Raw Choc Chip Cookie Dough Balls

After the only half-successful cake I still decided to give the book Cake! 12 Healthy Recipes another try.

The No Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars have a method I am a bit more used to than yesterday's coconut flour cake. I did some adjustments but the little balls turn out really yummy.

Healthy nuts and seeds with natural sweetness are always a winner! The vanilla and the maple syrup give the recipe a distinctive flavor. And who can say no to dark lindt chocolate?

For variation one could roll the ball in coconut flakes or raw cacao powder.


Raw Choc Chip Cookie Dough Balls
(yields around 25 small balls)

Ingredients:

100g raw cashew nuts
50g raw sunflower seeds (without skin)
150g fresh medjool dates
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla powder
1 pinch of salt
20g of dark chocolate (I used the one with 85% cocoa content)

Preparation:

1. Soak the cashews and the sunflower seeds in cold water for 2-3 hours and then drain.

2. Put all ingredients besides the dark chocolate into a food processor and process to a sticky paste.

3. Tip onto a plate and mix in the chocolate which you chopped into small pieces.

4. Roll the mixture into small balls with your heads and store in fridge to harden slightly.

Coconut, Lime and Blueberry Cake

Are you as confused as me with all the health claims out there? Surrounded by the advocates for different lifestyles be it gluten-free, wheat-free, paleo or vegan to name just a few? Believers in intermittent fasting versus believers that leaving out breakfast will take you straight to hell on the nutrition highway?

Sometimes I am not sure if reading a lot is a blessing or if ignorance would be bliss. Over the last weeks I read lot's and lot's of books in the aim to find an eating plan suitable for me. Unfortunately with little success. Most books have convincing arguments. However if you compare notes in the end the arguments contradict. With some meal plans so constraining that I wonder where's the fun in live if one sticks to that?

I was hoping to find the easy way out by arranging for food intolerance testing in a lab. If there would not be all those published studies that those test results are not worth the paper they are printed on...

So I arrived at food intolerance testing through exclusion diet. This is based on the theory to exclude certain foods for a while from the diet in order to find out if changes in well-being can be detected.

But what's a baker without wheat, gluten and dairy?

Help was in sight with the recipe Coconut, Lime and Blueberry Cake from the book Cake! 12 Healthy Recipes.

Even though some of the ingredients are on the more unusual (and costly) side I was still keen on giving it a try. The recipe sounds easy enough. While preparing the batter some doubts start creeping up. This looks like nothing I baked before. Once all ingredients are mixed according to instructions I ended up with a result I would not call a batter but more a mix of weird crumbs. To be on a the safe side I added coconut milk to the recipe which resulted in some improvement in consistency but still more on the dry side.

The recipes requires the blueberries to be sprinkled on top. Due to the dryness of the cake batter that's also where they remain which I personally find a bit odd.

During baking the cake browned very quickly which made me a bit concerned about the baking time. Unfortunately the consistency of the batter did not allow for the usually poke test so I decided to stick to the 40 minutes mentioned in the recipe.

The taste test unfortunately confirms the dry appearance. The flavor is nicely coconutty which is complemented well by the fruity blueberries. The sweetness of the caramelly coconut sugar is balanced with the tangieness of the blueberries.

I will publish the recipe even though I don't consider it a success yet. Let's rather see it as a document of my learning journey...

Coconut, Lime and Blueberry Cake

Ingredients:
2 eggs
150g coconut sugar
150g grated courgettes
Juice and zest of two limes
100g coconut flour
100g desiccated cooconut
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
150ml coconut milk
150g blueberries

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

2. Mix eggs and sugar well until foamy with an electric beater or mixer.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients besides the blueberries into the bowl and mix again until well combined.

4. Fill batter into prepared baking tin (with baking paper and greased sides) and sprinkle blueberries on top.

5. Bake for 40 minutes on a low level.