Ice-Cream and Giggles

There has been one recipe that I just haven't been able to crack as a vegan: the chocolate chip cookie. I have made countless of recipes that claim to be the "best vegan chocolate chip cookie," but they never seem to cut it. To explain, though, my "ideal" cookie that I am trying to re-create is the subway cookie: a dough that will spread out and result in a chewy cookie. Cakey cookies are a no-go for me.

A few weeks ago, I thought I had found that recipe on Vedged Out. The cookie spread out like perfection, and the dough was delicious. They even were approved by my omnivore co-workers. The problem? It was cakey and crumbly. So crumbly the cookies at the bottom of the container I stored them in were crumbs. Though, to be honest, they were gluten free. So it was back to the drawing board.

At first, I thought the problem was the binder. The recipe used aquafaba for the egg replacer, so I decided to add some egg replacer powder to the aquafaba. I remade it. But, even just a teaspoon of egg replacer seemed to ruin the balance of the dough and resulted in a chunky and really dense cookie.  It didn't spread out at all.

Finally, I did my homework. I read up on the science of the best cookie dough. I melted the vegan margarine, I didn't overmix the dough, and I refrigerated the dough overnight. I let the dough "warm" to room temperature so that it would be less likely to hold its shape and the margarine would melt. I thought I had it.

It, like the others before, were a fail. Somehow it was the worst fail. It was a brick, and didn't melt at all.

Finally, I gave up on making these cookies gluten free (sorry, sister). I used bread flour, as recommended by the article regarding the science behind the perfect chocolate chip cookie. I also removed baking powder (again, rising = cake), melted the margarine again, and used aquafaba from beans, not chickpeas. All my fail attempts used chickpea brine, so I am inclined to think bean brine somehow improved this recipe. Basically, I think this is the most perfect the chocolate chip cookie recipe can be, for now at least. And it just goes to show how important method is.


Recipe based on Vedged Out.

Prep: 10 minutes. Resting Time: 3 hours (optional).


Makes 18-22 cookies.

You will need:

1/2 cup vegan margarine
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 tbsp aquafaba from a can of beans
1 cup plus 2 tbsp bread flour or plain flour
1 cup vegan sugar-free dark chocolate chips

Method:

1. Melt the margarine in a bowl in the microwave. Once melted, add the sugar, soda, salt, vanilla, and aquafaba. Mix together using a hand whisk.
2. Sift in the flour, mix but don't over mix. Add chocolate chips. Let rest at room temperature for a few hours (optional). If you refrigerate the dough it won't melt and ooze as much.
3. Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Spoon tablespoon-size chunks of dough on a lined baking tray. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes.

In the midst of data collection, database creation, writing a literature review and a 7,000w candidature essay, dense and nutritious food is what my brain needs. Oh, and coffee! These caramel slices really hit the spot. The nutty base, sweet caramel, and chocolate ganache are perfect together. Though I am a bit biased, not only does my sister love these treats, but my boyfriend's omnivore sister liked them! She liked them so much she actually asked for the recipe! So if that isn't an incentive to make you create these ASAP, I really don't know what is. ;)

Prep: 25 minutes. Cooling: 1 hour. Total Time: 1 h 25 minutes.

Makes 12-18 slices.

You will need:

For the base:

1 cup gluten free rolled oats
1 cup raw almonds
4 tbsp maple syrup

For the caramel:

3/4 cup almond butter
3/4 cup maple syrup
100g coconut butter (or coconut oil, but it won't be oil free)
1 tsp vanilla
dash of salt

For the ganache:

150g vegan sugar-free dark chocolate
170g lite coconut cream or milk

Method:

1. Blitz the oats and almonds in a high-speed blender or food processor until a flour is formed. Add maple syrup. If it is still too dry, add a dash of water. Press down firmly into a lined baking tin of the desired size.
2. For the caramel, in a saucepan over low heat combine the almond butter, maple syrup, and coconut butter until smooth. Add vanilla and salt, then pour on top of the base. Place in the freezer.
3. For the ganache, melt the chocolate and cream together in a saucepan over low heat until a smooth ganache is formed. Pour over the caramel layer then place back in the freezer and let it set for an hour or so.

