Tag: dessert

Double Chocolate Chunk Brownies by Leitchy Creates

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Is there anything better than chocolate brownies? Double chocolate chunk brownies of course!! 

… Which is why I’m so excited to be sharing this recipe by my wonderful friend, gifted chocolatier, raw treats creator and boss lady Jordan Leitch from Leitchy Creates. If you’re in Sheffield, keep your eyes peeled for her stalls where you can buy her fabulous creations. For the rest of us, luckily her artisan chocolate boxes are available to order online. I’ve had two of them and they were both an absolute delight (trust me, I’m not just saying that because she’s my friend 😉 ) She also shares tons of inspiring recipes, so definitely go check her out! Hope you enjoy these brownies and have a wonderful day! xoxo

 

Morning morning! I thought I’d share a wonderfully indulgent, luxury, gooey, moist, fudgey, rich and all round incredible brownie recipe to get you through the week! These warm are some what magical! Drizzle them in nut butter and nice cream and you’ll be in a really magical wonderland! Trust me, these may be the best brownies you’ll ever make! Big statement I know and because I don’t know how wide your brownie pallet is, I’m going with may… But be sure to let me know if they’re the best! Because they’re certainly the best I’ve ever had!

INGREDIENTS – MAKES 16

1 can of butterbeans, drained and rinsed

220g ground almonds

80g buckwheat flour

85g raw cacao powder

2 pinches of salt

300ml hazelnut milk

60g coconut oil

100g almond butter

100ml maple syrup

100g coconut sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

45g raw chocolate, cut into chunks – I used Well and Happy zesty bar

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a square tin with parchment.

Pop the first set of ingredients into a food processor and blend until combined and smooth.

Pop the second set of ingredients into a small pan and place over a low heat.

Once melted and combined, pour the contents into the blender with the first set of ingredients and blend until smooth.

Add the chocolate chunks and pulse to combine.

Pour the brownie batter into the lined tray and level with a spactular.

Pop in the oven for 25 minutes – cooked through.

Remove from the oven and cut into 16 slices, leave to cool a little before removing from the tin and popping on a wire rack to cool fully.

Try warm with cinnamon nice cream!

Enjoy,

Leitchy xx

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Chocolate Covered Pitaya

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Pitaya, also known as dragon fruit, is without doubt one of my favorite fruits ever. (Big statement). It feels like such a treat anytime I have it, which is, unfortunately, quite rarely. I remember the first time I tried it, on a trip to China a few years ago, and being utterly fascinated by its appearance and taste. Since then, it’s always had a special place in the (large) part of my heart dedicated to food. Then, last summer I discovered dried pitaya, at an unforgettable food market in Aix-en-Provence, where my boyfriend and I stocked up on lots of wondrous things for our journey home, including passionfruit cubes and dried aloe vera [no idea that even existed].

Recently I had the pleasure of feeding my dried pitaya passion due to a little collaboration with Koro Drogerie, a German healthy food start-up that also ships to the UK. When I saw they stocked this delicacy, the path ahead was clear.

Now, when I opened the packet and got the first floral whiff of pitaya, I could have happily just sat down and devoured the half-kg packet then and there. It’s just so good! But, I decided to savor it slowly instead, and do something special with it. And, in the process, I discovered I that it actually tastes really good with chocolate! (What doesn’t, after all?). So, one evening, when I didn’t feel like working on my dissertation anymore, I decided to make myself some chocolate covered pitaya – currently my favorite not-at-all-guilty pleasure.

It’s super simple and barely even a recipe, but I wanted to share it all the same, as it’s so satisfying and also a pretty cool thing to offer when you have people around. (If you’re willing to share that is) 😉

Ingredients:

  • Dried pitaya – as much as you want
  • Dark chocolate (or any chocolate you like; I used my go-to 85% from Lindt) – I used about 4 squares for the amount pictured
  • Sesame seeds (use black ones if you want to use white chocolate)

Method:

Melt the chocolate (I did it in the microwave, even though you’re not really supposed to?), use a spoon to cover half a piece of dried pitaya in chocolate, sprinkle sesame seeds on both sides of the chocolate-covered end, place on a sheet of baking paper and repeat until you’ve choc-ified all your pitaya. Leave the chocolate to set. [It was super warm in my room so I ended up putting them in the fridge, which apparently gives the chocolate a bit of a dull appearance. But that doesn’t bother me as, let’s be real, I’m just going to eat it all myself anyway 😀 ].

BONUS: If you happen to check out the Koro website and see something you like, use BLUEBERRY5 to get 5% off 😉

Hope you enjoy!

xoxo

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Fudgy Brownies

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Hi everyone! Today I’d like to share a recipe with you from the lovely Emma. I had a tough time choosing as all her recipes look and sound amazing and are mostly centered around breakfast or dessert (or both! check out her latest recipe for Banoffee Pie Oats!) , which is my absolute favorite kind of food.

