Desserts

Blood Plum & Ginger Galettes with Date & Walnut Paste, Candied Orange Zest and Honey Orange Drizzle

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A few weeks back I finally got to making these sweet little galettes I’ve had brewing in my head for a while! I was recently reading an article from the Gottman Institute (if you haven’t checked them out, you must do so! They share such fabulous stuff!) talking of how cooking for some can be a productive form of self expression and communication! It was like this total lightbulb moment for me as creative expression through food is absolutely my outlet and way to express myself! In fact, what some may view as slaving away in the kitchen is my kind of stress relief and almost a way to express all my feelings!!  Isn’t it amazing how we’re all so different!

So anyhow, finally getting these pretty galettes out of my system was super fulfilling! They were initially inspired by some gorgeous black blood plums at the local farmers markets! You could replace with any type of plum or any stone fruit for that matter. All stone fruits go so so beautifully with ginger! It’s definitely a favourite combo of mine! Peach & Ginger Crumble is a firm favourite in my home, especially as my 6 yer old son just loves anything ginger!

With the pastry, if you’re in a hurry, you can skip the 30 minute chilling of the pastry. It’s not ideal as the pastry is better off having some time for the glutens to relax which helps it not to shrink in the oven, (and also gives a better texture on the pastry) but with a rustic tart like these, they’re pretty forgiving, unlike in a tart case where if it shrinks and there’s no sides on your tart, you’re in trouble! 🤪

You’ll also notice I use spelt flour again in this pastry! In my kitchen, the only flour you’ll find is spelt. I replace all plain flour for spelt. It’s a more ancient variety of wheat and has been less tampered with making it easier to digest. Some folks that have intolerance’s to wheat can often eat spelt and feel ok. So it’s my go to! 

The date & walnut paste is SO SO good! It’s a fairly firm paste, so rolling into a ball and then flattening in your hand is the easiest way to use it. When I tasted it, I immediately envisioned a delicious bliss ball right there! You could use all almonds or all walnuts in the paste but the combo of the two I think is just delicious, and the roasted almonds really make it! Yum! 

I couldn’t decide whether to call these Galettes or Crostata’s! Basically one is French and the other Italian –  meaning a free-form or rustic tart! I opted for French Galette’s but both sound really as delicious as each other in my head so go ahead and call them whatever your heart desires! 😅

But whatever you do, make sure to jump into your kitchen and get some of these little beauties in the oven before the end of the summer stone fruit season! YUM YUM YUM!

Gabrielle xx

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Blood Plum & Ginger Galettes with Date & Walnut Paste, Candied Orange Zest and Honey Orange Drizzle

Fruity, zesty galettes enveloped in delicous buttery golden pastry! 

  • Author: Gabrielle - Kitch'n Thyme
  • Prep Time: 20 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 Minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 4

Ingredients

8-10 Blood or Yellow Plums, seeds removed, cut into eighths

20g Crystallised Ginger, sliced, extra for topping

Raw Sugar, for scattering

Vanilla Icecream, to serve

Spelt Shortcrust Pastry:

60g Organic Raw Sugar

250g Organic White Spelt Flour

100g Organic Butter 

2 Organic Egg Yolks, plus 1 beaten Egg for eggwash

2 Tbsp Iced Water

Date & Walnut Paste:

40g Walnuts

20g Roasted Almonds

60g Dried Dates 

40g Crystallised Ginger  

Candied Orange Zest:

1/4 Orange, zested

2 Tbsp Honey

1 Tbsp Water

Instructions

  1. To make the pastry, place the sugar into the Thermomix and mill 10 Seconds/Speed 9. Add the flour & butter and process for 10 Seconds/Speed 6 or until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks, and water and knead 10-20 seconds or until the dough just comes together.
  2. Using the Thermomat or a lightly floured surface bring the dough together to form a ball. Flatten and wrap the dough in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
  3. Take a rack out of the oven and place an oven Thermomat on it. (If you don’t have a Thermomat, line a large baking tray with baking paper). Preheat the oven to 180ºC.
  4. Portion the chilled dough into 4 equal picese and roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to be 2-3mm thick or about 15cm in diameter. Place into an oven Thermomat or line a baking tray with baking paper and place on the tray.
  5. To make the paste, place the nuts, dates & ginger into the Thermomix and process together 10 Seconds. Speed 8. Divide the paste into 4, roll each piece into a rough ball shape and flatten out with the palm of your hand and place in the middle of the pastry round, leaving a 3cm border of pastry. (Use your fingers to further flatten and neaten if necessary).
  6. Arrange the plums nicely on top of the paste and top with a few pieces of the ginger to finish. 
  7. Gently lift the pastry up over the plums, pleating as you go. Brush pastry edges with beaten egg and scatter raw sugar all over the galettes & bake until golden (20-25 minutes).
  8. To make the candied orange zest, remove zest from the orange with a vegetable peeler, keeping pieces long. If there’s any white pith, remove it using a paring knife, then cut into a fine julienne using a very sharp knife.
  9. Place the honey, water and orange peel into the Thermomix and cook 5 Mins/100°/Speed 2.
  10. Take the candied orange zest out of the syrup and set aside. Pour the syrup into a little serving bowl or jug.
  11. Top the galettes with the candied orange zest, a drizzle of orange syrup and serve warm with vanilla icecream. 

