Desserts / Treats
I love desserts, absolutely adore them although only the healthy ones of course as I would never eat the 'butter-white flour-white sugar-icing sugar' versions of cakes, cookies and what have you. The main ingredients (all organic) in my baking are: nuts and nut butters (mainly peanut-, almond- or cashew butter), tahini (sesame paste), coconut oil, rapeseed oil, agave nectar, maple syrup, raw cane sugar, dates, raisins, baby food / apple sauce, spelt flour, barley flour and so the list goes on. Perhaps not the most obvious ingredients but they are widely available in health food stores and you can also find them in the health food section of your larger supermarket. I am very keen on raw cakes although I bake many of my cakes as well, it depends on my mood, the occasion and the time I have available. I also love raw ice creams because they don't use any cream, eggs, butter or anything that might clog veins.
The fat is often limited in my baking (for example I might use one tablespoon coconut oil and a whole jar of baby food instead of using 200 grams of butter. The downside of using lesser fat is that the baking won't always keep for long although you can freeze most of what you make and use it later. Also the cookies tend to require a bit more fat to become crunchy. It's just not fun biting into a soft cookie which is supposed to be crunchy! So wherever I can save 1000 calories and a 100 grams of fat, I do. If the fat is absolutely required, I will use more. My husband is very happy with this policy because it means he can eat a lot more of everything (because it has fewer calories and lesser fat than traditional baking!).
Biscotti with Pistachio Nuts
There is something lovely about pistachios in biscottis.
Biscotti with Pistachio Nuts and Orange Zest
The orange aroma that fills the kitchen when making these is wonderful. I sometimes make these biscottis just to fill the kitchen with that lovely orange scent.
Blueberry and Banana Ice Cream
Yum..I absolutely love this ice cream. When I first made it I made a large batch and put the leftover into the freezer and then completely forgot about it.
Blueberry and Chocolate Ice Cream
Blueberries and chocolate are a fairly unusual combination, at least in an ice cream.
Blueberry and Pecan Muffins
Blueberries and pecans are a match made in heaven (or any other nice place). They are totally meant to be together, especially in muffins.
Blueberry Cheesecake
Cheese cakes are often mistaken for healthy cakes although they are most often far worse than mine.
Blueberry Ice Cream Cake
I often make treats from blueberries in the autumn since the only berries we get in Iceland are blueberries and bilberries (and redcurrants).
Blueberry Patties
Every mum and granny (and some dads and granddads) know how to make patties made out of leftover porridge or rice pudding. They are called "lummur" in Icelandic.
Brazil Nut and Carob Chip Cookies
These are absolutely lovely. They are not too sweet and not too rich, just perfect with a glass of ice cold soy milk (or regular milk if you prefer).
Breakfast Muffins
This recipe is inspired by a similar recipe in Nigella Lawson's How to be a Domestic Goddess (if you don't own a copy I recommend buying one, it's a pure joy to read).
Carrot and Banana Loaf
I love the combination of pecan nuts, carrots and bananas.
Carrot and Banana Scones
I love scones. They are easy to make, low in fat and are excellent when popped into the toaster. That means I can take them with me to work and enjoy almost fresh scones.
Carrot Cake (My Very First Cake)
This is the very, very first cake that I baked. I am ashamed to say that I was 24 years old.
Carrot Cake with Almond and Coconut Frosting
This is quite an unusual cake but I love it, especially since I never, ever eat the frosting you would find on "normal" cakes but this one is creamy and looks very much like the real thing, only a
Carrot Cake with Quark and Date Frosting
This is one of my husband's favourite cakes. He gets soooo happy when I make it, he almost jumps with joy. This is a low fat carrot cake with a low fat frosting.
Cashew and Banana Ice Cream
How often can you eat ice cream without worrying about clogging your veins?
Cashew and Mango Ice Cream Drops
This is a delicious treat. I love the look on my guests' faces when I serve them frozen treats. They never expect it (but are very delighted when they try it out).
Cashew Cream
This is an egg free, lactose free, gluten free and vegan cream, perfect for those that have food intolerances. I often make this cream for myself as I am not big on the cream made from dairy.
Cashew Cream Buns with Strawberry Jam
The Monday, seven weeks before Easter, the tradition in Iceland is to serve Bollur (buns) and the day is called Bolludagur (Bun Day).
Chocolate and Almond Fudge
I haven't met a single person that does not love these treats. They are quick and easy to make and if you are expecting guests in two hours you can quickly make them.
Chocolate and Banana Mousse
This is a rich and creamy mousse and very healthy since it contains mono-unsaturated fats from the cashew nuts, antioxidants from the cocoa powder and cocoa nibs and potassium from the bananas (whi
Chocolate and Coconut Balls
These chocolate and coconut balls are something that Icelandic children enjoy from the day they can say 'chocolate'.
Chocolate and Coconut Treats
These are very simple to make and no chopping is required, just melting and combining. These treats are excellent if you are expecting guests in one hour as they are so quick to prepare.
Chocolate and Date Ice Cream
This ice cream is one of the first ones I made during my days when I thought the only ice creams available were the ones bought from the shops, packed with rubbish.
Chocolate and Pistachio Squares
Pistachios are good for your heart and can lower your bad cholesterol. They are also beautiful to look at with their bright green colour.