Notes:

- This slice doesn't travel well, as the ganache layer wants to melt off the delicious caramel layer. I recommend bringing the slice in the tin if you wish to take it to a party, replacing it in the freezer to let it cool, then cutting it when you want to serve it.
- Try cutting the slice up then wrapping each square individually and placing them back in the freezer for easy to grab snacks.

Last week, my mum came back from a fruit market with a punnet of feijoas. I had never heard of them before, but apparently they are from Brazil and they smell so fragrant! Naturally, I wanted to make something magical with them, but as I had never tasted them before I altered a recipe for the flavour combinations, and I came up with this vegan muffin with coconut, feijoa and nutmeg.

For those wondering, feijoa's, in my mind, kind of taste like a tart apple, and according to wikipedia, are supposed to taste like a combination of pineapple, apple and mint. But seriously guys, you have to smell feijoas. They actually smell like perfume, in a good way.

Now, to the muffin itself. It features an aquafaba egg (chickpea brine), maple syrup, vegan margarine, plus coconut and nutmeg and of course, brown rice flour. If you have never tried an aquafaba egg, usually around 60g of aquafaba equals a large egg, and is great because if you are making a normal recipe with eggs vegan it will ensure the recipe's liquid ratios are maintained, whilst also making your baked goods fluffy.

These turned out so perfect, and don't even taste gluten free or vegan. I really think the secret is the aquafaba egg! My mum (who is kind of skeptical about vegan food) even approved of them, and said they taste like flowers, in a good way.

Makes 6 cupcake sized muffins.

Recipe altered from Food to Love.

Prep: 10 minutes, baking: 20-25 minutes. Total time: 30-35 minutes.

You will need:

60 g vegan margarine
1/4 cup maple syrup
60 g aquafaba (chickpea brine, or the liquid from a tin of aquafaba)
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup almond milk mixed with 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup dessicated coconut, plus more for topping
3/4 cup sifted brown rice flour
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
4 feijoas, peeled and diced finely

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Beat the margarine with the maple syrup and vanilla, add aquafaba and sifted flour. Beat. Add milk, nutmeg and baking powder.
2. Hand mix in the rest of the ingredients.
3. Divide mix between a greased cupcake tin, it should make 6. Top with extra coconut.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool before eating.

These lil' babies are a current obsession of mine. Great for snacks for work, uni, school, you name it! Though they rarely last 2 days in a row at my house (between my sister and I), they are really easy to make if you have time constraints and good if you're one for prepping meals.

Cookie Dough Protein Balls (recipe altered from One Green Planet)

Prep: 10 minutes.

Makes 15-18.

You will need:

1 cup rolled oats
2 tbsp ground flax meal
1 cup almonds
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla essence
15g vegan vanilla protein powder (like a pea and rice protein)
4 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp water
1/4 cup vegan dark chocolate chips

Method:

1. Blitz oats, almonds and flax meal until a fine meal is achieved in a food processor. Add rest of the ingredients minus choc chips until a dough is formed.
2. Using a spoon, mix in the chocolate chips. Roll into balls as desired.

Lately I have become OBSESSED with the chocolate and peanut butter combo. How I have ever missed it, I have no idea. It all started when my boyfriend got me a packet of Cleo's Peanut Butter cups for Valentine's Day, and the rest is history.

This slice is easy, delicious, and reminiscent of a snickers bar. Plus, most importantly, it involves that ever amazing peanut butter and chocolate combo. It features:

A crumby cashew cookie base,

a smooth and oozy peanut butter caramel,

and most importantly,

chocolate.

Vegan Snickers Slice

Serves 10.

Prep: 30 minutes, freezing: 1 hour. Total Time: 1 h 30 minutes

You will need:

For the base:

1/2 cup cashew butter
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp coconut flour

For the peanut butter caramel:

10 medjool dates, soaked and pitted
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp peanut butter
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp vanilla
dash of salt

For the topping:

1/4 cup roasted peanuts
50 g dark vegan chocolate

Method:

1. In a food processor combine the ingredients for the base. Once combined pressed into a small square tin that is lined with baking paper.
2. Combine all ingredients for the caramel until smooth, then smooth over the base. Sprinkle with peanuts, and if desired, drizzle with chocolate now or later, once it has been cut up. Freeze for 1 hour.
3. Cut into bars before serving.