Notes

  • You can substitute the plums for nectarines, peaches or apricots!
  • The paste can be made with all almonds or all walnuts, but the mix of the 2 nuts is very delicious especially as the almonds are roasted!

Superfood Rocky Road

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Super delicious, fluffy, nutty, chocolatey mess!

Well how about that with a healthy spin on it? One of the things this Rocky Road is enriched with is Maca powder that has vitamins, energy boosting properties, benefits for the skin, helps to increase energy, and helps with womens & mens health & reproductive health. 

Another great superfood is chia seeds. Being high in nutrients, antioxidants, protein and Omega 3 fatty acids, I love to throw them into treats when I can!

Then my Healthy Honey Marshmallows are filled with Blue Spirulina & Pink Dragonfruit Powder! How wonderful! Natural colouring at it’s best! No numbers needed! More on the colours in my marshmallows post! 

I often use 70% Organic Dark Chocolate for Rocky Road but in this one I use Callebaut Dark Chocolate Callets. It’s partly tempered already so it makes it easier to get a good smooth, shiny crack on the chocolate! I temper the chocolate by using the seeding method where you fully melt 75% of the desired amount of tempered chocolate to 50ºC and then you add the last 25% in to bring the temperature back down to 31-32ºC, without having to get messy and spread it out over marble to bring the temp down!

Alternatively, you can make your own raw chocolate with Cacao Butter, but it will have a low melt temperature, so just keep it in the fridge or freezer.

I love freeze-dried berries! In this one I’ve used freeze-dried strawberries in the rocky road and freeze-dried raspberries on the top with a sprinkling of rose petals for some added beauty!

The raspberries and strawberries help to cut through the sweet of the chocolate and give a nice tart effect!  

YUM!!!!….But I must go now and wrap some Christmas presents! Enjoy guys! Gabrielle x

Superfood Rocky Road
Yields 12
Delicious Rocky Road that will have you running back for seconds!!
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
10 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
10 min
Ingredients
  1. 400g Callebaut Dark Chocolate Callets (or other brand of dark chocolate)
  2. 200g HealthyHoneyMarshmallows
  3. 100g Mixed Nuts (I used roasted Almonds & Macadamias)
  4. 20g Cranberries (unsweetend)
  5. 2 tsp Maca Powder
  6. 10g Chia Seeds
  7. 35g Toasted Coconut Chips
  8. 10g Freeze-dried Strawberries
  9. 10g Freeze-dried Raspberries, for sprinkling on top
  10. Dried Rose Petals, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
  1. Place 300g of the chocolate into the Thermomix and melt 7 Minutes/50º/Speed 2/MC off.
  2. Scrape down the sides and add the remaining 100g of chocolate and mix 5 Mins/no temp/Speed 2/MC off.
  3. Scrape down the sides and stir a further 3 Mins/no temp/Speed 1. Your chocolate should now be tempered and around 31º-32ºC. (You can test with a thermometer to check, however if you are going to store in the fridge or freezer you don't need to worry too much as melting won't be a big problem anyway!)
  4. Add all the remaining ingredients and mix gently 1-3 Sec/Speed 2/Reverse.
  5. Place into a baking paper lined square cake tin, sprinkle with some freeze-dried raspberries and rose petals and place into the fridge to set. Cut into 12 squares or smaller squares and serve.
Notes
  1. Here is my healthy Marshmallows recipe.
Kitch'n Thyme http://kitchnthyme.com.au/

Cranberry & Pistachio Cheesecake Bites w Gingernut Crumb

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These little morsels are the perfect introduction to Christmas desserts! Still light and simple yet the perfect thing to take along to a family gathering!

Spiced with cinnamon and allspice (pimento) and orange, and with added interest of cranberries and pistachios, then rolled in a ginger nut crumb, they taste everything Christmas!

You could change the flavours around or add other nuts in reference to your tastes!

