Millionaire shortbread!

Looking for a super easy millionaire shortbread? No need for condensed milk, or heating up caramel! This is the recipe for you!

This is super easy spin on millionaire shortbread is quick to make with easily sourced ingredients, and one I am sure the entire family will love! This shortbread is free from dairy, refined sugar, gluten and is fully VEGAN to! For the shortbread base I like to use peanut butter as it provides a slightly salty break between the top two sweet layers however you can use any nut butter that is available to you. I prefer to use crunchy nut butter as this provides a varied texture and crunch in between the layers however it is down to personal preference wether you choose smooth or crunchy!

The nut butter allows for the shortbread to stick together, and have a shortbread texture and ensures there are no crumbly messes! You could cut this shortbread into small chunks and put it on top of porridge, smoothie bowls or have it is a delicious afternoon snack, the possibilities are endless to what you could do with this shortbread.

A super easy meal/snack prep as it lasts for up to a week in a sealed container stored in the fridge! The caramel is made in a food processor but you could also use a blender to, make sure that its smooth and has no lumps before you put it onto of your shortbread.

The caramel is made up of a mixture of dates, nut butter, and sweetener to provide a really thick and glossy consistency. It may take a while in the food processor to come together but it is delicious when it does!

This recipe is perfect if your someone with not an overly sweet tooth but would still like a semi sweet dessert. The slight saltiness from the nuts complements and cuts through the sweet flavours so if you can't decide between a sweet or salty snack this is the perfect treat for you. But don't worry if you have a sweet tooth the dates in the caramel provide a super sweet flavour and you can use a slightly sweater nut butter like almond butter instead of peanut butter.

You won't believe how easy this is to make, mix your shortbread ingredients in a bowl, bake it, process your caramel and make some chocolate its that simple! And yes I said make some chocolate, its super easy I promise! All you need to do is mix together coca powder, maple syrup and melted coconut oil and its ready to go!

You will need a food processor for this recepie as the caramel is made in one and needs to be blended until smooth however you could try it in a blender, I would suggest half the mixture at a time as you don't want to overwork your blender.

This recepie used buckwheat flour so no special gluten free flour is needed! (if you don't have access to buckwheat flour you can use rice flour or gf plain flour if you have it. You could even experiment by blending oats to create an oat flour!)

SOME COMMON QUESTIONS...

Is your millionaire shortbread recepie vegan?

YES! As long as you use maple syrup as your sweetener and check that your choice of nut butter is vegan then you are all good to go!

Is your millionaire shortbread recepie dairy free?

YES!100% dairy free with no dairy free subs needed so no need to run out and get dairy free substitutes, you don't need them! Just make sure to double check your nut butters and cocoa powder and your all set!

Is your millionaire shortbread recepie gluten free?

YES! But don't tell anyone! Try this recipe on your gluten eating friends and see what they think, I bet they won't be able to tell the difference!

Do you need any special equipment for this recepie?

Ummm.... You will definitely need a weighing scales to measure out most of the ingredients. As well as this I use a food processor to make the caramel which you could try in a blender ( I would do half the mixture at a time!)

But apart from that no special moulds or tray are needed to make this recepie.

Is your millionaire shortbread recipe refined sugar free?

Yes, the sweeteners used in this recepie are honey and/or maple syrup so no white sugar is needed to create this delioucs treat!

So here it is my gluten free millionaire shortbread recepie, if you have any questions feel free to dm me @rubysgfkitchen or use the contact me section of this page!

THE RECIPE

For the shortbread

6 tbsp coconut oil, melted

6 tbsp honey or maple syrup

170g buckwheat flour (or plain)

4 tbsp smooth/crunchy nut butter (I use peanut)

1/2 tsp Zan them gum

a crack of salt

For the caramel

190g raisins

3 heaped tbsp coconut oil, melted

115 g crunchy/smooth nut butter (I use almond or peanut)

100 ml maple syrup or honey

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

For the chocolate topping

70g coconut oil, melted

50g caco powder

60ml maple syrup

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180 fan and line a square tin with parchment paper (I use a brownie pan)

2. Whisk the maple syrup and coconut oil together in a large bowl, and then add the flour, nut butter, zanthem gum and salt and whisk to combine.