Vegan tiramisu has been on my to-do list for a while. However, it is just so fiddly, and I did not want to partake in these "raw" tiramisu's that seem so un-geniune and a poor replacement for the original version. Though to be honest, there is only one tiramisu I have ever liked, and that is the one by Michelle's Patisserie. I prefer one sans alcohol, so this is a "virgin" tiramisu so to speak, that does not lack in the good stuff.

So for lady fingers, I simply made a small sponge cake, which I cut into strips and baked again. The coffee syrup is self-explanatory, though for the cream I didn't want ten thousand ingredients with hard to find materials such as soyatoo (which is also full of sugar). I mixed cashews with tofutti cream cheese (which does have a little bit of sugar), plus some maple syrup, vanilla, and almond milk, which worked a treat (my dad even found the cream, by itself, quite tasty). Naturally, the whole thing is also dusted in cacao powder. Rich, yes. Delicious, yes. And it tastes exactly how I remember Michelle's Patisserie's tasting. Plus, it is not too hard to assemble and make, you just need to prepare yourself for a few steps.

Serves 2 - 4.

Prep: 35 minutes. Baking: 25 + 15 minutes. Soaking: 1-2 hours. Total Time: approximately 4 hours.

You will need:

For the ladyfingers:

3 vegan eggs (3 tsp egg replacer powder to 6 tbsp water)
4.5 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup + 3 tbsp buckwheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp coconut butter

1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius.
2. Beat the egg replacer powder with water for 1 minute until frothy. Add the rest of the ingredients, sifting in the flour. Beat. Pour into a lined square tin (12 cm x 12 cm).
3. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes, cut the square in half, then each half into small "fingers". Put this on a lined baking tray, and bake for 15-20 minutes (still on 150 degrees Celsius). Let cool.

For the coffee syrup:

3 tsp instant coffee
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tbsp coconut sugar

1. Add all ingredients to a jug, let cool and set aside.

For the cream filling:

1 tub Tofutti Cream Cheese
1/2 cup soaked cashews, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp maple syrup

1. In a food processor/high speed blender add the cashews, almond milk, vanilla and maple syrup until a smooth base is formed. Add the cream cheese until the mix is smooth.

Assembly:

You will also need a small square tin or 2 glasses
Plus cacao or cocoa powder for dusting

1. Layer some cream in the bottom, layer the sponge fingers. Drizzle the coffee syrup on top, dust with cacao powder, then add more cream. Repeat, by adding more sponge fingers, coffee, cacao powder etc. Finish it with the cream and sifted cacao powder on the top. Keep in mind you might not end up using all the coffee syrup!
2. Place in the fridge, and let the tiramisu soak overnight or for at least 1-2 hours (it's worth the wait, trust me!)

These donuts were inspired by a trip I took to Melbourne about 6 months ago. I went to a vegan bakery and bought all these delicious vegan donuts, and one was a sausage style donut filled with mock cream and jam. So decadent, I just had to have a go at 1) making mock cream and 2) making donuts (again). Apart from brownies (i.e. chocolate) and ice cream, donuts have to be my favourite treat.

Prep: 60 minutes, Cooking: 20 minutes, Rising: 1 hour 15 minutes. Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes.

Makes 5 - 6 donuts.

You will need:

For the donuts (recipe altered from here):

1/2 tbsp natvia sugar
160-185 ml warm water
1 tsp dry yeast
1 tbsp melted vegan margarine
1 1/2 cup plain flour or bakers flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp natvia sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder

For the mock cream:

1/4 cup vegan margarine
65 g natvia icing sugar mix
approx. 1.5 tbsp boiling water
1 tsp ice cold water

Plus sugar free jam, for the filling and more icing sugar for dusting.

Method:

1. In a bowl or bread maker, add 1/2 cup warm water, 1/2 tbsp natvia sugar, yeast and salt. Let rest for 5 minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients. If too crumbly, add 1 tbsp of warm water at a time until a dough is formed (I added 4 tbsp more). Let the machine knead the dough for 30 minutes.
2. Remove the dough, place in a bowl, cover in plastic and let rise for an hour.
3. Cut the doughnuts into desired shape (e.g. circle, with hole, sausage). Place on a lined baking tray and let rise for 15 minutes.
4. While donuts are rising, slowly heat some vegetable oil in a deep saucepan. Once simmering, but not too hot (if too hot the doughnuts will burn on outside and won't cook the inside), add one doughnut at a time, cooking for approx. 3 minutes, making sure you flip the donut halfway.
5. Once they have been cooked, prep the mock cream. In a bowl, dissolve the icing sugar in some boiling water (1/2-1 tbsp). Mix. In another bowl, beat the vegan butter until creamy and almost white. Add the icing sugar mix slowly for around 10 minutes. Add 1 tsp boiling water, beat, then add 1 tsp ice cold water, and beat again.
6. Decorate your donuts! I sliced the sausage donuts and filled them with cream and jam, then dusted everything with icing sugar.

