Thursday 28 April 2016

Peanut Butter Fudge

An extra special bonus was found in my freezer this afternoon, with a couple of pieces of this fudge left there in a container from last month.  The perfect little snack to have on stand-by, so I thought I'd share since it's so easy to make. You'll get about 12 squares and I think my left overs had been there just over a month and still it tasted delicious.

Ingredients
12 medjool dates (pitted)
1 cup natural peanut butter
pinch Himalayan salt

Method
Place the dates into a food processor and blend until they're quite fine, almost a paste on their own.  Then add the natural peanut butter and the salt  and blend until the mixture turns into a ball.  Press out into a slice tin lined with baking paper and pop into the freezer.

Freeze for about 2 hours before cutting it into squares to serve. It's best to cut the whole quantity while it's still frozen and place it into the fridge for a couple of hours before sharing.  Any leftovers will last a week in the fridge, or up to a month in the freezer.  Just make sure your container is airtight, or it will get a little freezer burn happening.  Still taste fine, but will look a little less appealing.

Enjoy  Shaz

 

Thursday 21 April 2016

Shaz's Raw Chocolate

This recipe works best when made in small batches. It can be made with double the quantities listed here, but separation may occur and they may not look as good. There's less chance of the ingredients separating when done as listed below.
You may wish to double quantities for sharing purposes of course, but we eat with our eyes, so why not have them all look as amazing as they taste.  Have a play! Food is Fun!

Ingredients
1/3 cup cacao butter
1/3 cup coconut oil
Just under 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
2 tbsp. pure maple syrup

Method
Place the cacao butter and coconut oil in a glass bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water.  Gentle is the key here, so we keep all the nutritional benefits. Raw Cacao is really quite good for us, as is the coconut oil.  Stir until just melted.  If the coconut oil is already in its melted form, add it after melting the cacao butter and then blend together well.
Sift in the cacao powder and blend through.  Then add the maple syrup, 1 tbsp. at a time, stirring well.
Spoon into chocolate moulds or mini foil cups and get into the freezer to set straight away. Store them in the freezer or fridge in an airtight container, as they do melt fairly quickly in a warm environment.
I like to sprinkle a little Himalayan salt over mine before setting in the freezer.  Being just a little more creative, and taking just a little more time, you can spoon in a little chocolate into the moulds and set this in the freezer.  Then add a little organic peanut butter and a sprinkle of salt.  Top off with chocolate to finish and freeze again until set.  Raw nuts and dried fruit can also be added here, just make sure they're chopped well.

Do have fun experimenting with these as they are truly worth the effort.

Have fun making and sharing these and ask me if you have any questions
Happy to help 
Shaz   

Special thanks to Yuki He for your beautiful photo
and to all the beautiful people with whom I've shared my heart