Baking Without: October 2015

Mint Chocolate Chip Brownie Bites

So I was really fancying chocolate fudgy brownies but without certain ingredients it's sometimes hard to master that fudginess. However, I believe after this experiment that I have, in fact, succeeded in creating very tasty, vegan, dairy free, gluten free, egg free and nut free brownies!

Mint Chocolate Chip Brownie Bites

Ingredients:

For the brownie:

1 carton organic black beans

3 tablespoons soya yoghurt

2 tablespoons coconut oil

4 tablespoons cacao powder

3 tablespoons date syrup/maple syrup

50g dairy free chocolate, roughly chopped

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

A pinch of salt

For the ganache topping:

40g dairy free chocolate, finely chopped

100ml soya cream

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

cacao nibs to decorate

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line and grease a square baking tray or cupcake/mini sandwich tray with coconut oil.

2. Drain and rinse the black beans, place into a food processor or blender along with the soya yoghurt and coconut oil. Blend until it forms a smooth paste.

3. Transfer the paste into a mixing bowl. Sieve in the cacao powder, and baking powder along with a pinch of salt.

4. Next, stir in the date syrup, peppermint extract. Mix in the chocolate chunks until evenly dispersed.

5. Pour the mixture into the tray you're using. If using a cupcake/mini sandwich tray I'd recommend using an ice cream scoop to get even dollops of mixture in each hole.

6. Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Take out at 20 if you like a fudgy brownie.

7. Leave to cool in the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

8. While the brownies are cooling, start the ganache topping. Place the finely chopped chocolate in a glass bowl along with the peppermint extract.

9. Heat the cream in a pan until it starts to simmer.

10. Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until you have a smooth glossy mixture. Leave to stand for 10 minutes until it thickens slightly.

11. Drizzle the ganache over the brownies, sprinkling cacao nibs on top to decorate.

Like other recipes I've posted, I've chosen certain ingredients to suit my own needs however, if for example, you aren't intolerant to dairy, then feel free to use your preferred chocolate in this recipe and where I use soya yoghurt and soya cream, feel free to substitute plain yoghurt and dairy single cream. However, if substituting, I cannot guarantee you will achieve the same fudgy chocolately creation but by all means experiment and let me know!

Happy baking!

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, by b

Pumpkins Galore!

Since Halloween is here and pumpkins are everywhere it seemed apt that my first recipe had to involve them.

I had so many ideas running around in my head of what I could do I couldn't just pick one but after deliberating I managed to rule it down to two quite different bakes - pumpkin peanut truffles and pumpkin oreos.

Pumpkin Peanut Truffles

Ingredients:

For the truffle centre:

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 tablespoons oat flour

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

For the chocolate coating:

1 tablespoon maple syrup

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 tablespoons cacao powder

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*

Method:

1. First of all, for the truffle centre, combine the peanut butter and the pumpkin pie spice.

2. Add the maple syrup and stir until smooth.

3. Add the oat flour little by little until you get a firm cookie-like dough. (If it's too wet add more flour, if it's too dry add more maple syrup to stick the dough together.)

4. Roll into tablespoon sized balls, place on a lined baking tray and put in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.

5. While the truffle centres are in the freezer, melt the coconut oil in a bowl and mix in the cacao powder, maple syrup and pumpkin pie spice until you have a smooth chocolate mixture.

6. Once the truffles are ready to come out the freezer coat them in the chocolate mixture - I found dipping them in using two forks worked well.

7. Place them back in the freezer once all are coated to set.

8. Keep the truffles in the freezer until you want them. I'd recommend taking them out 10-15 minutes before you want one to allow them to come to room temperature, making the centre extra truffly and fudgy.

*For the pumpkin spice mix, mix together 4 teaspoons cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ginger, 1 teaspoon allspice, 1 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves.

Pumpkin Oreos

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

1 cup oat flour

8 pitted dates (soaked in warm water for 30 minutes)

1/4 cup cacao powder

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 tablespoons maple syrup

For the pumpkin centre:

1/4 cup pecans

3/4 cup pumpkin puree**

1 tablespoon brown rice syrup

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Method:

1. Place the oat flour, dates, cacao powder, coconut oil and maple syrup into a food processor or blender. Blitz until it has formed a rough paste.

2. On a piece of parchment paper roll out the mixture to the thickness you desire for your cookies. (I went for 1/4" thick.)

3. Using a circular cookie cutter cut out the cookies. Transfer to a lined baking tray or plate and put into the freezer.

4. Whilst the cookies are in the freezer get on with the pumpkin filling.

5. Using a food processor or blender, blend the the pecans until they form a smooth paste.

6. In a bowl, mix together the pecan butter, pumpkin puree, brown rice syrup, peanut butter and pumpkin pie spice mix.

7. Remove the cookies from the freezer. Peel the cookies off the paper and put into pairs.

8. Put a dollop of the filling on one side of the cookie - I used a piping bag to get an even measure.

9. Stick the cookies together and store in the freezer, taking out 15 minutes before you'd like to eat, to allow the cookie to come to room temperature.

** For the pumpkin puree, cut a pumpkin into chunks, place on a baking tray and drizzle with a little oil (I use rapeseed). Roast for 30 minutes until tender. Leave to cool before blitzing into a smooth puree in a blender or food processor.

In these recipes I use, for example, cacao where you could easily use cocoa powder in place, or brown rice syrup where maple syrup/honey/agave could be substituted. Feel free to play around with the ingredients to suit your preferences.

If you do attempt these let me know how it goes!

Happy baking!

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, by b

So I've gone and done it...

Hello fellow foodies,

I've set up this blog mainly down to my passion for baking (and others suggesting for a while now that I should).
Recently I've became aware of certain food intolerances I have and due to that have had to alter my diet to suit. Regarding the intolerances, most of the foods I now make and bake fall under the categories of being wheat, gluten, dairy and egg free.

I am hoping that my blog can help others out there also suffering from intolerances, allergies or even just people wanting to try something different (that are just as tasty as your 'regular' foods).

Here are a couple of things I've baked recently which will be coming up soon...