Mint Chocolate Slice...

A good friend of mine was diagnosed as Coeliac a couple of years ago and after spending a fortune on gluten free products ranging from cakes to breads and pasta, he gave up. He found he was paying way over the odds for GF products that didn't even taste nice, simply to say he could still eat cake. After over 18 months of never having a treat (or sneaking the occasional wheat flour cookie & feeling ill afterwards), he has started baking my recipes. He feels great, like he isn't missing out on anything, and as someone who trains quite hard for his chosen sport, he's thrilled that he's not sabotaging his efforts by eating processed foods containing all sorts of unpronounceable ingredients. 

Inspired by a trip to a cafe last week, he asked me to make a mint chocolate tray bake....EASY!!! Super easy to make and amazing tasting, I can't wait to hear if you manage to just eat one!! 

For the chocolate cake:

• 150g butter, melted
• 3 tbsp Irish honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp peppermint extract
• 4 eggs, separated
• 100g ground almonds
• 60g unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp GF baking powder

Preheat oven to 160d (fan). Line an 8" square tin with baking parchment. 

Mix melted butter, honey, vanilla & mint with the egg yolks until well combined. 

Stir in the ground almonds, cocoa & baking powder. 

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff glossy peaks. 

Fold egg whites into the ground almond mixture gradually until fully mixed. Do this in a couple of stages to avoid knocking out the air from the mixture. 

Pour into prepared tin & bake for 15 minutes until risen and firm to touch. 

Set aside to cool. 

For the mint filling: 

• 1 large avocado
• 200g mascarpone (Quark, Fromage Frais or Coconut Cream will work here too) 
• 2 tsp mint extract
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp Irish honey

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until you have a smooth, creamy consistency....It's really important not to taste the filling at this stage (you'll definitely be tempted to eat it all with a spoon!)

Spread an even layer over the cooled chocolate cake. 

For the chocolate topping: 

• 100g dark chocolate (I used 85% cocoa solids)
• 1 tsp coconut oil (gives chocolate glossy appearance & prevents chocolate setting fully and cracking when sliced)

Melt the chocolate & oil together until smooth and glossy. Set aside to cool slightly before spreading on top of the mint filling. 

Allow to set before cutting into slices. 

Brookies!!

Thanks to Aimee for the name! Part cookie, and part brownie these grain & refined sugar free Brookies are the ultimate in healthy greed!!

The base is a delicious chewy chocolate chip cookie, and the topping a rich fudgy brownie... You can't decide if you want a cookie or a brownie? Thank GLBTK for these awesome Brookies!

The best part? They're made using recipes I've already shared! With a little imagination you can adapt all my recipes to change flavours and keep things varied... or you can wait for me to do it for you!

To make the Brookies:

So for the cookie base, I used this Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe... they're pretty awesome when made as cookies too!

Start by preheating the oven to 160d (fan). Line 7" square tin with baking parchment.

Make the cookie dough as per the recipe (I used Cacao Nibs).

Set aside to chill while you prepare the brownie batter. I just used the brownie part of this recipe (ie. without the cheesecake topping).

To assemble:

Press the chilled cookie dough into an even layer in the base of the prepared tin.

Top with the brownie batter and spread evenly.

Bake for 15-20 minutes (this really depends on your oven). You'll know the Brookies are baked when they are firm with a slight wobble in the centre. They will continue to cook a little from the heat of the tin once removed. Don't leave them as underbaked as you would with brownies or the gooey chocolate will seep into the biscuit base making it soft.

Set aside to cool before cutting into bitesize squares.

These are about as indulgent as it gets! Serious awesomeness right here!

Cheesecake Brownies...

Sometimes you've just go to go all out.... and today was one of those days....

A lot of people hear grain & sugar free and think.... taste free...

I'm on a mission... I want to show as many people as I can that real food is far superior in all respects. It nourishes your body, supports your immune system, assists with training goals, boosts your mood & metabolism AND it tastes incredible! It has real flavour... Real food tastes awesome, and when you combine the best ingredients to bake a treat like these Cheesecake Brownies... well you'll wonder why you ever bothered with processed junk...

They're still only for a treat... BUT if you're going to eat cake, why not make it really really good cake!

For the brownies:

• 150g butter
• 60g raw Irish honey
• 1 tsp organic vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs
• 2 tbsp almond flour
• 60g unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 160d (fan). Line an 8" baking tin with parchment paper. 

Start by melting the butter, honey & vanilla... the microwave for 30-60 seconds should suffice. 

Add the cocoa powder & beat in the eggs one at a time. If you add them all together, it's really difficult to get the mixture to come together.

Finally add the remaining dry ingredients & mix until just combined. Set aside until needed. 

For the cheesecake swirl:

• 100g mascarpone cheese
• 1 tsp organic vanilla extract
• 1 tsp raw Irish honey
• 1 large egg yolk

Beat all the ingredients together until smooth. Add some peppermint extract for a mint swirl... that would be AWESOME!!

Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared tin. Next drop spoonfuls of the cheesecake mix on top.

Using a skewer, drag the cheesecake through the brownie mixture to create a marbled/swirled appearance.

Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. Every oven varies, so keep an eye on the brownies so you don't overbake them. They're supposed to be gooey and fudge-like. Basically you want them to be firm to the touch with a slight wobble in the centre. They'll continue to bake a little & firm up when you take them out of the oven.

I'm willing to bet that you won't be able to wait for them to cool before tasting them!

These are INCREDIBLE! Seriously... if you're looking for a really decadent recipe to show your friends & family how good real food tastes..... THIS IS IT!

Allow to cool a little between cutting into squares... you should get 12 generous brownies from this mixture....though you could technically just cut them in 2 pieces!

I absolutely LOVE writing GLBTK & do it solely to help you & give some ideas and inspiration to keep on track and eating good food...

I'm going to ask you guys a favour.... I'm going to ask you to share posts you like from the GLBTK Facebook page on your own page. The more people who are reading GLBTK & engaging; the  more people who can improve their health through good nutrition.