I have a confession to make. I have only tried creme brulee twice in my life. Once was homemade, and I did not like it. The other was a genuine French creme brulee in a small cafe in the back streets near Notre Dame that was quite nice. This was before my vegan days, of course. I thought, as an egg dominated dish, it would be difficult to make this vegan. I think of it more like a vanillary-coconut pudding or custard with a delicious caramelized top. I think the caramel top is my favourite part to be honest!

Recipe altered from here:

Serves 2.

Total Time: 2 hours

You will need:

150 g full fat coconut cream/milk
1/3 cup water
4 tbsp natvia baking sugar
1 1/2 tbsp egg replacer powder (e.g. Orgran)
1 1/2 tbsp corn starch
1/2 vanilla bean
1 tsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp salt
plus extra natvia sugar, for the caramelized top

Method:

1. Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender/food processor. Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
2. Transfer mix to a saucepan, and slowly heat up until it starts to simmer and thicken. Once it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, transfer the mix to two small ramekins.
3. Place the ramekins in a water filled casserole dish (water should be about halfway up the side of a ramekin).
4. Bake for 25 minutes. It should jiggle. Set in the fridge for 2 hours.
5. Before serving, sprinkle around 1/2-1 tsp of natvia sugar on top of the creme brulee, and use a culinary torch to melt the sugar.

The traditional poached pear is a pear simmered in a sugar syrup. I personally think pears are sweet enough, but poaching is a good way to infuse the pear in various flavours, and to take your breakfast up a notch or two.

Cooking: 25 minutes.

Serves 1.

For the poached pear:

You will need:

1 pear
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup orange juice
3 tbsp natvia sugar free baking sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Method:

1. Bring the water, orange juice, sugar and cinnamon to boil in a small saucepan. Then turn down to medium/low heat, put in the pear and let simmer for around 20-25 minutes, turning the pear over occasionally.

For the breakfast oats:

1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp maple syrup (optional), or add a banana to sweeten.

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients and let soak. I like to let mine soak overnight.
2. If desired, warm up oats in a microwave or saucepan, and top with pear and other berries.

A few weeks ago, I started craving eggnog like nothing else. The strange thing is, I had never tried eggnog before at that point, but I couldn't get the scene from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation out of my head, where Chevy Chase is drinking eggnog out of adorable moose mugs (which you can buy from Urban Outfitters!). So while I have never tried eggnog before, I found a recipe for a vegan version on food52.com. And fell in love! It's thick, creamy, milky, and spicy all at once. So wonderful! However, the batch I made was a little too much for me to drink all by myself, so I decided to be adventurous and make some waffles with the leftover eggnog that I had.

What a call. Eggnog waffles turned out to be seriously awesome. Whilst I used homemade eggnog (buying vegan eggnog, or even eggnog for that matter, in Australia is impossible), I am sure if you are lucky enough to live in America, you could probably use store-purchased vegan eggnog (like Silk) to the same effect.

Serves 1. 

Prep: 5 minutes, Resting: 10 minutes, Cooking: 5 minutes. Total Time: 20 minutes.

You will need:

1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup sorghum flour (or more buckwheat flour)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp ground flax seeds
2.5 tbsp water
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup vegan eggnog (alcohol free)
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Plus, maple syrup for serving.

Method:

1. Soak the ground flax seeds in the water for 2 minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients,  making sure to sift the flours and baking soda. Let the batter rest for 8-10 minutes while you turn on the waffle iron and let it warm up.
2. Pour the batter into the waffle iron, and cook for 3-5 minutes, depending on your waffle maker's instructions. Serve with maple syrup.