Cranberry & Pistachio Cheesecake Bites w Gingernut Crumb
Yields 20
Spiced zesty little bites of creamy Christmas goodness!
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Gingernut Biscuit Crumb
  1. 160g Rapadura Sugar
  2. 150g Organic Butter, cubed
  3. 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
  4. 1 Organic Egg
  5. 2 tsp Ground Ginger
  6. 1/4 tsp Bicarb
  7. 185g Wholemeal or White Spelt Flour
Cheesecake Balls
  1. 250g Cream Cheese
  2. Zest of 1/4 Orange
  3. 1/4 tsp Allspice (Pimento)
  4. 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
  5. 50g Maple Syrup
  6. 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
  7. 100ml Double Cream or 100ml Softly Whipped Pure Cream
  8. 20g Cranberries
  9. 20g Pistachios
Instructions
  1. Gingernut Crumb: Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Line a large baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
  2. To make the ginger nut crumb place the sugar, butter, vanilla and egg into the Thermomix and mis 30 Sec/Speed 4.5.
  3. Add the ginger, bicarb, and spelt and mix 10 Sec/Speed 5.
  4. Smooth out the mix onto a prepared baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes or until dark golden brown in colour. Leave to cool completely on the tray. The ginger nut slab should be slightly crisp to the touch.
  5. Once cooled, process 3 Sec/Speed 6. Pour into a bowl and set aside for rolling the balls in.
Cheesecake Balls
  1. Place the cranberries and pistachios into the Thermomix and chop 3 Sec/Speed 7. Set aside.
  2. Without cleaning the bowl, place the cream cheese, orange zest, maple, spices and vanilla into the Thermomix and mix 5 Sec/Speed 5. Add the cream and mix another 10 Sec/Speed 5.
  3. Add the reserved cranberries and pistachios and mix 5 Sec/Speed 3/Reverse.
  4. Place into a bowl in the fridge to firm for 30 minutes. Roll Tbsp amounts into balls and coat in the ginger nut crumb. Place back in the fridge to firm before serving!
Notes
  1. Use any leftover crumbs to top Christmas morning pancakes or Pavlovas!
Kitch'n Thyme http://kitchnthyme.com.au/

Chocolate, Lavender, Blueberry Tart

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I love pastry and desserts! This stunning tart is dairy free and can easily be gluten free too but I make a beautiful spelt shortcrust for this one!

The delicious chocolate filling has lavender infused into it and is completely vegan and dairy free. You can eat a slice of this and feel almost guilt free!

With some sweet little meringues, fresh berries & hazelnut & cacao bliss balls on top along with some dairy free ganache piped on top, what’s not to love!

It looks more complex than what it really is, let me assure you. To keep it simple, I would suggest making the meringues, the bliss balls, the lavender infused coconut milk and even the pastry shell the day before. This will make it really quite straightforward on the day of serving to put all the elements together.

I took this to a luncheon when I first created it and it was literally gone in less than 5 seconds! I could barely get the platter down on the table! That’s a good sign!

Now just imagine this one looking pretty and festive in all its berry adornment on your Christmas table!!

I hope this one truly satisfies you!

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Chocolate, Lavender, Blueberry Tart

With almost a nutella like filling, this delectably dairy free chocolate berry lavender tart will suit any gathering or festive celebration perfectly!

  • Author: Kitch'n Thyme - Gabrielle Tobin

Ingredients

Shortcrust Pastry

  • 100g Rapadura Sugar
  • 1/2 Lemon, rind
  • 150g Wholemeal Spelt Flour
  • 150g Unbleached Spelt Flour
  • 150g Organic Butter
  • 1 Egg
  • 1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence

Chocolate Lavender Filling

  • 160g Coconut Milk
  • 2 Tbsp Culinary Dried Lavender Flowers
  • 120g Hazelnuts, roasted
  • 160g Coconut Oil
  • 240g Maple Syrup
  • 100g Raw Cacao Powder
  • 2 tsp Vanilla Essence
  • pinch salt

Meringues

  • 130g Eggwhites (approx 3 eggs)
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 250g Raw Sugar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Essence

Hazelnut & Cacao Bliss Balls

  • 140g Roasted Hazelnuts
  • 80g Coconut Oil
  • 80g Coconut Milk
  • 80g Maple Syrup
  • 50g Raw Cacao Powder
  • 4 Medjool Dates, seeds removed
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
  • pinch salt
  • 200g Almond Meal
  • 125g Fresh Raspberries
  • 125g Fresh Blueberries
  • Fresh Edible Violets
  • Culinary Dried Lavender Flowers

Instructions

Shortcrust Pastry

  1. Place the sugar and the lemon rind into the Thermomix bowl. Mill 10 sec/Speed 9. Add the flour and butter and process for 10 sec/speed 6 or until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg and vanilla and knead 10-20 seconds or until the dough just comes together.
  2. Using the Thermomat or a lightly floured surface bring the dough together to form a ball. Flatten & wrap the dough in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 mins to rest. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  3. Roll pastry, using a rolling pin, on a lightly floured surface, to be 3mm thick. and press into a large round tart shell.
  4. Place back into the fridge for a 30 minutes to chill.
  5. Place a small piece of baking paper over the pastry and fill the case with pie weights. Blind bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool before taking the pie weights out of the case. Set aside until ready to use.

Chocolate Lavender Filling

  1. Place the coconut milk and lavender into the mixing bowl of the Thermomix and heat 5 Mins/50°/Speed 2. If you have time you can place in the fridge and leave in the fridge overnight to really absorb the lavender flavours. Strain the coconut milk and discard the lavender then set aside.
  2. If you need to roast the nuts, place onto a baking tray and roast for 10-15 minutes on 180°C. Let cool before using your hands to rub the nuts together to get rid of the skins.
  3. Place the hazelnuts into the Thermomix and mill 10 Sec/Speed 9.
  4. Add all the remaining ingredients along with the reserved lavender coconut milk and cook 2 Mins/50°/Speed 3.
  5. Pour the filling into the cooled tart shell, (reserving 4 Tbsp to pipe on the top) and set in the fridge for 30 mins.

