Raw Chocolate

This is a healthier and tastier version of the delicacy. All the ingredients I use are raw and organic.

75 g cacao butter

(1 tblsp coconut oil)

1-2 tblsp honey

3-4 tblsp cacao powder

1 tblsp carob powder

a pinch of good quality salt

Extras: for example nuts, dried berries, cacao nibs, chilli... (This time I used cacao nibs, walnuts and goji berries)

- Grate the cacao butter (and the coconut oil) and melt it in a bowl sitting in hot water.

- Add the honey and powders and mix until smooth.

- Spoon the chocolate mix into moulds with berries, nuts etc. Freeze for about half an hour, or refrigerate for couple of hours.

Mum's Lingon Berry Christmas Cake

This cake has lovely seasonal flavours and the lingon berry makes it moist and gives it a fresh taste.

4,5 dl flour

3 dl dark muscovado sugar

2 tsp vanilla sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp bitter orange peel

2 tsp ginger

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 dl lightly crushed lingon berries

2 eggs

1 dl double cream

1 dl kermaviili (or cream fraiche)

1,5 dl melted butter

- Mix all the dry ingredients together and then add the eggs and berries carefully.

- Mix the cream and kermaviili (or creme fraiche) in a separate bowl. Add the cream mix and butter to the dough.

- Pour the cake mix into a greased dish and bake low in the oven at 175 degrees for about an hour.

Apple Tart

2 eggs

1 dl sugar

1 dl milk

2 dl flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 dl melted butter

3 apples (peeled and sliced)

sugar

cinnamon

- Whip the sugar and eggs until foamy.

- Combine the flour and baking powder and then stir this mixture plus the milk into the whisked eggs. Finally add the melted butter.

- Grease the oven dish, and pour in the dough. Top with the sliced apples and sprinkle some cinnamon and sugar on top.

- Bake at 200 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Lingonberry Muffins

I used the same basic batter for these muffins as I did for the mint chocolate ones. These, however are spiced up with some cardamom and lingonberries.

150 g butter

1,5 dl sugar

2 eggs

3,5 dl flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2-1 tsp cardamom

1,5 dl milk

2,5 dl lingonberries

- Beat the butter and sugar until foamy.

- Mix in the eggs one at the time.

- Mix the flour, baking powder and cardamom together and sieve into the batter, adding milk at the same time.

- Stir the berries gently into the batter.

- Bake at 225 degrees in the middle shelf of the oven for about 15 minutes.

Waffles

I love waffles! One savory and one sweet waffle make a perfect sunday brunch for example. This recipe makes about 5-6 waffles.

Batter:

1,5 dl milk

1,5 dl sparkling water

2 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

about 3 dl flour

a pinch of salt

20-25 g melted butter

Allow the batter to sit for half an hour before cooking.

Savoury topping:

cream cheese

chopped spring onion or red onion

sun dried tomatoes

fresh basil

Sweet toppings:

For example jam and whipped cream or ice cream and berries.

Carrot Cake

Even my boyfriend, who usually is not a huge fan of sweet desserts, likes this moist cake. This recipe is big enough for an oven sized baking tray.

4 eggs
3 dl sugar
4 dl flour
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1-2 tsp vanilla sugar 1-2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 dl vegetable oil
6 dl grated carrot (maybe 3-5 carrots depending on their size)

topping:

200 g cream cheese
100 g butter
300 g icing sugar
1-2 tsp vanilla sugar

crushed almonds for decoration

- Mix the dry ingredients (flour, soda, vanilla sugar and cinnamon) in a bowl, peel and grate the carrot and mix it with the oil.
- Beat the eggs and sugar until foamy and add the dry ingredients, oil and carrot to the mixture.
- Spread on a big baking tray lined with baking paper.
- Bake at 225 degrees for about 15 minutes and let cool.
- Mix room temperature butter and soft cheese together and then sieve in the vanilla sugar and icing sugar and mix with a spoon.
- Spread on top of the sponge and sprinkle with crushed almonds.

Mint Chocolate Muffins

I found this recipe from a Finnish baking blog "Kinuskikissa". These muffins were really crumbly and nice, I will definitely try them again with different fillings and tastes, this time I used mint truffles. This recipe makes about 16 muffins.

150 g butter

1,5 dl sugar

2 eggs

3,5 dl flour

2 tsp baking powder

2,5 tblsp cocoa powder

1,5 dl milk or cream

150-200 g chocolate

- Beat the butter and sugar until foamy.