If there is one staple in my kitchen that I absolutely must make myself, it is coconut yogurt. It is ridiculously easy and cheap to make, and by making it yourself you can determine how much sugar etc goes into it! Here's to no longer buying $15 tubs of coyo!

Makes one 400 ml tub of coyo.

Prep: 10 minutes, plus 24 hours in oven and 12 in fridge. Total Time: 36 h 10 min.

You will need:

1 x 400 ml can full fat coconut cream, refridgerated overnight
1 vegan probiotic tablet
1 tbsp corn flour (optional)
1 tbsp natvia sugar (or other sugar replacement)

Method:

1. Put your oven on the lowest heat, around 40 degrees Celsius. Sterilize a glass ball jar by pouring boiling water in it and letting it sit for a few minutes, then pour out the water.
2. Scoop out the coconut cream, and put into a small saucepan on low heat. Discard water.
3. Once the cream has melted and is warm, add the corn flour and natvia sugar. Take off heat, then stir in the contents of a probiotic tablet.
4. Pour the yogurt into the sterilized jar (making sure the glass isn't too hot), put on the lid and place in the oven at 40 degrees. Leave for 24 hours, then let it set in the fridge for around 12 hours.

The frailty of crepes has, it seemed, always led to difficulties when trying to make them vegan and gluten free. You really need a good binder to prevent them turning to crumbs when flipping them. After being vegan for nearly 17 months, I have made my fair share of vegan and gluten free crepes. Some turned into pancakes, others, crumbs. Last week I got the idea of making crepes with aquafaba as the egg-replacement, and it proved to be the best crepes I have made vegan and gluten free. What is this aquafaba you ask? It literally means "bean water". It is the liquid you get from a can of chickpeas or beans: you know that gross stuff that you probably pour down the sink? Well, what you are throwing out is actually a magical ingredient. Because chickpeas or beans have been soaking in it, the brine is full of protein: and it whips up like eggs magically (not even kidding: you can make macarons and meringue from this magical stuff). So next time you are using a can of chickpeas, make sure you save the aquafaba!

Prep: 35 minutes, Cooking: 10 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes.

Makes 5 medium-large crepes.

You will need:

140 g chickpea brine (equivalent of 2 large eggs)
240 ml unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp coconut sugar
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour

plus vegan margarine for cooking

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl (making sure you sift the flours). When mixed, let rest for 30 minutes.
2. Grease a non-stick saucepan on low heat with 1 tsp vegan margarine, then pour out the crepe mix to desired size. Cook crepes for around 1 minute on each side.

Makes 21-22 small circle biscuits.

Prep: 40 minutes, baking: 15-20 minutes. Total Time: 1 hour.

You will need:

For the biscuits:

125 g rice flour or all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp natvia baking sugar
45 g vegan margarine
70 ml unsweetened almond milk
1/4 tsp baking powder

For assemblage:

250 g vegan fondant icing (see previous post), plus corn flour
1-2 tbsp maple syrup or rice malt syrup
1/2 cup edible flowers, washed and dried

Method:

1. In a bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
2. Using a fork, cut in the vegan margarine until crumbly. Then using a spoon, mix in the almond milk until a dough is formed. Place in the fridge for at least an hour.
3. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Place the dough between two baking sheets, dust with flour as desired, roll out and cut with desired cookie cutter. Place on a lined baking tray and bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. Let cool.
4. Roll out the fondant icing between two baking sheets dusted with corn flour. Cut, brush each biscuit with maple syrup, then press the cut fondant icing on top. Top with edible flowers.

Fondant icing. One of the hardest things to make. In fact, the last time I tried to make it I burnt myself on a boiling hot saucepan and got a ginormous blister (setting off the smoke alarm in the process)! So the next time I made fondant icing, I didn't want heat to be involved. At all. Inspired by this post, I managed to make a sugar free and vegan fondant icing, without crazy ingredients like agar agar or glycerin.

Makes 750-800 g of fondant icing.

Prep: 15 minutes.

You will need:

1/3 cup rice malt syrup*
1/3 cup vegan margarine
1 tsp vanilla essence
pinch of salt
650 g natvia icing sugar mix**
plus 1/4-1/2 cup corn flour

Method:

1. Beat the margarine in a large bowl, then add the rice malt syrup, vanilla, and salt. Beat.
2. Sift and beat in the icing sugar.
3. It is ready when you can form a ball. It will still be sticky, but when you roll out (between baking paper sheets) dust with corn flour until it is easy to cut and peel off. You can divide the icing into balls and place in the freezer until you need it, so only add the corn flour when you are actually rolling out the icing and intend on using it.