Meringues

  1. Preheat the oven to 35ºC to 40ºC. (You are just dehydrating, so you want the temperature really low so they keep their colour!)
  2. To make the meringues, place the raw sugar into the Thermomix and mill 20 Sec/Speed 9. Set aside.
  3. Clean and thoroughly dry the mixing bowl before placing the butterfly whisk into the Thermomix. Add the egg whites, pinch of salt and whip 2 Mins/Speed 3. Add the sugar gradually and whip 5 Mins/37º/Speed 3 or until your mixture forms stiff peaks and the sugar is fully dissolved!
  4. With a plain round piping nozzle pipe onto your baking trays lined with baking paper.
  5. Place them into the oven to dry for approximately 3-4 hours. (Depending on your oven, you may wish to leave the oven door slightly ajar. Keep an eye on your meringues as you don’t want the to lose their beautiful white colour.) You can then leave them in the oven overnight to completely dry out.

Hazelnut & Cacao Bliss Balls

  1. Place 80g hazelnuts into the Thermomix and chop 15-20 Sec/Speed 4. Set aside in a shallow bowl for rolling.
  2. Place the remaining 60g of the hazelnuts into the Thermomix and mill 10 Sec/Speed 9.
  3. Add the oil, milk, maple, cacao powder, vanilla, salt and dates and cook 2 Mins/50°/Speed 3.
  4. Add the almond meal and process 10 Sec/Speed 4-5/Reverse.
  5. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to chill. Once chilled the mixture will be much easier to roll.
  6. Take small spoonfuls of the chilled mixture and roll into balls. Finish by rolling in the hazelnut crumbs and refrigerate until firm.
  7. Assembly: To assemble the tart, place the bliss balls on the tart and arrange the raspberries & blueberries over the tart. Using a star shaped piping nozzle delicately pipe the leftover ganache filling in the spaces over the tart. Place a couple of little dried lavender flowers on the piped ganache. Delicately top with the meringues and some fresh violets and your tart is finally complete!

Notes

  • It looks more complex than what it really is, let me assure you. To keep it simple, I would suggest making the meringues, the bliss balls, the steeped coconut lavender milk and even the pastry shell the day before. This will make it really quite straightforward on the day of serving to put all the elements together.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 10

Purple Carrot & Blueberry Muffins

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Beautiful days with friends relaxing on their family farm, eating fluffy carrot cupcakes and sharing sweet memories.
These cupcakes came about like that! My friend had had all sorts of hassles with an oven not working, having to put the prepared batter in the fridge overnight and then trying to figure out how to fix them the next day so they would rise!
Well look what happened! The end result were the fluffiest, most moist and delicious cupcakes ever!

I came home and had this beautiful bunch of purple carrots starring at me in the fridge along with my beautiful local fresh market blueberries! The thought came! Do a twist on a traditional carrot cake muffin with sultanas and use blueberries instead and purple carrots for a deep purple colour!
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The colour is fabulous when baked! A very deep colour with even richer blueberry purple coloured pops throughout! Yum!

The molasses can easily be replaced with another syrup sweetener, but the molasses does have a rich type flavour and is also very mineral rich.

I use an Avocado oil from Costco which is a beautiful neutral flavour and light in colour. After some research we have found out that it’s not produced with hexanes or other harmful chemicals etc so is great for making cakes or mayonnaises.

You can easily use orange carrots in the muffins instead of the purple ones. They are often available at my farmers market and thought this was a perfect use for them!

Enjoy these gorgeous muffins! I’m sure neither you or your kids will be disappointed!

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Purple Carrot & Blueberry Muffins
Yields 12
These gorgeous muffins are incredibly light and fluffy, they resemble a carrot cake but with the sweet pops of blueberries and in season purple carrots they are nothing but delicious!
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. 100g Organic White Spelt Flour
  2. 100g Wholemeal Spelt Flour
  3. 2 tsp Baking Powder
  4. 1/2 tsp Bicarb Soda
  5. 120g Rapadura Sugar
  6. 1 tsp Pimento
  7. 1/2 Orange, tested
  8. 150ml Avocado or Macadamia Oil
  9. 20g Mollasses or Coconut Flower Nectar
  10. 2 Organic Eggs
  11. 200g Purple Carrots, grated
  12. 100g Blueberries
Cream Cheese Icing
  1. 250g Cream Cheese
  2. 80g Organic Butter
  3. 50-80g Honey or Maple Syrup (for really white icing use milled raw sugar)
  4. 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice or 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a 12 hole cupcake tin with baking paper or muffin cases.
  2. Place the flours, baking powder & soda, rapadura & pimento into the Theromix mixing bowl and mix 5 Sec/Speed 5.
  3. Add the orange zest, oil, molasses & eggs and bring the mix together Speed 4/5 Sec.
  4. Add the carrot & blueberries and mix together 5-10 Sec/Reverse/Speed 2.
  5. Divide the mixture among the paper cases and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the muffins comes out clean. Leave in the tin for 5 minutes, before cooling completely on a wire rack.
Cream Cheese Frosting
  1. Place all ingredients into the Thermomix mixing bowl and mix 20 Sec/Speed 4. Pipe frosting with desired piping nozzles onto cooled muffins.
Notes
  1. *The molasses can easily be replaced with another syrup sweetener, but the molasses does have a rich type flavour and is also very mineral rich.
  2. *I use an Avocado oil from Costco which is a beautiful neutral flavour and light in colour. After some research we have found out that it's not produced with hexanes or other harmful chemicals etc so is great for making cakes or mayonnaises.
  3. *You can easily use orange carrots in the muffins instead of the purple ones. They are often available at my farmers market and thought this was a perfect use for them!
Kitch'n Thyme http://kitchnthyme.com.au/