- Mix in the eggs one at the time.

- Mix the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder together and sieve into the batter, adding milk at the same time.

- Crush half of the chocolate and mix into the batter. Leave half of the chocolate into chunks and use them as hearts of the muffins as shown in the pictures.

- Bake at 225 degrees in the middle shelf of the oven for 12-15 minutes.

Lingon Berry Tart

I got this recipe from a friend's mum and I've been using it quite often since it's quick to make and tasty. You can use any berries, apples or rhubarb on this crumbly tart. The dairy topping suites extremely well with sour berries, it's made with "kermaviili" but you can use quark as well.

Pastry:

150 g butter (room temperature)

1 dl sugar

1 egg

3 dl flour

1 tsp baking powder

Topping:

200 g kermaviili, quark or sour cream

1/2 dl sugar

1 tsp vanilla sugar

1 egg

Any fruit or berries on top.

- Mix all the pastry ingredients using your fingertips, put into a fridge for a while.

- Butter a tart dish and tap the pastry mix evenly on to it.

- Add the topping and sprinkle your berries on top.

- Bake at 200 c for about half an hour on the lowest oven shelf.

Quark Desserts

Quark with Satsumas:

500 g quark

2 dl double cream (whipped)

4-6 satsumas (peeled and coarsly chopped)

sugar (to taste)

(vanilla sugar)

few peaces dark chocolate

- Mix all the ingredients together except for the chocolate, place in the dessert bowls and grate some chocolate on the top.

Quark with Lingon Berries:

500 g Quark

2 dl double cream (whipped)

2-3 dl lingon berries

sugar (to taste)

vanilla sugar (to taste)

caramel sauce

- Mix all the ingredients together except for the caramel sauce, place to the dessert bowls and pour some caramel sauce on top.

Tip: You can use any fruit or berries you like, and if you want to make a healthier version use yoghurt instead of double cream.

Nut & Chocolate Chip Cookies

I got this crunchy and delicious cookie recipe from my sister. They are easy to make and hard to store, since you always want to have just one more... Otherwise they would keep fine in a sealed cookie jar.

200 g butter

2 dl white sugar

2 dl brown muscovado sugar

1 tsp vanilla sugar/extract

2 eggs

6 dl flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp salt

150-200 g dark chocolate (coarsely crushed)

50 g almonds (crushed)

50 g hazelnuts (crushed)

- Whip the room temperature butter with the sugars, then add the eggs one by one.

- Mix the flour with salt and soda and then start adding the flour mix, nuts and chocolate slowly to the dough.

- Scoop a small amount of the mixture, shape between two spoons and place on a baking tray covered with baking paper.

- Bake at 175 degrees for 10-15 minutes and let cool before storing.

Nut & Chocolate Brownies

These brownies are moist, dark and delicious, and are perfect with some vanilla ice cream. I have modified this recipe from a book called Chocolate Ecstasy by Christine France. This recipe is quite dangerous, it's very addictive...

150 g dark chocolate (broken into squares)

125 g butter (melted)

2 dl dark muscovado sugar

1 dl white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla sugar or essence

2 dl flour

1-2 teaspoons baking powder

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

75 g walnuts (chopped)

50 g dark chocolate (crushed)

- Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over hot water.

- Beat the sugar and eggs.

- Add the butter and vanilla and mix well.

- Stir in the melted chocolate.

- Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the bowl and fold in thoroughly.

- Stir in the walnuts and crushed chocolate.

- Tip into a greased tin (approximately 20 cm square) and spread evenly out to the edges.

- Bake for 30-35 minutes at 180°C until the top is firm and crusty.

- Let cool in the tin before cutting into squares.

Simple Berry Smoothie

I make smoothies whenever I feel like having something quick, healthy and refreshing. This time I used some lovely Finnish berries that I had in a freezer. Almost any fruit or berries will do. Smoothies make a lovely breakfast or a healthy dessert as well.

small handful of blueberries

small handful of strawberries

2,5 dl (a cup) of plain yoghurt

splash of milk

couple of ice cubes

sugar/honey to taste

(vanilla sugar or extract)

Blend everything in a blender and voilá, it´s ready to serve.

Tip: If you use frozen berries, no need for defrosting them unless they are really big. At least my blender can handle them easily enough.