* Or use light corn syrup (but then it wouldn't be sugar free) or a thick syrup (maple syrup is probably too thin).
** Or use normal icing sugar, but again, it wouldn't be sugar free.

Recently, my mum has been a watcher of Rick Stein and his various escapades across Eastern Europe and Asia. One of the recipes he made as a "Dalmatian Fig Tart": probably one of the most un-vegan recipes you can think of: a pastry made with eggs and a filling made with mascarpone cheese and honey, plus figs. But damn, does this tart look delicious and beautiful! Is it just me or are figs one of the prettiest fruits out there? I was determined to have a hack at making this tart not only vegan, but also gluten free and (mostly) refined sugar free (tofutti cream cheese has sugar added to it).

Now, I have never ever tried mascarpone cheese before, so I have no idea what it tastes like. However, my old mate google informed me it is an Italian cheese made from cream that is coagulated with an acidic substance: like vinegar or lemon juice. So how did I attempt to make a vegan version? I just added lemon juice to vegan cream cheese. Probably not the same, but it does help to get that "tang" that I imagine the real mascarpone cheese has. I would probably view this as a glorified cheesecake that is super pretty!

Makes one large tart, serves 8.

Prep: 30 minutes, refrigeration: 1 hour 15 minute, cooking: 65 minutes. Total Time: 2 h 35 minutes.

You will need:

For the pastry (altered from Minimalist Baker):

1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
6 tbsp vegan margarine
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp natvia sugar
4-6 tbsp ice cold water

For the filling (altered from Rick Stein):

450 g vegan cream cheese (tofutti)
juice of one lemon
1 tbsp lemon zest
6 tbsp rice malt syrup or vegan honee (or really any liquid sweetener!)

Plus 3 figs, halved.

Method:

1. For the pastry, sift all the flours together and then add the salt and sugar. Mix in, then "cut" in the vegan margarine. Then add the water until a pastry is formed. Roll into a ball and leave in the fridge for an hour or more.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Roll out the pastry, dust with gluten free flour as needed, and press into a spring-form tart pan. Pierce the pastry with a fork, cover with baking paper, then fill with baking beads. Blind bake this for 20 minutes.
3. Remove the pastry from the oven, take off the baking beads and baking paper, then place back in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove, then turn the oven down to 160 degrees.
4. For the filling: add the cream cheese, lemon juice, zest and rice malt syrup to a saucepan on low-medium heat. Whisk until the cheese softens and it becomes smooth.
5. Pour the filling onto the pastry base, top with the figs and bake in the oven for 40 minutes. You can either serve warm (letting cool for around 30 minutes) or let it set in the fridge overnight. Letting it set in the fridge overnight assists in cutting the tart, but it is delicious both ways, in my opinion!

The either good or bad thing about making recipes, is taste testing. Sometimes you might make something and it will be a complete fail, and others, it is so damn delicious you end up eating most of it. Case in point: I made this cake on a Saturday, set it in the freezer overnight, then took a photo the next morning at around 9:30am. Then came the tasting stage. I just cut a wee slice to try it, then next minute, I had eaten around 1/4 of the whole thing. Before 10 am in the morning! Now, if that isn't a recommendation, I don't know what is! The good thing about it though is that it only makes a small cake, so hopefully it will refrain me/you from getting carried away! Plus, you know, it is vegan, gf, refined sugar free, oil free, full of protein and probiotics (if you use coyo anyway!).

Makes one small 10cm cake.

Prep: 15 minutes, freezing: 6-8 hours.

Serves 4 - 6.

You will need:

For the base:

1/2 cup walnuts
2 tbsp desiccated coconut
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp coconut butter
1/2 tbsp cacao power

For the filling:

1/2 cup soaked cashews
1 tbsp coconut butter
2 tbsp cacao powder
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut yogurt or cream*
zest of 1/2 an orange (approx. 2 tbsp)
2 tbsp orange juice

Method:

1. Blitz the walnuts in a food processor/high speed blender until crumbly. Add rest of the ingredients until combined, then press into a small lined springform tin, around 10 cm in diameter.
2. For the filling, add all the ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth, pour on top of base, cover in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least 6 hours. Serve!