Cranberry, Oat & Choc Chip Cookies

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Cran, oat, choc chip cookiesI came up with these scrumptious cookies a little while ago when I felt like making cookies but wanted a change from the husbands favourite of Cranberry & Macadamia! I was dreaming of something more hearty and thicker, like a really filling cookie. Well I kept dreaming and was drawn to a favourite classic combo of oats, cranberries and choc chips. Couldn’t be more simple, yet hearty and everything I wanted in a big fat bite of cookie!

Rapadura is a perfect sweetener in these cookies. A, because it’s much less refined that a white sugar or brown sugar. And B, because it will help the cookie to, once again, spread more slowly in the oven with it’s more complex sugar cyrstals which break down slower in heat. And C, because it will help the dough to be that much drier- a wetter dough will spread more quickly!
Cran, Oat, & Choc Chip cookie

The creaming of the butter and sugar is really important too. The more air you can incorporate into the dough for these little gems the better! This air creates little bubbles, and when they enter the oven, the steam created causes the bubbles to expand and grow into super fluffy, puffy cookies!

They’ll look like little ant mounds when they come out of the oven so it’s really important to give them that gentle tap straight away so you end up with that perfect looking and textured cookie – crunchy on the outside, soft and oozing in the middle! Yumm!

I love the cinnamon hit in them! It’s so delicious! You could even use some pimento (Allspice) in them if you like too!

These cookies seriously take minutes to make, they are so ridiculously delicious and yummy for the whole family. So get in, whip up a batch and you won’t be disappointed! xx

Cranberry, Oat & Choc Chip Cookies
Yields 18
Scrumptious morsels of cookie deliciousness perfect for any snack, picnic, or teddy bear party!
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Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
15 min
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
15 min
Ingredients
  1. 80g Rapadura Sugar
  2. 125g Organic Butter, softened
  3. 1 Organic Egg
  4. 1 tsp Vanilla Powder, Paste or Extract
  5. 125g Rolled Oats
  6. 2 tsp Cinnamon
  7. 1/2 tsp Bicarb Soda
  8. 110g Wholemeal Spelt Flour
  9. 50g Unsweetened Cranberries
  10. 30g Chocolate Chips (rapadura sweetened - I use Organic Times brand)
Instructions
  1. Place sugar into the Thermomix bowl and mill 20 Sec/Speed 9. Insert Butterfly.
  2. Add the butter and cream 1 Min/Speed 3.
  3. Add the egg and the vanilla and cream 20 Sec/Speed 3. Remove butterfly.
  4. Add the oats, cinnamon and bicarb and mix 20 Sec/Speed 2/Reverse.
  5. Add the flour and mix 15 Sec/Speed 2/Reverse or until just combined.
  6. Add the cranberries and choc chips and mix 5 Sec/Speed 2.5/Reverse.
  7. Place the cookie dough into the fridge for 45-60 Mins to firm. This is an important step to ensure your cookies don't spread. Soft things will spread more quickly than firm, so it's important to give them a little chill-out time in the fridge to firm.
  8. 20 minutes prior to getting your cookie dough out of the fridge, preheat your oven to 180°C and line to large baking trays with baking paper or get your silicone baking mat out.
  9. Once chilled, roll slightly heaped Tbsp sized portions of dough into a ball and place on the baking tray. Don't be tempted to squash them flat - they will spread more slowly in their ball shape.
  10. Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are just turning golden brown.
  11. Remove from the oven and using a breakfast spoon, quickly and gently tap down these fluffy puffy mounds. This will give them the right finished look and also expose the oozing yummy chocolate!
  12. Cool completely on a wire rack before storing in an airtight container for up to 5 days....if they last that long! Let me assure you that they won't! 😉 Enjoy!
Kitch'n Thyme http://kitchnthyme.com.au/

