Spiced blueberry cobbler by Ani Phyo

I have never posted frequently on this blog, maybe every 4-6 weeks, but I have been silent since January, which is the longest I have been absent. Last November we moved from Luxembourg to the UK and the oven in our new home wasn't quite agreeing with me. I had to adjust all baking temperatures and baking times for my recipes and found myself reluctant to experiment with recipes until I had tried another UK kitchen; another oven. Then we moved within the UK and now I have two wonderful ovens and I don't have to adjust anything. Well, I was quite busy unpacking but at some point I will start sharing more recipes. It's the blueberry season so let's start with this dessert by Ani Phyo, from her book Ani's Raw Food Desserts. I don't have many books on the raw cuisine but this one is definitely one of my favourites. All you need to make this one is a food processor.

SPICED BLUEBERRY COBBLER

INGREDIENTS

CRUST

• 1 cup (250 ml) dry almonds
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup pitted (semi-soft Medjool) dates

FILLING

• 4 cups blueberries
• optional: ¼ cup agave syrup

METHOD

1. Start with the crust: If you don't have Medjool dates, soak regular ones in water for 30 minutes
2. Combine the almonds, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor. Pulse into coarse pieces
3. Add the Medjool dates (drain the water if using regular dates) and process until mixed well
4. Sprinkle half of the crust into the bottom of a loaf pan or a pie dish
5. To make the filling: Combine the blueberries and agave syrup (if using) in a mixing bowl and toss to mix well
6. Scoop the blueberries into the loaf pan. Top with the remaining crust, press gently and serve
7. To serve the cobbler parfait-style in a glass: Start with about ½ cup of cobbler in the bottom of a glass. Add a scoop of you favourite ice cream and top with another ¼ to ½ cup cobbler
8. I store the dessert in the fridge until I serve it with whipped cream, organic or home-made ice cream, or Greek yoghurt

carrot muffins

Is it obvious that I like baking muffins? I have plenty of muffins recipes in my notebook and every time I think about what to post there is this voice inside that says no, you cannot post yet another muffins recipe. I find it a bit funny that in early 2009 I had never in my life baked muffins. I have no idea what was stopping me but after my first try there was no going back. My friend (Cafe)Sigrun was of course my inspiration; she was always talking about these amazing muffins she was making and one day I thought to myself that's it, now I'll give it a go and I went muffin pan shopping. I'm not pretending to invent the wheel with this recipe, I think the ingredients are pretty basic, but as you know I never use butter when baking and I don't drown my recipes in oil. Personally, I love using chopped pecans or walnuts in carrot muffins but my younger daughter is going through a phase where she doesn't want nuts in anything (too long phase, if you ask me!). As I like to make these for the children I leave the nuts out.

CARROT MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS

• 250 g spelt flour, a blend of wholegrain and fine (2 cups)
• 2½-3 teaspoons gluten free baking powder
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1-1½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½-1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• optional: ⅛-¼ teaspoon cardamom
• optional: ⅛-¼ teaspoon clove
• 1 large egg, free-range/organic
• 100 g organic raw cane sugar (½ cup)
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup or agave
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil or other fine vegetable oil
• 75-90 ml (5-6 tablespoons) organic vanilla yoghurt (or plain yoghurt + ¼-½ teaspoon organic vanilla sugar)
• 175 g coarsely grated carrots (two carrots)

Update 4 October 2012: I was asked in an email how I make these with nuts. Usually, I use chopped walnuts and I use about 50 grams, which is about ½ cup. And when I use nuts I only use ½ tablespoon of oil because the fat from the nuts is enough. The muffins get too sticky in my opinion if I use 1 tablespoon.

