Sweet Potato Brownie Muffins

Hey there :)

I made some sweet potato bread the other day, but baked too many sweet potatoes for it and still had a small one left. So what to do with it? I was torn between some sweet potato waffles or some sweet potato brownies. Well, the brownies won. Actually they are brownie muffins as the dough wasn’t enough to fill out a brownie tray ;) So I had individually round brownies and they were good :)

My boyfriend insisted they were a bit to nutty for him. But as they contain no nuts at all I just think he’s nuts and somehow his brains went into his mouth while eating. Seriously. They were not nutty. They were good and decadent. And there would be nothing wrong with nutty anyway.

 

The sweet potato really works well in brownies as it compliments the gooey-ness and keeps them super moist. Nomnom, soft interieur :)

If I didn’t know there was sweet potato in it I wouldn’t have guessed it. The espresso deepens the chocolate flavor, which is really intense in these. They have dark rich flavor so if you like dark chocolate I think you might like them as well.

If you don’t eat wheat I am pretty confident you can swap the flour with ground almonds or hazelnut and (for a really nutty version ;)) I also think you could leave out the egg and use a couple of tablespoons of applesauce for a vegan version. But I have to admit I haven’t tried either, so it’s just guessing.

Recipe Sweet Potato Brownie Muffins

prep time: about 15 minutes + baking time +++ yields: 6 muffins

Ingredients

• 1 Cup /100g sweet potato puree (made from one small sweet potato, just bake the potato at 175° for about 30 minutes until soft and then mash it)
• ¾ bar / 70g dark chocolate, chopped
• 1/3 Cup / 85ml hot espresso
• 1 egg
• ½ Cup / 60g coconut sugar (or brown sugar would work as well)
• 2 Tbsp. raw cacao powder (mine was orange scented, but normal is just fine)
• 1 Tbsp. nutbutter of your choice
• ¼ Cup / 30g whole grain wheat flour
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. vanilla powder or vanilla extract
• dusting sugar, optional

 

Instructions

Brew some espresso. In a bowl pour the hot espresso over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted.

In a big bowl mash 100g of baked sweet potato (about one smaller potato) or if you have potato puree just put it in a bowl. Add the espresso-chocolate mix, the egg, nutbutter and sugar and mix well.

Then add the flour, baking powder, cacao powder, cinnamon and vanilla and stir again to combine. A spoon is totally enough, no need to take out your kitchen machine.

Fill into muffin tins (I have used silicone ones as they don’t stick) and bake at 175°C for about 25 minutes. They should still be very moist inside but if you prefer firmer muffins, just bake them a bit longer.

If desired dust with some powdered sugar once they’ve cooled down.

Lavender Cookies

Hey there :)

I know, Christmas is over but that doesn’t mean you can’t have cookies :) I have to admit though, the main player here, the lavender buds is reminiscent of christmas as I got a spices-calender where they are from. It’s quite fun to play around with some spices I usually don’t use. Lavender buds I have used for the first time and strangely they remind me of thyme.. just a bit.

And although I have paired them with some lavender syrup we have bought a while ago, no one could guess that there were lavender inside the cookies at their first try. I don’t know whether it was because lavender isn’t usually expected or because they aren’t used to the taste or because of some other reason. There was something inside, everybody could taste that, but I had to tell everyone it was Lavender. So if you wanna have a guess-the-secret-ingredient-party anytime, those cookies might be a fun choice :)

Recipe

prep time: about 15 minutes + 15 minutes baking time +++ yields: about 15 cookies

Ingredients

• 100g Butter or coconut oil, softened
• 150g white wheat flour
• 80g sugar + 2 Tbsp. of lavender syrup OR 90g sugar
• 2 Tbsp. lavender buds
• 1 tsp. vanilla powder
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• pinch of salt
• some powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

 

Instructions

In a medium bowl mix the flour, sugar, lavender buds vanilla powder, baking powder and salt and combine.

Then add the butter and lavender syrup and working with your hands, knead everything into a soft dough.

Place about one tablespoon per cookie on a baking sheet lined baking tray. Leave enough space between the cookies as they will spread quite a bit.

Bake at 160°C for about 15 minutes.

Cinnamon Rings

Hey there :)

The last few weekends (and some weekdays) I have been baking a bit. Nuremberg gingerbreads, cookies of all kinds, Nussecken (nut wedges, I guess that is a german thing) and those cookie rings :)

Those a pretty easy and no fuss at all, so I thought they might be good for last minute baking. I have some apple cinnamon sugar that I used with these and I like it with them, but just plane cinnamon works well, too.

