Steamed Nutella Pudding...

We all know that anybody who made my Nutella last week has long since eaten it with a spoon, and licked the bowl clean. If you've managed some self control, I really really applaud you because it's so good!

I know you're not a dog, but I'm still going to reward you with food... in the form of this AMAZING Steamed Nutella Pudding. It's one of the easiest recipes on GLBTK but looks & tastes like it took far more effort...

If you haven't time to make the Nutella but still like the idea of this dessert, simply replace the Nutella with a square of dark chocolate (81% cocoa solids at least), a tsp of peanut butter (or almond butter if you avoid peanuts) or even a couple of fresh raspberries / homemade fruit purée would be amazing....  

I'm distracted now cos I'm thinking about how amazing a banana flavoured cake would be with a peanut butter centre.... I don't eat peanuts, but I'm sure I'll find a willing taste tester if I give that a go??! 

For the puddings: 

• 150g butter, melted
• 3 tbsp Irish honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs, separated 
• 175g ground almonds
• 2 tsp GF baking powder
• Nutella 

Preheat oven to 170d (fan oven).

Mix melted butter, honey and vanilla together. Beat in egg yolks one at a time. (Make sure the butter mixture is well cooled first or the yolks will begin to cook!)

Stir in the ground almonds and baking powder.

Next, whisk the egg whites until they form firm peaks.

Fold into the almond mixture until well combined.

Spoon batter into the base of 6 individual pudding moulds or ramekins. Top with 1 tsp of Nutella.

Top with the remaining batter.

Place moulds on a shallow baking tray with approx 1" of boiling water in the base. Bake for 12-15 minutes until firm, golden and well risen.

Once baked, turn out of the moulds & serve warm with Greek yoghurt..

Raspberry Blondies....

Did you know some people don't like chocolate???? Madness!! Who'd have thought that there are people out there who don't like brownies?? Since I try to cater for everyone, I baked Sarah some Raspberry Blondies.... (she's not going to thank me for this comment).... but she hoovered them up like a fat kid attacks a brownie! My point?? (other than to rip the piss)...as much as I bang on about how all the GLBTK baked good are treats and shouldn't be eaten all the time, I love nothing more than seeing people destroy a plate of healthified cake!... 

Why?? It's very easy to come on here and post recipes and photos of attractive looking food... after all, we eat with our eyes first...but what's the point if it doesn't taste good? If healthier cakes & desserts tasted bland and as if they lacked something, then would we really bother? Good quality, healthy food can taste incredible... and spreading that message is the mission of GLBTK... 

So anyway.... the Blondies! I always thought Blondies were just white chocolate brownies... WRONG! Blondies are simply white cake cut into bars sometimes with nuts/fruit/chocolate chips...they sound kinda boring now! So.. lets make something a little more exciting... how about Raspberry Blondies packed with creamy almond butter to give them a great fudgy, dense texture like that of brownies and throw in some juicy sweet raspberries?? That sounds more appealing than 'white cake'....

For the Blondies:

• 50g butter
• 100g almond butter (I always use Keen )
• 2 tbsp Irish honey
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 150g ground almonds 
• 1 tsp GF baking powder
• 100g fresh raspberries 
• 30g cacoa nibs
• flaked almonds

Preheat fan oven to 160d. Line a 7" square cake tin with parchment paper. 

Start by melting the butter, almond butter & honey together over a low heat. 

Beat in the eggs, one at time. Add the vanilla extract. 

Stir in the ground almonds and baking powder. 

Carefully fold in the raspberries and cacoa nibs. 

Spoon mixture into lined cake tin, sprinkle with extra cacoa nibs & flaked almonds. Bake for 15 - 20 mins until just set. 

If you over bake, you'll have more of a cake-like texture rather than a dense, fudgy consistency. 

Cut into squares and serve! 

Orange Chocolate Pancakes...

It's been a while since we've had some GLBTK pancakes! Pancakes are awesome... if you're smart about it, you can make incredible pancakes using only ingredients which support your goals. You know what that means? You can have dessert for breakfast AND it can be healthy! I really wish I knew this years ago...

Chocolate & orange is one of my favourite flavour combinations, so it took a whole lot of restraint to wait and take photos!

For the pancakes: 

• 3 eggs 
• 1 tbsp ground almonds
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp coconut milk 
• 1 tsp Irish honey
• 1 tbsp orange juice
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

Whisk all the ingredients together until well combined and frothy. 

Pour batter into a hot pan with a little melted coconut oil to prevent sticking. 

The pancakes are ready to flip when tiny air bubbles appear on the surface. 

Serve pancakes warm with Greek yoghurt and orange chocolate sauce. 

For the orange chocolate sauce:

• juice of 1/2 a large orange 
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp Irish honey
• 1 tbsp Greek yoghurt

Bring the orange juice, cocoa, coconut oil & honey to a gentle boil and allow to simmer over a low heat for 2 minutes whilst stirring constantly. 

Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. (Reserve 1 tbsp of sauce at this point to drizzle over the top of pancakes if desired)

Mix in Greek yoghurt to remaining sauce stirring until just combined. Pour over the warm pancakes. 

To serve:

Top the pancakes with Greek yoghurt, followed by the orange chocolate sauce. Drizzle the reserved chocolate sauce over the top. 

Serve immediately.

Lemon Tartlets

If you're looking for the perfect spring dessert, you've found it! Lemon Tarts or Tarte au Citron if you're feeling fancy is one of the best palate cleansing desserts you can find..... the combination of the tart lemon custard, with the sweet pastry & berries is so refreshing.. 

A friend picked up these little tartlet cases for me a couple of weeks ago & I LOVE them! I always think that individual desserts look a little more elegant... 

For the tart shell, I used the same recipe as in my Chocolate Tart. It's a really simple, quick pastry that is sweet & crisp.... perfect for desserts :) 

Start by making the tart shell & allowing to cool while you make the filling. The recipe above will make 6 individual tartlets or one 9" tart. 

You're going to feel pretty good about yourself after you make the custard for these....It's a workout in itself!! Mind you, I'm wondering now why I used a hand whisk when I have an electric whisk!! 

For the lemon filling:

• 5 tbsp raw organic honey
• 75g butter
• 2 large eggs + 3 egg yolks (use the whites to make some Tea Cakes)
• zest of 1 lemon
• 200ml freshly squeezed lemon juice (probably about 3 or 4 lemons depending on the lemons)
• pinch of salt

Add all the ingredients to a heatproof glass bowl set over gently simmering water (don't be tempted to turn up the heat or you'll end up with lemon scrambled eggs).. 

Whisk constantly (I mean constantly... or again we'll have lemon scrambled eggs!)..Make sure to keep the custard moving all the time so you don't end up with a gritty lemon coating on the base of the bowl. This requires patience... It's going to take up to 10 minutes so no distractions... lock the kids in the basement & turn off your phone... FOCUS!!! 

It'll go from thin & liquid, to pale and frothy and then will gradually thicken. Just keep whisking...you'll get there eventually!

Once you have a thick, smooth custard, pour into your cooled tart shells. 

Decorate with fresh berries. 

Allow to set in the fridge for at least 2 hours before removing from the tin & serving. 

Caramel Slice

I posted a photo of these healthy Twix bars on the Facebook page & took them to a training & nutrition seminar on Saturday.... I was pretty thrilled with the feedback. I love showing people that even if you want a snack (lets face it, we all do at some stage), you don't need to go for the really unhealthy choice...

Shortbread base:

• 275g unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp raw organic honey
• 1 tsp organic vanilla extract
• 1 large egg yolk
• 140g almond flour
• 40g coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 170d (fan).

Start by beating the butter, honey, vanilla & egg yolk together until everything is combined with no lumps remaining.

Next add the dry ingredient & stir well until you have a stiff dough. It will still be quite sticky, but should be firm.

Press into an 8x8' square tin lined with grease proof paper & bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

If you find it's browning too quickly, just place a sheet of tin foil over the tin to prevent it from burning. It's ready when it's golden brown and firm.

As the base is cooling, you can get started on the caramel filling...

Filling:

• 10 figs softened in boiling water for 10 minutes (you can use dates here too... I used figs because of their lower sugar content & cos I already had some!) 
• 50g pecan nuts
• 1/2 can of coconut milk (refrigerated overnight... just scoop the thick cream from the top half of the can. Keep the coconut water to add to a smoothie) 
• 2 tbsp raw organic honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted 

Ok listen up! 

Do not, I repeat do not add all these ingredients to the food processor at once... I always forget this, and end up covered in coconut milk! Just believe me alright! 

Start by adding the figs & pecans. Pulse until you have a thick paste. Scrape down the sides if you need to. 

Next add the liquid ingredients GRADUALLY. Yes, I'm shouting at you... cos you think I'm exaggerating here... I'm not! Just do as you're told... And yes, I know in the photo, I threw everything in at once.. this is the reason my kitchen wall needs to be painted now! Do as I say, and not as I do etc etc....

Once all the liquid is incorporated, you should have a thick caramel.

Spread over the cooled shortbread base. 

Chocolate topping: 

Next... whip up a batch of this homemade Paleo friendly chocolate, or I guess you could use super dark chocolate if you want... but make sure it's 85% cocoa solids at least... none of that milk chocolate crap! The higher to cocoa content, the lower the sugar content :) 

Cover the caramel with your chocolate. 

Allow to set at room temperature overnight, or for 2/3 hours at least. 

Cut into slices. I got 24 bars from this recipe.