My mum is an expert baker. She was a home economics teacher in New Zealand for years and has always been in charge of the dessert section of any family occasion or dinner party. And she does the. best. meringues. ever. No argument. She often makes the good old original kind, this amazing chewy coconut flavour and many others. Mum’s meringues are light and airy with a crispy outer layer and chewy centre. Just how I like them.
RAW LIME CHEESECAKE
These raw ‘cheesecakes’ are so easy to make and as you store them in the freezer it means you can always have something on hand when those sugar cravings set in. But something a lot lower in sugar than your typical cheesecake or frozen treat! This one is fresh and bright and makes the most of the abundance of citrus that’s around at the moment. The lime and coconut is a classic combination for a reason – it tastes fantastic. Zesty, creamy cheesecake top layer on a base of chewy coconut and almond, so simple, so good.
RAW STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE SLICE
Another dairy free, vegan, gluten free cheesecake miracle! This one is a little simpler, fresher and more pink than my other cheesecake slice. An oat and almond base is topped with strawberry cashew ‘cheesecake’ filled with chunks of fresh strawberry and a swirl of strawberry puree. It’s delicious and very pretty.
MAPLE AND CHILLI ROASTED NUTS
This recipe combines three ingredients that I find very addictive. And adds a bit of salt to them, so you know all self control is out the window. Maple. Chilli. Roasted Nuts. They are sweet, spicy, salty and ridiculous. My boyfriend has also humbly pointed out that he made a chilli and honey peanut version of these a while back so I am stealing his ideas. My dad all makes maple glazed pecans all the time so I guess I amalgamated both their recipes and made it mine, mine, mine. Haha happy holidays and all that stuff – get roasting!
BANANA BREAD
This is so delicious. I made this a month or so ago but sometimes I dream about it. It fills the house with such a delicious smell. And slathered in peanut or almond butter – or just plain butter – it is ridiculous. This also passed the boyfriend test and he is both a lover of sweet things and banana bread so I feel that speaks volumes.
YOGHURT AND BERRY BUNDT CAKE
This cake tastes as delicious as it looks. it’s not overly sweet and the berries on top of the cake go a little bit jam like and tacky. You don’t have to bake it in a bundt tin (see note at bottom) I just like that this tin gives you more crunchy cake crumb around each piece.
CHOCOLATE DATE AND ALMOND BLISS BALLS
These could be called chocolate, date, almond, coconut bliss balls as they are rather coconutty too. But then I would just be listing ALL the ingredients. Well almost. Super simple to make and a delicious snack. For whatever reason they taste better after they’ve rested in the fridge for a bit. I don’t know how long this phenomenon occurs for though as they only lasted 2 days in my house!