METHOD

1. In a large bowl, combine the spelt flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Set aside
2. In a medium bowl, combine the egg, sugar, maple syrup and coconut oil (if the oil is solid, place the jar in a bowl of hot water before use). Then add the vanilla yoghurt and combine
3. Coarsely grate the carrots
4. Add the wet ingredients and the grated carrots (and walnuts if using) into the large bowl and mix gently. Make sure not to stir, the texture of the dough should be rather light
5. Lightly grease a silicon muffin pan with some coconut oil and fill each muffin cup about two-thirds to the rim (makes 12-14 muffins)
6. Bake at 180-190°C/350-375°F/gas mark 4-5 for 20-25 minutes (fan oven: 175°C/325°C/gas mark 3)
7. Remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool in the tins for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack

cinnamon buns (yeast free)

I have nothing against yeast; I simply don't have the patience to use it! There, I said it. About two years ago I began experimenting with a yeast free cinnamon buns (rolls) recipe. Everyone in this household loved it, but I wasn't 100% happy, I wanted them softer. On a beautiful Sunday morning in September I was dreaming about freshly baked and soft cinnamon buns when I had an epiphany! I ran into the kitchen, put the invisible stay-out-of-my-kitchen sign on the door, put on my apron and began working, and I got the results I wanted. The yummy noises at the dining table were very rewarding. I've baked these with and without oil and both versions are good. Here's my golden rule: If I'm baking them to put in the freezer I always use oil (the children love to find these in their snack box). If I'm baking them to serve right away, and I know that all the buns will be eaten, I either skip the oil or use one tablespoon. As I want my buns rather thick I roll and stretch the dough into a square instead of a rectangle. By the way, the recipe includes no eggs and the dough itself contains no sugar. And you know what, the buns are delicious!

CINNAMON BUNS

INGREDIENTS

DOUGH

• 435 g spelt flour (between 3¼-3½ cups)
• 2-2½ tablespoons gluten free baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt
• 250-300 ml soya milk or regular
• 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil (optional, see intro)

FILLING

• 1 tablespoon agave nectar or pure maple syrup
• ½ tablespoon coconut oil
• 2½-3½ tablespoons raw cane sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• optional: chopped pecans and/or raisins

METHOD

1. Start with the dough: In a large bowl combine the spelt flour, baking powder and salt. Usually I use 2 tablespoons of gluten free baking powder but sometimes 2½ if I want the buns a little bigger. (Use only 1 tablespoon of baking powder if you're using regular and add ½-1 teaspoon if you want them a little bigger.)
2. Add the 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil or skip this step. (If the oil is solid, place the jar in a bowl of hot water before you start baking.)
3. Add the milk, starting with 250-275 ml, and mix gently with a large wooden or silicone spoon. Add more milk if you need. The dough is not supposed to be too wet, you have to be able to knead it and flatten out with a rolling pin. It's good to knead the dough just a bit in the bowl with your hands to get a feel for its texture. (American readers! 250 ml is exactly 1 cup so start with that and add a little more of milk.)
4. Transfer the dough to a generously floured work surface and knead it with your hands. You have to use plenty of spelt flour on the surface because you don't want the dough sticking to it
5. Bring out your rolling pin and roll and stretch the dough to form a square that is about 37 cm (14.6 inches). I make a square instead of a rectangle because I like my buns to be thick
6. Now the filling: Mix the agave nectar and coconut oil in a small bowl. In a separate bowl blend the raw cane sugar and cinnamon (I find 2½-3 tablespoons of sugar enough but if you are used to more sugary flavour then perhaps you need more. But don't overdo it; we want them healthy!)
7. Spread the agave/oil mix evenly over the square (I find it best to simply use my fingers) and then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top. Add some chopped pecans and/or raisins if you want
8. Tightly but gently roll up the square into a thick log. Use a sharp knife to cut the log into 21 slices (you can start with cutting the log in half). Each slice should be a little less than 2 cm thick (about 0.7-0.8 inches)
9. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or lightly grease it with coconut oil (my tray is 35 x 25 cm/13.8 x 9.8 inches; the height is about 5 cm/2 inches). Place the buns into the baking tray in four rows of four and one row of five that contains the ends, which are a bit smaller
10. Bake in the oven at 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 for 12-15 minutes (please note that my oven is fan assisted. I've baked these at 220°C in a no fan oven)
11. Allow the buns to cool in the baking tray for a few minutes before serving

banana muffins

These banana muffins are on our list of favourites; not only do they taste good, they also have plenty of healthy ingredients (there isn't too much sugar) – perfect in the children's lunch box. I baked eighty-two of them today for our son's birthday party at his kindergarten next week and of course we ate some too. I thought to myself that I simply had to share the recipe that comes from my friend CafeSigrun. By now, most of you should be familiar with her recipe website (I'm still so happy that it's available in English). I always use large eggs when making these. If you only have small ones then I'd suggest using three egg whites instead of two. You can use one teaspoon of regular baking powder instead of two of the gluten free one. If you want a very strong banana flavour then make sure the bananas you use are very ripe.

