triple berry chocolate ripple

So this was meant to be my attempt at making  a sweet treat for the Easter lunch I was planning for my family. It never made it that far…So please – tread carefully! It took all my strength not to eat the entire tray in the first sitting. So I ate the rest the next night instead…for dinner. Apologies to my poor family who missed out on account of my inability to reign in my tastebuds!

• 1/3 – 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 2 tbsp Nuttelex
• 2 tblsp cocoa
• 1 tblsp rice malt syrup
• 1/3 cup coconut, shredded
• 1/3 cup of frozen berries
• Salt

Melt the Nuttelex and oil in a saucepan or in the microwave…the oil takes longer to melt so add the butter a little after. Stir in the cocoa and syrup. Salt to taste. Arrange the berries and coconut on a small baking tray. Pour the coconut oil mixture over the top and pop in the fridge for an hour or the freezer for 20 minutes and serve.

chocolate fudge brownie

Everyone loves a chocolate brownie. These little crowd pleasers were subject to heckling in the baking of them. Housemates were crying out in revolt, “Can you stop with the chocolate smells, please?!” My gym-geared gal pal hollered, “You’re killing me in here!”

I tried to ease their pain and get rid of the evidence by licking the spoon…the bowl…and the bench. But now, as I sit here waiting to pull my little slice of chocolate heaven out of the oven, we’re all helpless to its charms. We’re salivating like hounds, scratching at the oven door…

They will be mine. Oh yes…they will be mine…

• 225g butter (I used Nuttelex for a dairy free option, plopped straight into the saucepan), chopped coarsely (or 150g butter + 1/2 cup or 120g sour cream)
• 300g dark eating chocolate (I used 80% cocoa dark Lindt blocks), broken into chunks
• 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar or 200g caster sugar if you prefer
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup (150g) hazelnut or almond meal
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 100g walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (160 degrees C fan-forced).

Melt the chocolate and the butter in a medium sized saucepan over low heat. Stir in the sugar and vanilla essence and take off the heat to cool for about 10 minutes.

While you wait, beat the eggs, crush the walnuts, sift the cocoa and line a slice pan approx 19cm x 29cm with baking paper.

Stir through the eggs, flour, cocoa and walnuts. Turn the mixture into the lined pan and spread evenly.

Bake brownies for 35-45 minutes, depending on your preferred gooey rating. At 35 minutes, they will be firm on top, but still squidgy underneath. At 45 minutes, they should be more solid throughout.

Cool in the pan before cutting into squares. Serve dusted with cocoa or icing sugar…if you can bear to wait that long…

choc nut balls

WARNING: PROCEED CAREFULLY – HIGHLY ADDICTIVE

Inspired by Sarah Wilson’s chocolate nut balls and Nora (Gedgaudas)’s nut balls, come these tasty morsels of nutrient-dense goodness. I have had to impose a strict rationing on these as I’ve caught myself on more than one occasion jolting back to the quiet stillness of my kitchen from some far-off delightful planet, to find one hand scratching around on the bottom of that once abundant jar of chocolatey balls, clutching it fiercely to my chest with the other, licking and smacking my coco-nutty lips in wonder. Only when I realise the gluttonous beast has defeated my feeble mind again do I sadly replace the empty jar back in its rightful place. The belly ache that comes later from much too much nutty coconut bliss is almost like the war cry of the beast – and I know we shall meet again on the battle field. One day…soon.

• 1/2 jar nut spread (preferably almond, but whatever takes your fancy)
• 2 1/2 cups raw mixed nuts, crushed roughly (my mortar and pestle get a work out here!) or chopped in a food processor
• 1/2 cup cacao powder
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 stick salted butter, softened (or a couple of tblsp of non-dairy Nuttelex, melted)
• 4-5 tblsp coconut oil, melted or unsweetened powdered/crushed vanilla beans
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Optional extras (measurements to taste/consistency)

• almond meal
• LSA
• chia and/or sesame seeds
• psyllium husks
• stevia
• cacao nibs
• protein powder (Sarah Wilson suggests 180 Natural Protein Superfood which already contains most of these extras – without all the undesirable ones on top!)
• goji berries

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and adjust the dry-wet levels by adding any extras – if you have too much liquid, chia seeds and psyllium are great for soaking up any excess and helping to hold these babies together.
Roll little handfuls of the mixture into bite size balls and place on a tray or plate lined with baking paper. Refrigerate for an hour until they are firm. These will keep for a few weeks (if your gluttonous beast doesn’t come to visit first) but keep refrigerated to be sure they don’t soften or melt. They’ll travel with you pretty easily but just be aware to keep them wrapped in grease proof paper or transported in a cool bag (or similar) if they can’t be in a fridge for an extended period of time.

Makes around 24 balls.

You might also like…

spirulina + sesame balls
coconut + almond balls