Real Dark Chocolate Easter Crème Eggs

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Easter Creme Eggs 3I know that you will have all been hoping and waiting for these delectable little Easter treats, but I’m sure that many of you have seen the story about little Mavi that I have shared through our Go Fund Me page. If you haven’t, my dearest friends, who I hold very close to my heart and are like family to me along with all their extended families, very suddenly lost their precious 2 1/2 year old son in a tragic farm accident last Tuesday 15th March in rural NSW. It has been such an incomprehensibly sad time for my dear friends, for their extended family and for us as friends. The pain that we are feeling is nothing compared to their grief…we are just with them in spirit through tears and many many prayers.
Maverick Here is a picture of our beautiful most treasured and loved beyond measure Mavi.
Setting up the Go Fund Me page has taken up a large amount of my time and I apologise for getting this to you a little later than usual. But losing a child would have to be one of the worst possible things to go through in life, and as a friend you just want to be there to help, in some kind of small way. We have been thoroughly amazed to see the support network that have rallied behind them to ease their burdens slightly by generously donating to their fund. Between it being aired on the local TV station later this week and their local bank running a fundraiser too, it’s been truly wonderful to see that Aussie spirit of lending a helping hand so evident! If you feel compelled to donate or share please please do so. You can donate easily on the site or scroll to the bottom to copy and paste the link to share. Thankyou thankyou thankyou!

I truly hope that you will take the opportunity to create these beautiful little treats with your children over the coming Easter holidays. Make these together, cuddle your children extra tight, and nourish their hearts, minds and bellies.

I pray you have a safe, healthy & happy Easter and I send much love from my family to yours. Gabrielle xx

*****************A little about the Chocolates*****************************

With chocolate made from scratch from real ingredients these Easter eggs are the perfect treat to pull out and enjoy with your families this Easter.

I have this long time dream of one day being able to visit one of the amazing chocolate making establishments around the world. Perhaps the Callebaut factory in Belgium (right now I send so much love to all those that have suffered enormously over there….just such a sad world!!!) or some of the amazing places where chocolate is made in Switzerland or over Europe.

But for now having a go at making my own will have to suffice. Of course some of the steps like refining the chocolate to improve the taste and texture (called ‘Conching’) are quite tricky to do at home.
But hey this chocolate is real, without being loaded with unneccesary chemicals, preservatives and loads of sugar. This chocolate is good for your body, and is completely guilt-free.

When you buy a block of chocolate from the shops you’ve probably noticed that it has 3 big ingredients. Cacao paste (aka cocoa paste, cocoa mass, cocoa liquor), Cacao butter or cocoa butter, and sugar. So here I’m using cacao paste from Maretai Organics and Cacao Butter to make a great homemade version without all the added nasties. Cacao paste already has cacao butter in it, which is the fat, so unlike other raw chocolate recipes I use less cacao butter in a recipe that uses cacao paste to begin with.

My chosen sweetener that I use here is Coconut Nectar. You can substitute with coconut palm sugar however the mouth feel of the coconut nectar is just that much smoother and the overall texture of the chocolate is just sensational!

Easter Creme Eggs 2For the filling of these eggs, I’ve used a product called Coconut Paste. It’s not coconut butter, it’s finer and runnier, yet super duper creamy, smooth and just incredible. I buy the Loving Earth , I think it’s the best out there! The filling is dairy free, almost like a light caramel or a condensed milk in texture and then once set in the eggs in the fridge it turns fudgey and delightful.

If you don’t want to join these eggs together, you can just place some filling in the prepared chocolate shells and then once set in the fridge cover with chocolate to set. Up to you.

As much as I think making the chocolate from scratch is a whole lot of fun, if you can’t source the products in time for easter just do them at a later point over the holidays or use a good quality dark or organic chocolate. Enjoy!

Real Dark Chocolate Easter Creme Eggs
Yields 16
Deliciously creamy guilt free healthy Creme Easter eggs.
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Prep Time
35 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
40 min
Prep Time
35 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
40 min
Ingredients
  1. Chocolate
  2. 150g Cacao Paste (I use Maretai Organics)
  3. 50g Cacao Butter
  4. 60g Coconut Flower Nectar or Coconut Palm Sugar
  5. 1/2 tsp Vanilla Powder
Creme Egg Filling
  1. 200g Coconut Paste (I use Loving Earth brand)
  2. 100g Coconut Nectar
  3. 100g Coconut Milk
  4. 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  5. Extra Coconut Paste for drizzling
Instructions
  1. To make the chocolate place the cacao paste & cacao butter into the Thermomix bowl and mill 10 Sec/Speed 9.
  2. Add the coconut nectar and vanilla and melt and mix 5 Mins/37°/Speed 2.
  3. Pour the chocolate into a bowl and set aside for about 5-10 minutes to thicken slightly.
  4. Dampen a small piece of paper towel and wipe out the easter egg moulds with a little macadamia or rice bran oil. This will help the chocolates to release easily and also to give them a nice gloss.
  5. Pour the chocolate into medium easter egg moulds and swirl around until coated. Place in the fridge to set for about 5-10 minutes before repeating this step 2-3 times to get a good layer of chocolate in each mould. You may like to do this with a small paint brush to make sure you are getting a really even thick coating. Using a pastry scraper or a ruler drag across the chocolate to ensure a clean edge everytime you add a layer.
  6. You will need a total of 32 chocolate egg halves, so you may need to do this several times depending on how many moulds you have.
  7. Whilst your chocolate is setting, make the creme filling. Place the coconut paste, the nectar, coconut milk & vanilla into the Thermomix and mix 10-15 Sec/Speed 3. Set aside until ready to use.
  8. Gently un-mould the egg halves, being careful not to over handle as the heat from your hands will melt the chocolate. Place a small spoonful of the filling into each of the halves, levelling them off at the top. Sit the halves on a tray and carefully place them into the fridge to set for about 20 minutes or until the filling has hardened.
  9. To stick the two edges together, heat a baking tray slightly then place the halves briefly onto the tray to heat, then gently push the edges together, running your finger around the entire edges to seal properly.
  10. Place back into the fridge to set firm. You can serve them at this point or you can drizzle with a little extra coconut paste for a decorative finish.
Kitch'n Thyme http://kitchnthyme.com.au/

