
2. Line two baking trays with baking paper
3. Using electric beaters mix the butter and sugar until well combined
4. Add egg and vanilla extract, continue mixing
5. Add dry ingredients into butter mixture and keep mixing
6. Stir in the chocolate chips
7. Place 20 spoonfuls of mixture onto the baking trays
8. Bake for 15 mins or until golden brown.
9. Cool for 5 minutes before attempting to eat one
10. Watch out they will be gone in 60 seconds.

Handy hints

Store in an air tight container for upto a week, if they last that long.