These fudgy sweet potato brownies look incredible and I can’t wait to make them once I have an oven again!
Do check out her site for more fabulous recipes, as well as all things running-related. Hope you enjoy! xoxo

Ingredients – makes 16 squares (or 12 larger ones)

-1 small sweet potato (about 300-350g)

-150g pitted medjool dates, soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes if necessary

-50g wholemeal spelt flour

-6 tbsp raw cacao powder (roughly 40g)

-4 tbsp virgin coconut oil (60g)

-3 heaped tbsp smooth peanut butter (100g)

-3 tbsp (unheaped) hulled tahini (75g)

-50g coconut sugar plus 2 generous tbsp pure maple syrup

-2 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 6 tbsp water to make your “flax eggs”

-1 tsp vanilla extract & a pinch of sea salt

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C/ fan 180C. Stab your sweet potato a few times with a knife, then bake in the oven for about 55minutes – 1 hour, until tender all the way through. Set aside to cool, then peel away and discard the skin.
  2. Meanwhile, melt the coconut oil, coconut sugar, maple syrup, peanut butter and tahini in a sauce pan over a low heat, stirring constantly until smooth and completely melted. Set aside to cool before stirring through the cacao powder until combined.
  3. Drain the dates (if soaked), then whizz them up in a food processor until mostly smooth, then add the sweet potato flesh and blend until smooth.
  4. Combine the sweet potato mixture with the chocolate in a bowl, adding the remaining ingredients and stirring until combined. Now is your chance to incorporate any optional add-ins!
  5. Grease and line a baking pan with greaseproof paper, then pour in your batter and press down with a spatula. Bake in the oven (at the same temperature as above) for 25-30 minutes, checking after 20 minutes and every 5 minutes after to ensure it doesn’t burn. The edges should be firm and the centre still a bit wobbly – this is perfect, just make sure you leave it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then turn it out and leave until entirely cool before cutting into 12 or 16 slices! I love warming them through gently in the oven and serving with Booja booja ice cream!

Fudgy Feel-Good Squares

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Sweet, sticky, chewy, gooey... these little caramel-y squares are my new favorite indulgent treat! Great to have in the fridge to offer friends* or, of course, to sink your teeth into whenever you feel like a little pick-me-up 😉 You get the caramel-like flavor of the dates and maple syrup, which, with the hint of vanilla and cacao, is utterly irresistible. The walnut butter adds to the luxurious texture, enhancing without competing against the flavors.

Consisting of nourishing, wholesome ingredients, these sumptuous squares do more than just taste great – they provide a steady source of energy, which won’t cause blood sugar levels to skyrocket and crash, like more processed, refined options. A treat for your the tastebuds and a pretty nutritious, fueling snack… win-win situation, right?

*Side note: I tested this on a friend who is highly allergic to peanuts. Even though I used no peanuts in this recipe I was suddenly gripped by the fear that traces of the lethal legume had somehow gotten into into the mix, as, let’s face it, my place is a peanut allergy sufferer’s worst nightmare. Luckily I was just being overly paranoid and she was perfectly fine, giving them the thumbs up without landing in the emergency room 😉

Makes: 12 small squares

Ingredients

  • 10 Medjool Dates (ca. 200 g); pitted
  • 1 tbsp walnut butter**
  • 2 tbsp + 1 tsp raw cacao powder
  • 1/2 tbsp chia seeds
  • pinch of salt
  • some ground vanilla bean (or a drop or two of vanilla extract)

** If you don’t have this on hand, the recipe should definitely work with other nut butters, but the flavor will, of course, vary. Walnut butter is very subtle, so it blends in well with the other ingredients. I like to use the raw organic 100% walnut one by Sun and Seed.

Frosting:

  • 2 tbsp walnut butter
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp raw cacao powder
  • 2 tsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp unsweetened almond milk
  • optional: crushed walnuts to sprinkle on top

 

Method

Once you’ve pitted the dates, process them in the food processor and mix together with the other ingredients (I like to do this by hand, as it easily forms a really nice, sticky, but perfectly workable, play-doh-type mix). Press down onto a plate with your hands and shape into a rectangle (a knife works well to smooth the top and clean up the edges), cover and place in the fridge while making the frosting.

For the frosting, simply mix together the ingredients and then spread onto the date base. At this point you can decorate by sprinkling some crushed walnuts and raw cacao powder, or whatever else you fancy, on top.

Now, either place back in the fridge or in the freezer to fully harden up. [I didn’t have any space in my minuscule freezer, which is bursting with berries, so I had to just pop the plate back into the fridge. The frosting stayed soft, but, surprisingly, I was able to cut squares without making a mess. If you do freeze before slicing, I’d store them in the fridge after, to get the best, stickiest, fudgiest consistency 🙂 ]. They should last a few days (or longer in the freezer) if you can keep them that long!

Hope you enjoy!

xoxo

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