Paleo Chocolate Raspberry Tarts (Gluten Free, Primal)

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Choc Raspb Tarts 2So I can’t really remember the first time I made these delightful tarts, however I do remember one of the most recent times when I made them! It was for my sons 3rd birthday last year! To set the scene a little, I decided to buy year passes to our local zoo, and take along a picnic lunch, a perfect simple birthday cake and these pretty little things!

Well that particular day turned out to be a scorching 30°C day! I got up early before it was that hot, baked a delicious flourless 2 tier chocolate cake, my old recipe that I used to do every week at the health retreat. I topped it with a beautiful dairy free chocolate ganache. Not realising how hot the day would be I poured it on, decorated it with all manner of adorable edible flowers, chocolate shards, raspberries, strawberries and blueberries! It looked a real picture!!….But if only I had one! In it went into the container…we packed up and off we went to the zoo. Off we went into the zoo to catch the croc show and low and behold what did I leave in the car, but the cake!!!!!!

Back to the car after only what seemed like 1/2 an hour and I grabbed that little darling, opened it’s lid….and what did I find??? A great big puddle of slidden, sloppy, melted, ganache drenched decadent deliciousness!!! And with that we sang Happy Birthday Z!! It almost seemed unbelievable, but I assure you there was no fixing that leaning tower of cake puddle! My dearest friends who know how perfectionistic I am, gave me an extra tight squeeze, helped me realise it wasn’t the end of the world…almost…and we just slapped it onto our plates…not it wasn’t even sliceable! What we ate was something delicious, despite its unfavourable looks!

That night I brought the remainder home, chucked it into the Thermomix and chopped it all up, then rolled it into balls and froze them. Oh my word, how a seemingly total disaster can be turned into pure delight. This was one of them! Fudgy, rich, and ultra delicious!
Choc Raspb Tarts
What did end up as pretty as a picture and a total hit were these awesome Choc Raspberry Tarts!!

It’s acutally the filling of the Paleo Chocolate Mango Tart with the base of the Lemon Tart combined with seasonal raspberries on top! Blueberries on top would be just as delish!

So here you are! Enjoy!

 

Paleo Chocolate Raspberry Tarts
Yields 18
Delicious healthy nutella-like filling topped with juicy sweet raspberries!
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
40 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
40 min
Sweet Shortcrust Pastry
  1. 50g Coconut Palm Sugar
  2. 150g Almond Meal
  3. 50g Coconut Flour
  4. 30g Arrowroot
  5. 100g Organic Butter
  6. 1/2 Lemon, zested
  7. 1 Organic Egg, lightly beaten
Filling
  1. 60g Hazelnuts, roasted
  2. 80g Coconut Oil
  3. 80g Coconut Milk
  4. 120g Maple Syrup (approx. 5 Tbsp)
  5. 50g Raw Cacao Powder
  6. 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
  7. pinch salt
  8. 250g Fresh Raspberries
Pastry
  1. Place the sugar into the Thermomix bowl and mill 10 Sec/Speed 9.
  2. Add the almond meal, coconut flour, arrowroot, butter and lemon zest to the bowl and blend 10 Sec/Speed 6.
  3. Add the egg and Knead 15 Sec.
  4. Wrap in plastic wrap, flatten, and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill.
  5. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
  6. Once the dough is chilled, roll out to 2-3mm thickness between 2 sheets of baking paper.
  7. Peel off the top sheet of baking paper, and using an 8cm round pastry cutter, cut 18 circles from the pastry. You may need to re-roll to get the 18 circles.
  8. Place the cut circles back into the fridge for 5 mins to firm slightly before pressing into 7cm fluted tart shells. Neatly trim the tops and if there are any tares, just use a little of the excess dough to carefully patch it, being careful to maintain an even thickness.
  9. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
  10. Remove from the oven, let sit in the moulds for 5-10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.* (They will feel very soft as soon as you take them out of the oven but as they cool, the base will harden. If the underside of the bases still feels a little damp once cool, you can turn them upside down and return to the oven for 5 or so minutes to dry out a little further.)
Filling
  1. If you need to roast the nuts, place onto a baking tray and roast for 10-15 minutes on 180°C. Let cool before using your hands to rub the nuts together to get rid of the skins.
  2. Place the hazelnuts into the Thermomix and mill 10 Sec/Speed 9.
  3. Add all the remaining ingredients and cook 2 Mins/50°/Speed 3.
  4. Pour the filling into the cooled tart shells and set in the fridge for 30 mins before topping each tart with 3 raspberries and returning to the fridge to set firm.
Notes
  1. *They will feel very soft as soon as you take them out of the oven but as they cool, the base will harden. If the underside of the bases still feels a little damp once cool, you can turn them upside down and return to the oven for 5 or so minutes to dry out a little further.
  2. *This is the same filling as I use in my Paleo Chocolate Mango Tart
  3. *This is the same base as I use in my Lemon Tart
Kitch'n Thyme http://kitchnthyme.com.au/

Sarah’s Paleo Nutella Cake

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Nutella Cake 2Oh THIS!!!!! Yes this cake will suffice every single naughty nutella craving and every single chocolate craving!

