chocolate

Chocolate, avocado & raspberry mousse

chocolate, dessert, healthy

So as of late i’ve been trying (huge emphasis on the try) to be healthier. Hitting the gym drinking tons of water and all that crap, but where i always slip up is food. Food is my baby, my passion, so having to cut things out, substitute naughty things and eat less just makes me want to cry. Desserts are my favourite thing in the world. You will always have room for dessert, it belongs in the heart, not the stomach. So finding healthy recipes has been difficult. They all seem to be American, using ingredients I’ve never heard of and quite frankly worry about their use or just plain rubbish. Definitely not inspiring me to eat them anyway. I had an abundance of long-gone avocados sitting in my fridge, but rather than use them up in guacamole or throw them away, i tried my hand at this mousse, it can very easily be dairy-free, sugar-free, vegan and is already gluten-free and vegetarian friendly. So this is an attempt at healthy. It may be the last for a while, i’ll be back to my normal self before long, I promise.

Ingredients

  • 125g dark chocolate (melted)
  • 225g avocados
  • 110g honey
  • 30g cocoa powder (but by all means add more if you want a more bitter mousse)
  • 75ml milk
  • 200g fresh raspberries
  • 2tbsp caster sugar

So this recipe is dead easy. You will need a blender or a food processor for this, it’ll give you a smoother mousse than doing it by hand. First of all, make your raspberry compote. In a small pan, pour in half of the raspberries and the sugar. Heat on a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the raspberries and broken and juicy, much like me after leg day. When that’s done, pour into a bowl and place in the fridge to cool down. Next make a start on your mousse by skinning the avocados and chopping into manageable sized pieces for your blender, this could be small or large depending on how powerful the machine is. Blitz the avocado until smooth. Next add the dark chocolate, then the honey, then the cocoa powder and finally the milk, giving a really good blend after each addition. It up to you if you want a thick mousse or a slightly looser one, so the amount of milk you put in is up to you, the amount i have here will get you a mousse like really thick greek yoghurt. Once you’re satisfied with the consistency and taste(check to make sure it’s not too sweet/too bitter for you) it’s time to dish it up. In your glasses/bowls/trainers, however you want to eat it, start of by mashing the remainder of the raspberries and giving each glass a spoonful the bottom. Then spoon some of your mousse into it, top with some of the raspberry compote from earlier and there it is. Done. I’ve got some cream on mine here, but i won’t judge if you won’t. Enjoy!

 

Crunchy and Gooey Chocolate Chip Blondies.

baking

You’ve all heard of brownies. Maybe you’ve made my seriously sexy marshmallow brownies? If you have or haven’t, make these. Blondies are essentially brownies without the chocolate. Fine, these ones have got white chocolate chips in, but you could try chopped pecans and fudge chunks, maybe banana chips and dried strawberries. The list is endless, so these can suit everyone. Their one-bowl easiness makes them even more appealing too! Just be sure to really let them cool before you attempt to portion them, they’re gooey as hell so they need to set properly after cooking.

Ingredients

  • 235g melted butter
  • 545g light soft brown sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 315g plain flour
  • 1tsp vanilla essence
  • 5g salt
  • 150g white chocolate chips (or whatever you prefer)
  • 50g dark muscavado sugar (optional, but it gives you a gorgeous, crunchy crust)

First things first, preheat your oven to 170C for a fan oven and 180C for a gas. Line a deep baking tray with greaseproof paper (it tends to rise, sometime A LOT). Now get a big mixing bowl, a wooden spoon and chuck your sugar and butter in. Give it a really good mix til it’s a smooth and the two are fully incorporated. Next mix in your eggs, then fold in your flour, salt, vanilla and mix-ins. Spoon the whole lot in your baking tray and sprinkle over your muscavado. Cook the lot for about 25-30 minutes, or when the middle is mostly set. They’ll still be gooey if the middle IS set, so don’t worry about undercooking, if needs be check the middle with a clean knife. If it comes out almost clean, it’s good to go, if it comes out with mixture, give it another 5-10 minutes. When it’s completely cooked, as I said, leave it to set and cool before portioning. Trust me on this.

Banana loaf with M&M’s and chocolate chips.

baking

This is a really easy, really tasty banana loaf. It has a beautiful dense composition, keeps moist for a long time in the tin and the chocolate chips just take it to a whole new level. Try it out, you don’t have to have the chocolate in, I like hazelnuts with it, maybe some dates in there, totally up to you, but if you don’t like the chocolate in, why are you here??

Ingredients

  • 350g seriously ripe bananas (about 6/7)
  • 180g plain flour
  • 2 1/2 tsps baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 160g muscavado sugar plus more to sprinkle on top
  • 2 eggs
  • 40g melted butter
  • 200g chocolate chips, M&M’s or whatever you want in

First of all, preheat your oven to 170C for a fan, 180C for a gas. Next, in a mixing bowl whisk up your butter, sugar and eggs til pale and doubled in size. If you’re doing this by hand it might take a while, so get your muscles ready. In a separate bowl give your bananas a good mash and in another bowl have all of your remaining ingredients together, ready to go in. When the egg mix is ready, fold in your dry ingredients til you can no longer see any flour. Then fold in your bananas. Next transfer the mix into a greased tin mould (or any mould, mine was in a heart tin!) sprinkle over some extra sugar and get it into your oven for about 45 mins, check it at 30 and make sure it’s on the lowest shelf in the oven! Keeping it low will ensure you don’t burn the top before the rest of it is cooked, and the sugar just gives it an extra crunch. Leave to cool a little, don’t share it and enjoy!

