Chocolate and date caramels

I love dates, and use them a lot, but one of my favourite characteristics of them is the caramel-like flavour and consistency they can create. This creates the perfect opportunity for the creation of several different sweet treats using this quality. I love this as a chance to get experimental with the recipes I try that highlight this versatile ingredient.

Specifically, these caramels are a great option for an easy snack that can readily be available in the freezer, giving that caramel-like quality with far less time than traditional caramels. This recipe is also gluten-free and vegan, so it is a great one to make when catering for multiple allergies, and could make a great addition to a birthday or Christmas present.

Being so easy, this would be a fun one to make with kids or friends, getting creative with flavours and shapes. There are many different ways this recipe could be altered to suit your preferences, the preferences of the individuals you're making them for or what you have available to you.

In this recipe, I give the option for making a homemade chocolate coating, or you could melt your favourite chocolate, experimenting with flavoured chocolates, dark, milk or white chocolate. There is also the addition of nut butter to the base of the caramels; this could be any type, from pistachio to cashew or almond, etc, but if there are concerns, such as allergies, alternatives of seed butters could be used.

The caramels can also be topped with a variety of optional toppings, which change the texture and flavour. Some ideas include:

• Chopped nuts, ie pistachios, almonds or peanuts

• Flaky salt

• Drizzled nut butter

• Cocoa nibs

• Chopped chocolate

• Chocolate chips

• Dried fruit

Here is the standard recipe:

Ingredients (Makes 12)

Caramels

190g Dates

3 tbsp Melted coconut oil

115g Nut butter (I used peanut butter)

80ml Liquid sweetener (I used date syrup)

1/2 tsp Vanilla extract

A pinch of salt

Chocolate coating

3 tsp Melted coconut oil

3-4 tbsp Liquid sweetener (Depending on how sweet you want the chocolate)

2 tbsp Cocoa powder

Alternatively, your favourite chocolate could be used

Optional toppings:

Examples include cocoa nibs, dried fruit, chopped nuts, flaky salt, etc

Method

1. Soak the dates in boiling water for 10 minutes. Line a tray with greaseproof paper.

2. Add the dates, coconut oil, nut butter, sweetener, vanilla and salt to a blender and blend until smooth or add all the ingredients to a bowl and blend with a stick blender.

3. On the prepared tray, use a spoon to put balls of the mix onto the tray, and shape them into the desired shape (I did small rectangles).

4. Place the tray in the freezer whilst you make the chocolate coating.

5. Put the cocoa powder, sweetener and coconut oil into a bowl and mix. Keep adding water until it is a pourable consistency, similar to a ganache texture. Or if coating with chocolate, melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments.

6. Spoon the chocolate coating over the caramels and smooth the chocolate around the caramels with the back of a spoon.

7. Add the toppings of your choice and freeze until the chocolate sets to enjoy.

I hope you enjoyed reading and gained some inspiration from this recipe for some experimentation in the kitchen. If you want to keep up with what I have been making recently, head over to my Instagram @rubysgfkitchen.

Happy Baking,

Ruby X

Peanut butter flapjack

As a peanut butter lover, I am always looking for new recipes where I can use it. This one strikes the perfect balance between the sweet notes from the banana and syrup, with salty additions from the peanut butter, nuts and seeds.

The ingredients are flexible to what you have available or the flavours that you prefer, there are many different combinations of syrups, nuts, fruits, etc that you could use to make these bars unique.

One thing that I love about this recipe is how it uses up a banana, which is perfect for those spotty bananas sitting in the fruit bowl. These bars also happen to be gluten-free and vegan, which makes them perfect for catering towards friends or family members with an allergy, preference or multiple allergies.

They make a great snack or breakfast option, and could be served with additions such as yoghurt, jam or on top of a smoothie for an at-home smoothie bowl to add some fun variation to your weekly meals and snacks.

Recipe

Ingredients

2 tbsp Syrup (I use date syrup)

4 tbsp Peanut butter (I use crunchy)

4 tbsp Coconut oil, Melted

1 Mashed banana

2 Cups of gluten-free oats

1/2 Cup ground seeds

3/4 Cup almonds, roughly chopped

2 tbsp Cocoa nibs

1/2 Cup dried fruit (I used blueberries)

Method:

1- Preheat your oven to 180 °C fan and grease a square pan (I use a brownie pan) with coconut oil and greaseproof paper.

2- Put your peanut butter in the microwave for 40 seconds in a microwave-safe dish and add this to a large mixing bowl.

3-Add the syrup, coconut oil and mashed banana to the bowl and whisk until combined.

4- Add the oats, almonds, ground seeds, cocoa nibs and dried fruit to the bowl and mix until coated.

5- Pour the mixture into your prepared tin and flatten down with and spoon or a fork until evenly flat on top, bake it in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden.

6- Leave to cool, slice and enjoy!

If you want to see what I've been baking recently, head over to my Instagram @rubysgfkitchen.

Happy Baking,

Ruby x

Carrot and walnut cake

Do you love carrot cake? Do you love walnuts? Well, this might just be the perfect recipe for you. It's a versatile and easy take on the traditional carrot cake. Being gluten-free and vegan, this is a great one to bake when you're trying to cater for people with lots of different allergies or preferences.

The carrots and raisins add moisture to the cake to negate that crumbly texture that can be present in many gluten-free cakes. The mix of fruit juice and spices in the cake strikes a lovely flavour balance.

This cake can be enjoyed in many different ways, I like to warm mine up and top it with almond butter. It could also be served topped with the recommended cashew icing for an easy dessert, or it could also be topped with cream, jam or yoghurt with a sprinkle of granola for an easy breakfast.

I love this one as a good way to use up leftover carrots, and the flavour profile can be easily changed to suit your preferences or available ingredients. You could choose to use a different mix of nuts, juice, spices, or syrup to cater it to what you enjoy.

Recipe

Ingredients

Cake

2 Medium carrots

190g Walnuts

250g Self-raising flour

1/2 tbsp Baking powder

90g Coconut Sugar

3 tbsp Fruit Juice (I use Lemon)

1/2 tsp Ginger

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

1 tsp Mixed spice

A pinch of salt

50g Ground almonds

120g Oil (I used coconut)

85g Raisins

1/4 cup Syrup (I use date syrup)

Iceing

130g Cashews

85g Raisins

1/2 tsp Vanilla extract

1/2 tsp Salt

A splash of fruit juice (I use orange)

2 tablespoons almond butter

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 °C fan and line a tin (I use a square brownie tin, but a loaf or circular cake tin would also work) with baking paper.

2. Put the juice, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, mixed spice and raisins in a bowl and mix.

3. Next, grate the carrots and place them in a separate bowl with the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, salt and coconut sugar.

4. Chop your nuts, add them to the bowl and stir these ingredients together.

5. Next, stir in your coconut oil, syrup and spice mix.

6. Pour the mixture into your tin and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

7. For the icing: Put the raisins and cashews into a bowl of boiling water and let them sit for 10 minutes.

8. Add the cashews, raisins, juice, salt, almond butter and vanilla to a food processor and blend until smooth.

9. Once the cake is cool, spread the icing over, cut into slices and enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed reading, you can see what I've been baking recently on my Instagram page @rubysgfkitchen.

Happy Baking,

Ruby x