It’s rich, decadently fudgy, brownie-like and yet delightfully healthier than a cake made with jarred crap!

The Nutella part is not that yucky stuff off the shelf! (Sorry if I offend any Nutella lovers!!) But I make my own healthier chocolate-hazelnut spread and use that in place! So if you can forget that it’s not out of a packaged jar, and delight yourself in the flavours that make you think all things nutella, I can tell you that you won’t be disappointed!!…And neither will your body! Shop bought Nutella is full of all sorts of trans-fats, white sugar and who knows what other junk! This is a much better option!!

In the title I’ve stated that it’s Paleo, now in my nutella recipe I do use organic butter as opposed to coconut oil, so more Primal than Paleo, and I do use Organic Dark Chocolate. If you want it to be completely Paleo, then use a dairy free dark chocolate of your choice.

So a bit of history, this gorgeous cake originates from my beautiful sister-in-laws kitchen. Sarah is a wonderful homely cook for her family. Her kitchen always smells of beautiful stocks simmering on the stove, hearty, flavoursome family meals and the sweet aroma of baked cakes or sweet delights! Oh and of course the fermenting crocks of kombucha and marinating feta! And albeit most of it is gluten free and grain free! 

We just love to cook together. With families to feed our individual homes centre much around the kitchen, and with our similar cooking styles, we have loads of fun when we get together!

Nutella Cake

This cake is best served straight from the fridge. You can leave it out, however the nutella softens and the cake texture is more like a cake. I prefer the more set nutella texture and that real fudgy brownie-like crumb!

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Sarah’s Paleo Nutella Cake

Deliciously fudgy healthy nutella cake perfect for just about any occasion!

  • Author: Kitch'n Thyme
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Total Time: 60
  • Yield: 30

Ingredients

NUTELLA

  • 60g Roasted Hazelnuts
  • 75g Coconut Palm Sugar
  • 100g Organic 70% Dark Chocolate (Use Dairy Free for complete Paleo)
  • 100g Almond Milk
  • 70g Butter or Coconut Oil
  • 30g Raw Cacao Powder
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Essence

CAKE

  • 250g Cashew Butter
  • 160g Rice Malt Syrup
  • 100g Coconut Oil
  • 500g Nutella, plus extra for icing (Double batch of the above recipe)
  • 200g Almond Meal
  • 60g Coconut Flour
  • 2 tsp Baking Soda
  • 2 tsp Vanilla Essence
  • 120g Roasted Hazelnuts, halved

Instructions

NUTELLA

  1. Place the sugar into the mixing bowl and mill 10 Sec/Speed 9.
  2. Add the hazelnuts and mill 8 Sec/Speed 9.
  3. Add the dark chocolate and mill 10 Sec/speed 9.
  4. Add all the remaining ingredients and cook 6 Mins/60°/Speed 3.
  5. Place into jars and store in the fridge or set aside in a large bowl for use in the cake.

CAKE

  1. Begin by making a double batch of nutella. Set aside.
  2. Preheat the oven to 170°C and grease and line a large rectangular baking tray.
  3. If you need to make your own almond meal simply place 200g almonds into the bowl and mill 8 Sec/Speed 9. Set aside.
  4. If you need to make your own cashew butter, add 250g cashews to the mixing bowl. Mill 15 Sec/Speed 9. Scrape down the sides and continue 20 Sec/Speed 5 or until a nice nut butter consistency forms.
  5. Add the rice malt syrup & coconut oil and mix 1 Min/50°/Speed 3.
  6. Add the nutella (500g only) and mix 10 Sec/Speed 5. (Keep the excess nutella aside for icing later.)
  7. Add the almond meal, coconut flour, baking soda and vanilla and mix together 30 Sec/Speed 6. (As the mixture gets very very thick at this point, during this 30 seconds, you may like to get your spatula in through the mixing bowl lid to help stir the mixture through.)
  8. Add the hazelnuts and stir into the thick batter with a spatula. Pour into the prepared baking tray and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted comes out just clean. Leave the cake to cool in the baking tray for 1 hour.
  9. Spread the remaining nutella evenly over the cake. Tap the tray down gently on the bench to smooth out the icing and then place into the fridge to set.
  10. Once set, remove and slice into 30 squares (5 x 6) or 24 (4 x 6) larger squares and serve.

Notes

  • This cake will keep in the fridge well for up to a week or can be frozen. Perfect for lunchboxes.