Malt Chocolate Bourbon Biscuits

baking

Biscuits. A staple of the British diet. Everyone’s got a half open packet in the cupboard sitting there and getting soggy. Why not try making these? The classic chocolate bourbon biscuit with a beautiful malty twist.

Ingredients

For the biscuits

  • 250g plain flour
  • 125g chilled salted butter (cubed)
  • 125g muscavado sugar
  • 2 tbsp malt extract
  • 50g cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 3 tbsp milk

For the buttercream

  • 200g icing sugar
  • 50g cocoa powder
  • 150g salted butter
  • 1 tbsp malt extract
  • 2 tbsp milk

Preheat the oven to 160C for a fan oven, 170C for a gas. Get all of your biscuit ingredients into a mixer, food processor or big bowl. If you’re using a bowl, be prepared to put in a few minutes work! Keep going til the mixture is clumpy, then turn out onto a floured surface and knead til you have a smooth dough. Next roll out and cut into fingers about 1inch by 3 inches. Put them onto a baking tray and pierce with a down each side. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes. In the meantime make your buttercream filling by placing all the ingredients in the mixer/food processor/bowl and mix until you’ve got a smooth creamy spread. If you want to be neat, use a piping bag. If you just want them in your mouth, use a knife and spread like your life depends on it! When your buttercream’s ready, get your biscuits in the oven for about 13-14 minutes. Just keep your eye on them, they can go from perfect to burnt very quickly. When the biscuits are ready, leave them to cool completely before filling with the buttercream and you’re ready to go!

Panettone & Galaxy pudding.

baking, pudding

So this is essentially a bread and butter pudding, just pimped. I had a leftover panettone loaf from Christmas that no-one’s touched so this was the perfect remedy. And Galaxy chocolate is just the best to cook with. It has the silkiest texture when it’s hot, the richest taste, and is just a good all rounder with everyone. Do not settle for anything less!

Ingredients

  • 1 large panettone loaf (but it would be delicious with a fruit loaf or similar too)
  • 1 250g bar of Galaxy chocolate (or use more…yeah, use more…)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 250ml double cream
  • 500ml milk
  • a little butter to spread onto the top layer of bread.
  • 1 tbsp demerera sugar

First of all, preheat your oven to 170C for a fan oven and 180C for a gas oven. Next, slice your loaf into 1cm-ish slices. Chop your chocolate into small squares. Eat a few. Now start assembling. Layer bread then chocolate, then bread then chocolate. Don’t butter these slices, the bread is rich enough to not need it. Then cut some smaller slices for the top and butter them (we want to sugar crust to caramelise in the oven, and that butter will help). Arrange them prettily on top but remember, the more angles you have, the more crunchy, sugary lusciousness you’re going to have, so layer the slices so they’re not flat (just like mine). Next make the custard mix. Just crack your eggs into a jug and give them a good whisk. Next add your vanilla extract, cream and milk. Give it another whisk and pour it over your bread, making sure you cover all of the top layer. When all of the custard mix is in, push the whole lot down with your hands, this’ll just make sure the bread is fully saturated and you don’t have any dry parts. When you’re ready to go, sprinkle over the sugar and chuck it in the oven for a good 45 minutes, checking it at 30. It’s ready to go when there’s no more wobble in the middle. I’d love to say the same for myself. Enjoy, anyhow!

Choc-a-block Brownies

baking

You need to make these brownies. Now. I’m not even kidding, these are the things missing in your life. You might not think there IS anything missing from your life, but i guarantee you, once the smell of these gooey chocolate-marshmallow squares fills your kitchen, you’ll understand.

Ingredients.

  • 250g soft butter
  • 115g soft brown sugar
  • 175g dark muscavado sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla flavouring
  • 4 eggs
  • 175g plain flour
  • 115g cocoa powder
  • 200g chopped galaxy chocolate
  • 100g mini marshmallows
  • 100g white chocolate chips
  • white chocolate stars to decorate (if you want to be fancy)

First thing you need to do is preheat your oven to 170C for a fan and 180C for a gas oven. Now, get your butter, sugars and vanilla flavouring into a food mixer, or into a big bowl ready for either a hand mixer or a big ole spoon and elbow grease if you’re feeling old-school. Get the mix really light and fluffy, this’ll make it easier to incorporate the eggs. Add your eggs one by one, then mix your flour, cocoa powder and extras by hand, it’s a really thick mix, so this last bit needs to be done with a spoon, just so you don’t over-mix. When the mixture’s ready, use a spatula to flatten it into a square tin lined with baking paper. Cook these babies for 25 minutes or until a cocktail stick inserted into it comes out clean. I know this next bit’s hard, but you’ve gotta let them cool for about 15-20 minutes before portioning, or it’ll just be a gooey mess! Put a picture on Instagram and enjoy!