3. Press the mixture into your tin until even(I do this with my hands and then level out by pressing lightly with a fork) and place into the oven for 15 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown on top and leave to cool for 10 mins.

4. Place the shortbread in the fridge whilst you make the caramel : blend all the ingredients in your food processor or blender until smooth ( if doing in a blender don't worry about excess liquid, blend until smooth and only use the solid remains not the liquid) . Spread the caramel over the cooled shortbread and place back in the freezer for at least an hour until the caramel has set.

5. In a bowl mix together your choclate topping ingredients and add this to the top of your caramel and place this back in the freezer until the choclate is set

6. Slice into squares and enjoy! (store in a sealed container in the fridge)

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy this recipe if you do make it, take a photo and tag me on instagram @rubysgfkitchen as i'd love to see your creations!

Happy baking,

Ruby xx

EASY Tomato Pasta!

Are you looking for the perfect pasta recepie that is super quick and easy to do? THIS is it my 10 minute tomato pasta recepie. The best thing about this recipe is that it is super versatile, you can add in any additional flavours or ingredients, this is just a super easy base that can be made on its own or can be added to!

Its the perfect dish for cold weather as it is super warming and Harty! Don't be worried about ingredients you might not have as there are countless substitutes that you can make!

The ingredients are really minimal and all gluten and dairy free as well as being able to be vegan ( depending on any optional additions that you add)!

This recipe would be amazing served with olives or sprinkled with ham! You could even add sliced sausages for additional flavour and added protein!

Now I LOVE tuna so I off course had to add it to this pasta and it was delicious! But don't worry I know not everyone likes tuna so you can substitute it out for practically anything you've got in the cupboards that needs using up. You could even cook off a selection of vegetables and add these to your pasta to!

The ingredients in this pasta are super easy to find for a relatively low cost, if you don't want to use pre tinned chopped tomatoes or passata then you can cook down some fresh tomatoes until the begin to bubble and produce a liquid!

In this recipe I have added my favourite herbs but you can always change these up to suite your preferences. This portion size is enough for two or you can make it for one and keep in the fridge for up to five days, to reheat the pasta put some into a bowl with 2 tablespoons of water and microwave for 1:30 - 2 minutes covered in cling film that has been poked with a fork.

Now for the pasta...

My favourite gluten free pasta is penne or macaroni as they don't fall apart or clump together. So I would recommend using one of these two If you have them (if not the recipe will still be delicious with whatever pasta you have on hand).

Although I have yet to find a fusli pasta that is gluten free and is yet to fall apart, and I have yet to find a gluten free spaghetti that does not clump together when cooked so if you know of any good brands please let me know!

Now I add tuna and sweetcorn to this recepie as it adds a little bit of extra flavour whilst increasing the vegetable quantity and protein to! I use both tined sweetcorn and tuna but feel free to use fresh if you have it on hand. On the conantarary you can sub the tuna and sweetcorn for other vegetable and protein sources that you prefer or those that are available to you.

SOME QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE...

Is this recipe dairy free?

YES! In the sauce of this recipe no dairy products are used however at the end I do recommend sprinkling with some cheese so just make sure that this is dairy free!

Is this recipe vegan?

It can be! Just simply sub out the tuna altogether or you could replace it for a vegan protein alternative such as cooked tofu or vegan bacon. You could also switch the tuna out for another vegetable if you wanted to up the vegetable quantity!

Is this recepie gluten free?

Yes! The sauce is simple and no gluten free flour is needed, you'll just need some gluten free pasta and your all good to go! Test this on your gluten eating friends and I promise they won't be able to tell it gluten free!

Do I need any special equipment for this recipe?

No! You can weigh the pasta out using a mug and all the other ingredients use spoons! Just make sure to have 2 pots on hand and your ready to go!

So wether your pre making lunch for next week or looking for a quick and easy dinner recipe this one is for you! Especially with online school right now I feel like I am getting less and less time in the kitchen especially to make lunch so this one is perfect for the little time I usually have to make some lunch!

Its quick, easy, healthy and delicious what more could you ask for? Super comforting and warm this pasta is the perfect dish for winter. Or serve it up alongside some salad for a summery feel!

So here it is my supper quick and easy tomato pasta recipe...