Oh, and in case you are wondering what to do with left over egg whites, you can turn them into macaroons (what I did, the german version of it), or just use it as an extra in omelet or scrambled egg. You can also freeze them if you have no idea at the moment what to do with them. Maybe you need them at a later time :)

Recipe

prep time: 20 minutes + baking time +++ yields: one tray of cookies

Ingredients

for the dough

• 150g flour
• 70g almond flour
• 70g sugar
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 150g butter
• 1 egg yolk

For Dusting

• 150g sugar
• 4 tbsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp. apple-cinnamon sugar (optional)

 

Instructions

Knead together all ingredients for the flour with your hands. When evenly distributed and smooth form into a ball.

Cover in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for about an hour.

After an hour take out and rip pieces off the dough, about half the size of a golfball. Form into small rings and place on baking tray lined with a baking sheet.

Bake at 180°C for about 15 minutes.

Take out let cool slightly.

Mix all the ingredients for the dusting together. When the rings are cool enough to touch but still warm dip them into the cinnamon-sugar mixing.

Hazelnut Cookies

Finally Baking Season :) It’s getting harder to come by some flour because it always seems to be sold out. Well, I have stashed some away, so I should be save for a week ;)

I don’t really have a yearly baking schedule and no cookies that I come back for every year. I just use what I have and then bake what I feel like. You have favorite cookie that is a must for Christmas? I am sort of still searching. And this year I also hope to make some sourdough cookies. Hope that works out somehow.

Anyway, first cookies this year were those hazelnut cookies. They are pretty easy and don’t take more than 15 minutes of your time. They are pretty classic butter cookies but with some hazelnuts. Not overly sweet with a nice tender crumb, ready to be dipped in some molten chocolate. Or eaten as is. And foolproof. Perfect first cookies to get into the spirit ;)

 

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 Cup / 100g ground hazelnuts
• ¾ Cups / 95g flour
• ¼ Cup / 50g sugar (+ another 3-4Tbsp. if you like sweeter cookies)
• scant ½ Cup / 100g butter
• 1 egg yolk
• dusting sugar (optional)

 

Instructions

In a bowl simply mix all the ingredients together with your hands until a smooth. Cover in clear film and place in the fridge for about an hour.

Cover a baking tray with baking sheet and preheat oven to 16°C.

Tear off small pieces of dough (smaller than a golfball) and place with some space apart on the baking sheet. Press down with your palm and if you want you can use a fork to grave a pattern in the dough.

Bake for about 8-10 minutes. Take out and let cool. If desired cover with dusting sugar.

Nut Crunch Bars

Hey there :)

Haven’t had a lot with nuts lately up here so I thought it might be time again. Especially since the weather is getting colder and the fats from the nuts can help one staying warm and feeling cozy .

hah.. nuts are great…

Those bars a quite heavy. They are not a light snack, not at all. Actually they are pretty high in calories and they do taste like it. But they are full of healthy fats and fiber that will fill you for quite some time. And they are a nice autumn-treat, together with some warm milk, hot chocolate, or chai or whatever it is you like to drink :) So yiu might not want to have 5 a day, but one day is pretty awesome to have. And they last longer like this :)

They are a little fragile when still warm, so let them cool before slicing and handle with care when they are out of the oven. Otherwise you end up with some delicious crumble that you can sprinkle on top of some oatmeal or yoghurt. Which is also nice ;)

Ingredients

for the Base

• 1 Cup / 140g left over nut pulp from nutmilk or almond meal
• ¼ Cup / 25g rolled oats
• 1/3 Cup / 90g nutbutter of choice (I have used hazelnut)
• 3 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp. lucuma powder
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• pinch of salt

for the nut crunch

• 1 ¼ Cup / 180g mixed nuts (this will give a real big nut crunch crust. You can reduce this a bit if you want)
• 3-4 Tbsp. Honey or rice syrup for a vegan version
• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
• pinch of coarse sea salt

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 175°C.

Start with the base: In a bowl simply mix all ingredients together until combined. You will have a thick, just slightly sticky mass. Press the mass with your hands in a loaf pan (or a brownie pan, I just don’t have one) that is lined with a baking sheet. With your hands or a spoon even it out.

In the oven (175°C) bake for about 15-18 minutes

In the meantime prepare for the nut crunch: In a pan over medium heat stir together the honey (or rice syrup) and the coconut. Reduce the heat a bit and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Then add the nuts and salt and cover them in the liquid.

Take the base out of the oven and put the nut crunch on top of the base. Gently press down with a spoon.

Return everything to the oven (still at 175°C) and bake for another 25 minutes.

Take out, let cool and cut into rectangles or squares.

