Tuesday, 8 May 2012

Plate of little treats for dessert: Raw truffles (with chocolate), flourless oat cookies and mini GF donghnuts...

The content of this plate no longer exists. Nom, Nom, Nom!
Starting from the left of the plate, clockwise: flourless oats cookies,
mini GF doughnuts and raw truffles



Since I have been on my GF and DF diet I have found that I am becoming more of a sweet tooth; or maybe it's just age. Anyway, I find myself much more often craving for sweets, from the innocent dried fruit to the naughty chocolate bar in the pantry. So I try to make and find recipes that are made with natural ingredients and somehow healthy. Tonight I made 3 treats in mini sizes so we could all have a little bit of everything. Despite my love for chocolate, I must admit the mini doughnuts keep teasing me and I have found it hard to resist them (I had much more than what's on the plate).

For the Flourless oats cookies: (I have used the recipe from the fabulous chocolatecoveredkatie: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/02/20/flourless-oatmeal-raisin-cookies/).

3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2 T brown sugar (I used cane sugar)
1 T plus 2 tsp white sugar or evaporated cane juice (I used agave nectar)
2 T raisins
1 T oil or pre-melted margarine
1-2 T milk of choice (start with 1)

Blend first 5 ingredients together in a food processor or blender. Mix Process with other ingredients, form into cookie shapes, and place on a greased cookie sheet. Cook 6 minutes at 375 F.
Those cookies are crunchy and sweet and just taste so nice.

For the mini GF doughnuts: (original recipe from http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2010/08/27/monkey-bread-recipe/) This is actually a monkey bread recipe and if you follow the link you can watch the recipe step by step.

Total Prep Time: 1 hour | Total Rise Time: 2 hours | Bake Time: 35 minutes

Dough:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (I used coconut oil), divided, 2 tablespoons softened and 2 tablespoons melted
1 cup milk, warm (about 110 degrees F)
1/3 cup water, warm (about 110 degrees F)
¼ cup granulated sugar Cane sugar
1 package instant yeast
3¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface (To make it Gluten Free I used Orgran Gluten Free All- Purpose flour http://www.orgran.com/products/160/)
2 teaspoons salt

Brown Sugar Coating:
1 cup light brown sugar (cane sugar)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted 5 Tablespoons of vanilla infused grapeseed oil- Equagold, http://equagold.co.nz/EquagoldProducts/tabid/6228/CategoryID/0/List/0/Level/a/ProductID/84/Language/en-US/Default.aspx?SortField=ProductName%2cProductName.

Glaze*:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons milk

*I have not made the glaze because I am thinking of trying of few different topping over the next couple of days... or maybe a chocolate fondue.

1. Butter flat dish with 2 tablespoons softened butter (or coconut oil if using). Set aside.

2. In a large measuring cup, mix together milk, water, melted butter, sugar and yeast. Mix flour and salt in standing mixer fitted with dough hook. Turn machine to low and slowly add milk mixture. After dough comes together, increase speed to medium and mix until dough is shiny and smooth, 6 to 7 minutes. Turn dough onto lightly floured counter and knead briefly to form smooth, round ball. Coat large bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Place dough in bowl and coat surface of dough with cooking spray. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in a draft-free area until dough doubles in size, 50 to 60 minutes.

3. For the sugar coating: While the dough is rising, mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Place melted butter (or oil) in second bowl. Set aside.

4. To form the bread: Gently remove the dough from the bowl, and pat into a rough 8-inch square. Using a bench scraper or knife, cut dough into 64 pieces.

5. Roll each dough piece into a ball. Working one at a time, dip the balls into the melted butter, allowing excess butter to drip back into the bowl. Roll in the brown sugar mixture, then layer balls in the Bundt pan, staggering seams where dough balls meet as you build layers (or if like me you do not want the layers, place them in a single layer on the flat dish).

6. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and place in draft-free area until dough balls are puffy and have risen 1 to 2 inches from top of pan, 50 to 70 minutes.

7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Unwrap the pan and bake until the top is deep brown and caramel begins to bubble around the edges, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a platter and allow to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

8. For the glaze: While the bread cools, whisk the confectioners’ sugar and milk in a small bowl until the lumps are gone. Using a whisk, drizzle the glaze over the monkey bread, letting it run over top and down the sides of the bread. Serve warm.

For the raw truffles: http://www.sweetlyraw.com/2012/04/raw-vegan-chocolate-mint-cake.htm.3 cups almonds
2 cups pitted dates
2/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup cacao powder
2/3 cup pecans pine nuts
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla
1-2 teaspoons water, as needed

Grind almonds in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl.
Puree the dates and raisins in the food processor until smooth (or as smooth as you can get it).
Add the ground almonds, cacao powder, pecans, vanilla, and salt to the date puree and process to bring all ingredients together into a dough.
Press a bit of the dough in your hand. If it's still crumbly, add 1 teaspoon water (it will probably need it). Process again. Add a bit more water if needed.
Press the dough into a container and leave in the fridge to set for at least 30 min.

This recipe is actually a cake. I will try to make the cake myself because it looks delish! However, in treat sizes, everytime you need a chocolate hit, you just need to walk to the fridge and not feel so guilty. Of course there is quite a bit of fat in this BUT those are good fats and the sweetness comes from the dried fruits, no added sugar.

Happy Baking everyone :)




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