* I use my own homemade coconut yogurt. I simply melt a 400 ml can of coconut cream (water discarded) on low heat until smooth and warm, take off heat and stir in the contents of a vegan probiotic tablet. Then I pour it into a sterilized ball jar, seal it, and place in the oven at 40 degrees Celsius for 20-24 hours, then place in the fridge to set. Easy!

These popsicles remind me of a mango weis bar: a layer of cream followed by a layer of mango. For those who don't know, these are a classic Australian ice-cream bar served in a wrapper. Funny story: a few years ago I was flying to Paris via Singapore from Sydney, and I was sitting next to a German teenager. He was given a Weis bar as a snack and he fully unwrapped the whole thing: not realising the bar is an ice cream, no stick included. He proceeded to have difficulty eating the thing, and you can imagine the mess. I was trying so hard not to laugh, it was shock to see someone who didn't understand the concept of eating a Weis bar!

 These popsicles however are perfectly delicious, easy to eat, and suitable for a hot day.

Prep: 10 minutes, plus 6-8 hours freezing time.

Makes 10-12 full sized popsicles.

You will need:

3 mangoes
3/4 cup coconut water
1-2 tbsp maple syrup
1 x 400 ml can coconut cream (around 250-300ml with water removed)

Method:

1. Blend the flesh of 3 mangoes with the coconut water and maple syrup in a high speed blender.
2. Pour half of this mix into a bowl or jug. Add the coconut cream to the blender.
3. Then pour the coconut mix into the popsicle moulds, top with the mango layer and insert popsicle sticks. Repeat.

Vegan white chocolate is one of those elusive commodities, rarely found and every more rarely, sugar free. This recipe is altered from Vegan Baking (my go-to site for all the how's/why's and vegan recipes), but I simply switched cacao butter for cocoa butter, and natvia sugar free icing sugar for icing sugar! 

Recipe altered from: Vegan Baking.

Makes 1 x 100 g block of chocolate

Prep: 30 minutes. Refrigeration: At least 1 hour. Total time: 1 h 30 mins.

You will need:

1 tsp soy milk powder
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp natvia sugar free icing sugar
60 g raw cacao butter
1 tsp vanilla essence or 1 vanilla bean, scraped out
1/2 tsp salt

Method:

1. In a high speed blender, combine the soy milk powder, icing sugar and salt until a fine powder is reached.
2. In a double boiler on low heat, melted the cacao butter. Once melted, whisk in the vanilla, and then whisk in the icing sugar/soy milk mixture.
3. Temper the chocolate by heating the mixture up to 49 degrees, whisking all the time. Then place in the fridge, whisking occasionally, until it reaches 26 degrees. Then place back on heat, and heat up to 31 degrees. Then let the chocolate cool to room temperature and pour into chocolate mould.
4. Let chocolate sit in mould for around 10 minutes before placing in the fridge. Let harden.

Notes: I used this mould for the chocolate.

Donuts are one of my obsessions. Nothing can quite compare to a hot cinnamon donut from a bakery, slightly oily, sweet and fluffy. Ah, those were the days when I could eat 6 donuts and wake up with a flat stomach the next morning. Alas, those times are gone, but at least I can still make vegan donuts that taste like nutella, are gluten free and refined sugar free!

Prep: 12 minutes, baking, 10 minutes. Cooling: 15 minutes: Total Time: 35-50 minutes.


Makes around 9 donuts.


You will need:

1 tbsp ground flax seeds soaked in 2.5 tbsp water
1/3 cup coconut sugar
2 tbsp melted vegan margarine
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup melted loving earth hazelnut chocolate butter or a vegan nutella option
1 cup buckwheat flour
1 tsp gf baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cacao powder

Plus around 50 g of chocolate for icing (I used salted caramel and dark)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. In a bowl, add to the flax egg the coconut sugar, margarine, almond milk and chocolate hazelnut butter. Whisk.
3. Sift in the flour, baking powder and soda, then add cacao powder. Mix.
4. Pour into a piping bag, and pipe into a lightly greased donut tin.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
6. Let cool for around 10-15 minutes, then dip into some melted chocolate!