Pumpkin Mousse

We are already in the latter half of October, and I am till not ready to get out all my thick socks ;) I kinda like autumn, but it has gotten cold here so fast that I couldn’t adjust. meh.

But anyway, at least at the moment all the trees look like they are on fire, that is a nice sight. And all the pumpkins are back everywhere. My sister’s friend or my sister’s friend friend actually has some sort of pumpkin plantage / pumpkin farm (I have no clue how you call this) and the good thing is, I am also getting some pumpkins from there. Some I even haven’t seen before. I recently got a tiny white one. Never seen that before but I by now know that it is called Baby Boo. Funny name. Have to think about what I will do with it.

For this recipe however I was using some more classic squashes: butternut and hokkaido. Or their puree. We don’t have canned pumpkin puree here, or at least I never saw it, so I have to make it myself. Good thing is, I can choose the pumpkins myself then. Anyway, I am pretty sure, any sort of puree would work here. And while I am still wanting to make some pumpkin bread, the first recipe this year with pumpkin was this pudding. Or mousse. Not quite sure how to call it ^^°

It’s pretty creamy, thanks to the avocado and cashews, but the pumpkin doesn’t get lost there :). If you are not into that sweet pumpkin thing, don’t do the recipe. But if you like it, go for it :) It takes little time to make and actually your food processor will do all the work for you ;) And it is really nice topped with some coconut cream mixed with cinnamon and vanilla. And them some crunchiness on top. Like mousse-y pumpkin pie.

Recipe

prep time: 10 minutes +++ serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• scant 1 Cup / 220g pumpkin puree (mine was a hokkaido-butternut mix)
• generous ¼ Cup / 40g cashews (preferably soaked overnight)
• ½ – 1 avocado *
• ¼ Cup / 60ml maple syrup
• ¼ Cup / 60ml almond milk (or milk of choice)
• 2 Tbsp. chia seeds
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla paste
• ½ tsp. nutmeg, ground
• ¼ tsp. tonka bean, ground
• ¼ tsp. cardamom

topping suggestions: shaved chocolate, chopped walnuts and peanuts, granola, coconut cream

Instructions

Wanna make a guess?

Simply place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend. If you like it super smooth, blend a little longer, if you want it with some chunks, don’t go all the way. Add some more almond milk if you feel the need to smoothen it out.

*And a word on the avocado. If you use a whole one, you will taste it a bit. I don’t mind that, since I like avocado, but if you are not that much into it, you can use just a half one or replace it with a banana. You might want to cut down on the maple syrup in that case.

Spiced Autumn Fruit Crumble

It’s apple time! No mistaking.

My grandma has an apple tree in her garden and this year it’s going crazy. There are hundreds of apples, all waiting to be picked an eaten. The last month I made something with apple almost every other day. Apple chips, overnight oats with apples, apple cake, apple muffins.. and so on. And I will make some apple butter soonish I think. Haven’t had some for quite a while.

Anyway, this recipe also was made with apples, some breakfast to welcome the autumn.

But it works as a desert as well. I am a big fan of sweet breakfast so almost all of what I eat for breakfast I could eat as a desert as well ^^° Maybe I should try something savory once in a while.

Well, who cares… Back to the point. If you are having some apples in store like me, this is a nice and easy recipe to do. And you can swap almost everything. Having apples but no pear? Leave it out. Can’t have wheat? Use some more rolled oats or buckwheat flour for example. Prefer apricot over plums? Well, you know what to do. But don’t miss too many on the spices. They are just awesome.

Recipe

prep time: about 20 minutes + baking time +++ serves about 6 persons

Ingredients

• 2 apples
• 5 plums
• 1 pear
• 1 Tbsp. coconut sugar
• 1 Tbsp. grated ginger
• 1 tsp. tonka bean
• 2 tsp. vanilla powder
• 1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. cardamom

• ½ Cup / 25g rolled oats
• ½ Cup / 25g whole grain wheat flour
• 1/3 Cup coconut sugar
• 5 Tbsp. coconut oil, very cold or cold butter
• some crushed nuts (optional)

Instructions

Wash all the fruits. Cut them into bite-size pieces and place in a bowl. Mix with a tablespoon of sugar and all of the spices. Place it in one big baking dish or several smaller ones.

Make the crumble: simply mix together by hand the rest of the ingredients. If you want to you can add some nuts for extra crunch into the crumble topping. Put the crumble on top of the fruits.

Preheat oven to 200°C. Bake for 20 minutes with some aluminum foil on top and another 20 minutes without. If you are using smaller dishes reduce the time to a 15 minute time with and without foil.

Serve with some yoghurt or ice cream or even plain as it is :)