Raw Cacao, Date and Pecan Bites

I'm always dying for something sweet in the evening but want to steer clear of anything high in sugar, especially when I spend my days tasting every new creation in the pastry kitchen. After testing a couple of recipes from the Happy Pear Cookbook, I decided to come up with something myself using similar ingredients. I developed these "healthy balls" or as I wisely renamed them; Raw Cacao, Date and Pecan bites, using only six simple ingredients - medjool dates, date syrup, pecans, porridge oats, raw cacao powder and organic white chocolate. 

The recipe couldn't be easier. 

In a food blender, simply blitz.... 

340g Pitted Medjool dates

5 tbsp Date syrup (or maple syrup)

150g Pecan Nuts 

100g Raw Cacao powder 

100g Porridge Oats 

... Once blitzed, roll about a tablespoon of the mix into mini balls. Roll the balls in a small amount of raw cacao powder. (It can be pricey so to re-use the cacao powder simply sift it back into the pack). I like to half dip the bites in organic white chocolate. To do so, melt your chocolate over a bain-marie, dip the bites and allow them to set on a sheet of baking paper. Once set, you can store the bites in the fridge for up to one week in a sealed container.

Check out the Happy Pear Cookbook or website for so many more recipes for healthy treats and snacks. Their salads are unbelievably good too - you'll thank me later ;)

Easy Peasy Pavlova Bites

If you're looking for something easy to whip up for dessert this Summer, you should definitely try these easy peasy pavlova bites. You can make the base up to a week and a half before the day you plan to serve them which leaves only the assembling for the busy day - super! 

Ingredients 

3 egg whites 

100g caster sugar 

50g icing sugar

For Decoration

250ml fresh whipping cream 

Fresh berries of your choice 

Grated or melted chocolate 

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Method

1) Preheat your oven to 110C / 230F / Gas Mark 1/2, and line a flat baking tray with greaseproof paper.

2) Whisk your egg whites using an electric mixer until the mixture forms a peak when the beater is lifted. 

3) Add half the caster sugar to the mixing bowl and mix again until the mixture forms a peak again when the beater is lifted. 

4) Add the remaining caster sugar to the bowl and once again beat for aprox 5 minutes until the mixture forms a peak again once the beater is lifted. 

5) Fold the icing sugar into the mix using a metal spoon, then fill you piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle with the mix and pipe small amounts of the mix onto your baking tray. 

6) Bake the mini pavlovas for 1.75 hours, then leave to cool before storing in an airtight container. 

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When Decorating...

Whip the fresh cream with a small drop of vanilla extract and again fill your piping bag fitted with the star shaped nozzle with the mix. Pipe the cream onto each of the mini pavlovas and top with berries of your choice. Sprinkle with grated chocolate or drizzle melted chocolate over the pavlovas and dust with icing sugar. 

You can easily use any left over meringues to top a chocolate and fresh cream cake or any cake for that matter!