BANANA MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS

• 250 g spelt flour
• 50 g rolled oats
• 2 heaped teaspoons gluten free baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 large egg
• 2 egg whites
• 100 g raw cane sugar
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar or pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 5 small ripe bananas or 4 large ones

METHOD

1. In a large bowl, combine the spelt flour, rolled oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
2. Peel the bananas and mash them with a fork (or in a food processor). Set aside
3. In a medium bowl, combine the egg, egg whites, sugar, agave nectar and coconut oil (if the oil is solid, place the jar in a bowl of hot water before use). Add the bananas and give everything a good stir
4. With a large wooden spoon, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Make sure to not stir; the texture of the dough should be light (at this stage it looks like a thick porridge)
5. Lightly grease a silicon muffin pan with some coconut oil and fill each muffin cup about two-thirds to the rim
6. Bake at 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 for 20-25 minutes (depending on the size and quantity of the bananas, and the size of the silicon muffin pans I use, I get about 15-20 muffins)
7. Remove the muffins from the oven and allow to cool in the tins for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack

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apple cake

The sight of an apple cake slice on a plate with whipped cream can do wonders, wouldn't you agree? Last year I made this recipe for my husband who loves apple cakes – not pies, he wants cakes. This is one of the recipes that came instantly, the first try was a hit and I promised hubby not to change a thing. If he were allowed to choose I would never have to bake anything else. However, just to get other people’s reaction, not as apple-cake biased as hubby, I have made this one for guests that are used to cakes with plenty of white sugar and butter and I have got nothing but praise. The list of ingredients is simple, the cake is easy to make, and the scent from the oven is heavenly. Just one reminder: Do not forget to sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the apple slices! I cannot tell you how often I have been close to forgetting it ... or have forgotten it completely.

APPLE CAKE

INGREDIENTS

• 100 g raw cane sugar (½ cup)
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup or agave nectar
• 2 eggs
• 2½-3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 130 g spelt four (1 cup)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder, gluten-free (1 tsp if using regular)
• 2 red apples, preferably organic
• cinnamon sugar (raw cane sugar + cinnamon), as little or as much as you like

METHOD

1. In a medium bowl, mix the raw cane sugar, agave, eggs and coconut oil using a whisk or a fork (if the oil is solid, place the jar in a bowl of hot water before use)
2. Mix the spelt flour and gluten-free baking powder in a separate bowl and add to the other blend with a spatula
3. Slice the apples with an apple slicer, peel off the skin and cut each slice into three, lengthwise
4. Line a spring form cake tin (20-24 cm/8-9.4 inches) with baking parchment or coat a pie dish with a small amount of coconut oil
5. Use a spatula to spread less than half of the batter into the bottom of the cake tin/pie dish. If the batter is stiff you can dip the spatula into a bowl of hot water
6. Arrange the apple slices in a circle over the bottom, allowing the slices to overlap (the smaller the cake tin/pie dish the more tightly they will overlap) and make sure you have some slices left to put in the centre
7. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the apple slices (in my home we do not think much about the ratio when making cinnamon sugar but I read somewhere that 1 tablespoon raw cane sugar to 1 teaspoon cinnamon makes a good blend when used for baking). You can also sprinkle cinnamon only
   
8. Spread the rest of the batter over the apple slices, being careful not to displace them. Remember to dip the spatula in hot water if the batter is stiff. The stiffness of the batter depends on the size of the eggs you use and/or the humidity in the kitchen. Sometimes I do not have to use a spatula to spread the batter; pouring it gently from the bowl over the slices seems to be enough. But I always use a spatula to scrape the rest from the bowl
9. Place in the oven and allow to bake for 40-55 minutes at 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2 until golden (I use a fan-assisted oven for this one - bake at 160-170°C if not using fan-assisted). The smaller the cake tin/pie dish, the longer the baking time - stick a fork into the middle to see if the cake is ready
10. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream

Spice bread (loaf)

© Lisa Stefan | Books & Latte

Please find the spice loaf / bread recipe on my blog Books & Latte (follow the link).