Citrus Coconut Almond Biscotti

I do love biscotti and so does my family.  When a friend shared a recipe she had for something with citrus and coconut, I just had to play around with it.  This is what I came up with.  Delicious on their own or with a cup of your favourite warm beverage.

Citrus Coconut Almond Biscotti

Ingredients

1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup plain flour
2/3 cup ground almonds
1/3 cup self-raising flour
1 cup desiccated coconut
Finely grated rind of 1 each x orange, lemon & lime (you could use just oranges if you prefer)


Preheat oven to 180 degrees C and grease oven tray.

Whisk sugar and eggs until combined.  Stir in flours and ground almonds, then coconut and rinds.

Knead dough on floured surface until smooth (doesn't take long).  Divide dough in half, roll each portion into an approx 30cm log.  Place logs on tray.  Bake for around 30 minutes.  Cool on tray for 10 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 150 degrees.

Using a serrated knife, cut logs diagonally into approx 5mm slices.  Place slices in a single layer on ungreased oven trays.  Bake for 30 minutes until dry and crisp turning halfway through baking.

Cool on wire racks.

These should keep in an airtight container for at least a month, but I've never been able to test this theory as they are well gone by then!

Enjoy!

Caryl ♥

Chocolate dipped Coconut Almond Macaroons

These are something I make every Christmas.  They are extremely moreish, which is why I make so many of them! :)

Chocolate dipped Coconut Almond Macaroons

Ingredients - (makes approx. 50 macaroons)

3 egg whites

2/3 cup sugar

1-1/2 cups ground almonds

1-1/2 cups dessicated coconut

150g block good dark chocolate (you could also use milk or white chocolate)

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C (approx. 325 degrees F).

Beat egg whites in a small bowl, until soft peaks form.

Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat until sugar is dissolved and mixture is thick and glossy.

Transfer to medium bowl.

Gently fold in almonds and coconut, with a metal spoon.

Spoon small teaspoons of mixture onto lined baking trays, approx. 2" apart.

Bake in oven for about 20 minutes, or until firm and slightly golden brown.

Cool on trays.

When the macaroons are cooled, melt the chocolate in a double saucepan, over a low heat.  Stir until completely melted and smooth.  Take off the heat.

Dip the bases of the macaroons into the chocolate.  Place upside down, on foil lined trays, until chocolate has firmed up again.

These store quite well in an airtight container.  Not sure for how long though, as they get eaten pretty quickly! :)

Enjoy!

Caryl ♥

Coconut Seed Slice

I've been baking these slices for my kids ever since they were very young.  They were called "Mum's Slice".  Last weekend, my eldest boy came home from Uni and asked me to make some for him to take back with him.  This time, though, I added some extra seed goodness too! :)

Ingredients

100 grms butter
2-3 tbsp golden syrup
1/4 cup chia gel
1 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup desiccated coconut
1/3 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup golden linseeds
1/4 cup hemp seeds


Melt butter with golden syrup in a saucepan. Add the chia gel (see recipe at Caryl's Cooking Creations: How to make a Chia Gel) and stir well.

Combine all dry ingredients into a bowl.

Pour butter mixture into dry ingredients and stir well, until just combined.

Spread mixture onto a medium sized baking tray, patting out until flat and even.

Bake in oven at 160 degrees C for approx. 20-25 minutes, until well browned.  (If you like your slices softer or more chewy, bake for 15 mins only.)

Leave on tray to cool, then turn out and cut into slices.

If there are any over, they will store well in an airtight container.  Although, I'm not sure how long for because they are always eaten up pretty quickly in my house! ;)

Enjoy!

Caryl ♥

Coconut Seed Cookies

Having successfully introduced chia seeds into the household, hubby has recently been asking me to come up with a biscuit or cookie recipe.  So ..... here's my first attempt, which I must say has been rather successful.  

I will definitely do these again, but may add a little rice flour next time.  They are delicious, moorish and full of goodness!


Ingredients

185g butter
3 tbsp Agave syrup (you could use honey instead)
1 large egg
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup wholemeal self-raising flour
1/4 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup Goji berries


Melt butter and syrup together. Transfer to small bowl, add egg and whisk together.

Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl.  Make a well in the centre and add the melted butter mixture. Stir well until completely mixed together.

Drop teaspoonfuls of mixture onto lightly greased oven trays, allowing some space between each biscuit, as they will spread slightly during cooking.

Bake in a moderate oven (approx. 180 degrees C) for 10-15 minutes, or until a light golden colour. Cool on trays.

Enjoy!

Caryl ♥

Plum & Chia Seed Crumble

Every year, our ancient plum tree yields beautiful, sweet and juicy plums.  The only trouble we have is reaching the ones at the top of the tree, which usually get left for the birds and other flying creatures.

The other day, we collected this fabulous basketful of plums, so after eating a few just as they are, I decided to create a new dessert, using chia seeds.

The amounts for this plum crumble dessert are approximate.  After a few of the plums were eaten from the basket, I had just over 1kg left.

Ingredients

Just over 1kg Plums

1 tbsp ground Chia Seeds

2 tbsp Muscovado Sugar

Crumble Ingredients

2 tbsp Coconut Oil

2 tbsp Butter - chopped into pieces

4 tbsp ground Almonds

2 tbsp Muscovado Sugar

4 tbsp Oats

2 tbsp ground Chia Seeds

6 tbsp Plain Flour

2 tbsp shredded Coconut

extra Muscovado Sugar - for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

Wash and de-stone the plums.  Cut them into quarters and put them into a deep casserole dish.

Sprinkle over the chia seeds and sugar and mix well to combine.

Mix all the crumble ingredients in a bowl with clean fingers until it becomes crumbly.  (You could use a blender if you wish and stir in the shredded coconut at the end).

Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the plums.  Add a little extra sugar over the top.

Pop it in the preheated oven for approx. 30 mins, until starting to brown on top.

Serve with a dollop of vanilla ice-cream, or custard.

Enjoy!

Caryl ♥