Avocado Chocolate Mousse

Everyone seems to pull a incredibly unimpressed face when I mention avocado mousse. They seem to imagine a green guacamole type dessert that doesn't sound particularly appetizing, but, they couldn't be more wrong. The avocado simply works as a thickening agent creating a vegan alternative to a chilled chocolate pudding or mousse. The dessert is particularly smooth in texture and the intense chocolaty flavour will deter you from ever going back to the original. The dessert is made with purely natural ingredients so with only four more days of Healthy January to go, why not hold out and give this tasty treat a go.

You will need 

2 ripe avocados 

Half cup of coconut milk 

Half cup of raw (or regular) cocoa powder

6 tbsp Honey (may need more - add to taste)

Small handful of desiccated coconut 

2 tbsp Raw Cocoa Nibs 

What to do...

First, you will need to peel, de-stone and blend the avocados. I find using the hand blender the easiest.

In a separate bowl, gently whisk the coconut milk and cocoa powder until combined. Add the avocado and honey to the mix and whisk again until incorporated. 

You can now add your desiccated coconut and cocoa nibs before piping the mixture into the glasses or dishes you plan to serve it in.

Once piped, refrigerate overnight for best results or alternatively for a minimum of four hours. I like to serve the mousse with something a little tart and fruity on top - frozen mixed berries or orange or grapefruit segments work really well.  

Cupcake Minis

So I turned 21 this week which came as a bit of a shock to the system with officially being an adult and all that, but, I wasn't making the transition without one final almost tea party! Besides, what's a party without lots of cake? Along with my Chocolate Tower Cake, I decided to make a few batches of cupcake minis in a selection of different flavours for my party.  I went with a batch of vanilla, a batch of chocolate and a batch of lemon drizzle. The cake and buttercream recipes are both extremely easy to follow and I'd definitely recommend giving them a go. Just so you know, each recipe starts out the exact same and the flavours are added nearer to the end.

Ingredients

FOR ONE BATCH OF TWELVE

225g Butter

225g Caster Sugar

4 large Eggs

225g Self Raising Flour (sieved)

Rind of one lemon OR 2 tbsp Cocoa Powder OR 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract

Method

FOR ONE BATCH OF TWELVE

1) Preheat your oven to 180C/ 360F/ Gas Mark 4

2) Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl until nice and fluffy

3) While the butter and sugar are mixing, line your small cupcake tray with mini cupcake cases

4) Add the eggs to the mixture, one at a time, and continue to beat

5) When combined, add the sieved flour, one spoon at a time, and mix until light and fluffy

6) Add in the flavouring of your choice (the cocoa powder, lemon rind or vanilla extract) and mix again

7) Spoon roughly a tsp of the mixture into each muffin case and bake in the oven for 10 -15 mins (check the cupcakes after 10 mins and leave in if not yet golden brown in colour) 

8) Leave the cupcakes to cool fully on a wire wrack before icing - while you're waiting you can get cracking on the buttercream...

Ingredients 

FOR THE BUTTER CREAM

50g Butter (softened)

100g Icing Sugar

I tsp Lemon Juice OR 1 tsp Vanilla Extract OR 50g Melted Chocolate and 1 tbsp Cocoa Powder

2 tbsp Boiling Water

Method

FOR THE BUTTER CREAM

1) Cream the butter and icing sugar together in your electric mixer until light and fluffy (the lighter the better)

2) Add in either the lemon juice OR the vanilla extract OR the cocoa powder (if you are making the chocolate cupcake minis, add the cocoa powder first and when combined add in the melted chocolate, one spoon at a time)

3) Continue to beat and add the boiling water, again, one tbsp at a time

4) Beat for a further few minutes and you're ready to decorate

 You can then decorate the cupcakes however you wish. I piped the icing using different techniques on each of the different styles and used "Princess sprinkles" which I bought in Lidl. 

Candied Almonds

My brother Niall has a bit of an obsession... He absolutely LOVES almonds. He eats them day in, day out and mam can buy anything between two and five packs on a weekly basis for him. I suppose they are a good source of healthy oils and nutrients, but, he's been trying out a few not-so-healthy recipes lately, one of which is these absolutely deeeelicious salted caramelized roasted nuts which really are a must try. 

When Niall mentioned that he was planning on making these scrumptious treats I insisted on documenting his every move for Yummmmyy. I seriously couldn't wait to try them.

The aromas that filled the kitchen as he made the caramelized nuts, instantly brought me back to the streets of New York. The smell was almost identical to that of the freshly candied nuts sold by vendors on almost every street corner in the city. I did try the candied nuts while in New York, one evening on my way to the Museum of Modern Art, so I had great expectations and lucky Niallo had a lot to live up to! 

You Will Need...

2 Cups of Nuts of your choice (We used a mix of almonds and peanuts)

1 and a half cups of Brown Sugar

Half cup of Honey or Golden Syrup

2 tbsp Salt

Method

1) Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas Mark 5 and line a flat baking tray with greaseproof paper

2) Put all the nuts and the half cup of sugar into a pot, cover in hot water and bring to the boil

3) When boiled, drain the water and leave the nuts in the pot

4) Add the honey and half the remaining sugar and stir

5) Pour the nuts onto the baking tray and sprinkle with the remaining sugar and the salt

6) Bake for approximately 10 minutes until the nuts are golden brown

7) Leave to cool and enjoy