INGRIDIENTS

2 mug fulls of gluten free penne pasta

1 can of chopped tomatoes

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon garlic granules

a dash of olive oil

3 tbsp tomato puree

a squeeze of lemon juice

1tsp dried oregano

(optional) pre cooked protein source (ie tin of tuna, bacon, sausage, tofu)

(optional) vegetable source

a handful of your faveriote cheese, grated (optional)

METHOD

1. Place a pan of water onto the hob and bring up to the boil by raisng to the highest tempruature, adding a pinch of salt to the water as it heats up

2. Once boiling add your pasta to the water and cook for 10-15 minutes (check packeted instructions of chosen pasta)

3. 5 minutes before the pasta is due to be ready add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic granules, olive oil, puree, lemon juice and oregano to a pan and allow to simmer for 5 minutes stirring constantly, and then stir in your protein source and vegetable if using and turn the heat down to the lowest temperature

4. Once the pasta is cooked ( you can check this by carefully taking a piece of pasta from the pan with a spoon and cut it with a knife to see if it is soft as well as tasting it once it has cooled down a little bit) drain the water in a colander and add the pasta to your source and stir until all the pasta is coated in sauce, now take the pan of the heat and sprinkle in a handful of grated cheese.

5. Plate in your chosen dishes to serve or leave to cool and then cover in the fridge for up to five days to enjoy on another occasion. If serving straight away add cheese if desired and enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed reading my super tasty pasta recipe! If you do make this be sure to take a photo and tag me on Instagram @rubysgfkitchen so that I can see your amazing creations!

Happy pasta making,

Ruby xx

Love heart shortbread!

Feel like baking for your loved ones but don't have a lot of time? These love heart shortbreads are the perfect bake for you! Get the family involved in covering them with glorious melted chocolate, a fun bake for the entire family!

All you need is 4 simple ingredients and 20 minutes to create the perfect treat for your entire family! The perfect ending to a date night or galantine meet up, I am positive that anyone will love these treats.

Now the recipe says to use plain flour, but it also works with rice flour to! The chocolate that you choose is down to personal preference, I prefer to mix milk and dark chocolate on the top of mine as I like the slight colour contrast but you can use whatever you have on hand and/or prefer.

The shortbread is made from 3 simple ingredients which you probably already have in your house! Get creative with cutting it out and decorating them too!

The shortbread melts in the mouth and is covered by a silky smooth choclate which cuts through the biscuit and is super sweet and delicious!

There are no eggs in this one, so all you would need to swap to make this vegan and/or dairy free is the butter and choclate! I have not tried swapping the butter but give it a go and let me know how it goes!

This one is perfect to do with family and friends as there is minimal time needed but you can have so much fun inventing new patterns and shapes to make your shortbread super special!

If you do make this recipe take a photo and tag me on instagram @rubysgfkitchen I would love to see all your wonderful creations!

SO HERES THE RECIPE...

INDREDIENTS

190g gf plain flour

125g butter

55g caster sugar

100g milk/dark choclate

20g white/milk/dark chocolate (optional)

sprinkles (optional)

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 150 fan, grease and line a large baking tray with baking paper

2. Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth

3. Sieve in the flour and zanthem gum and mix well

4. Roll the dough onto a floured work surface until thin (if you want thicker shortbread you can roll it so that it is a little bit thicker) and cut into shapes using pastry cutters, a knife or the rim of a mug. Re roll out the scrapes of pastry until it is all cut out and placed on your large baking tray

5. Place the shortbread in the oven for 10 minutes or until they begin to turn golden- keep an eye on them as they can burn easily.

6. Once cooked remove the shortbread from the oven and leave to cool on the tray for ten minutes, and then remove from the tray and leave to cool completely on a flat surface

7. Once cool melt your chocolate either in the microwave mixing every 30 seconds or in a heat proof bowl over a pan of boiling water on the hob. Repeat this for your other chocolate if using.

8. Decorate with your chosen chocolate and sprinkles!

9. Leave to set in the fridge until the chocolate is hard (if you struggle to get it off the plate once in the fridge, take a small metal spatula or knife and lightly push at the edges were the chocolate is stuck and it should come of) and enjoy!

If you have any questions you can go over to my instagram and ask me on there or use the contact me section of my website! Make sure to tag me on instagram @rubysgfkitchen if you do make these, I would love to see them!

Happy baking,

Ruby xx