These sugar free bliss balls are easy to make & great to have on hand for an afternoon snack or just when I need something on the sweet side.

I’ve recently been eating a paleo diet & besides being amazed at how good I feel, I’ve been amazed yet again at what my Thermomix can do for me!  I’ve been able to make so many things myself, rather than buying them, which has not only saved a lot of money, but taste better too.  I’ve made these bliss balls using the left over pulp from making my own Almond Milk, so there’s no wastage.  You can keep the pulp in the fridge for a day or two after making milk, if you don’t have time to make the balls straight away.

Ingredients:
Almond pulp (left over from making almond milk – about 180g)
100g cashews, unsalted
175g pitted dates
25g cocoa or cacao
90g shredded coconut
30g maple syrup or honey
pinch of salt
2 tbsp coconut oil

Method:
1) Add all ingredients to your TM bowl & chop 10-20 seconds speed 8.
2) Scrape down the sides of the bowl & combine a further 10-20 seconds speed 8 (using TM spatula through the hole in the lid if necessary).
3) Roll into balls coat in desiccated coconut (optional)
4) Freeze the balls for at least 30 minutes before storing in the fridge.

Notes:
 I store my protein balls in the freezer, as they don’t need to defrost long before eating.  Once they’ve frozen on a tray or plate, you can store them in a zip lock bag & they won’t stick together.
 
 This is what the almond pulp looks like after it’s been strained through the nut milk bag….

If you’re a perfectionist in the kitchen like me & prefer ever ball to be the same size, I use an old fashioned ice cream scoop to portion the mixture, before rolling into balls.

If you’ve ever been to a Thermomix demo, you’ve probably been wowed by the sorbet!  My favourite comment from a demo so far has to be ‘Oh Caroline….you had me at icing sugar’!

You can also use your Thermomix to make instant soft serve ice cream.  Instead of using ice & frozen fruit for a sorbet, a Fruity Dream is made from frozen fruit, so the texture is more creamy.  By adding the Butterfly Whisk in the last stage of the recipe, you incorporate air, which produces such a light dessert.

This fruity dream recipe is for the adults, as I’ve found kids don’t really appreciate the basil.  It may sound like an odd combination, but trust me, it’s absolutely delicious.

Ingredients:
60g raw sugar
600g frozen red grapes (seedless)
handful of basil leaves
1 egg white

Method:
1) Place sugar in TM bowl, mill 10 seconds/speed 9.
2) Add frozen fruit, chop 10 seconds/speed 8. Scrape down the sides of the bowl & chop again 10 seconds/speed 8.
3) Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg white & chop 10 seconds/speed 8.
4) Insert Butterfly Whisk. Mix 40-60 seconds/speed 4, or until a soft & smooth consistency is reached.
5) Serve immediately or store in the freezer in a container.

 Notes:
 You can use green grapes, however I prefer the colour the red grapes give to the ice cream.

You can use any frozen fruits or berries to make your fruity dream!

I was chatting with a girlfriend of mine recently about sweets & baking, when she told me about an amazing recipe for choc chip cookies.  She’d come across them on ‘Rebecca Judd Loves’ website (yes, Juddy’s wife).   I promised my girlfriend I would look up the recipe & make them in my Thermomix.  I’m so glad I did, because not only are these very easy to make, they are AMAZING!  The cookies are lovely & crunchy.  The condensed milk & coconut really make these cookies very moorish!  On her website, Rebecca explained that this recipe is from ‘Edmond’s Cookbook’, which is very well known in New Zealand & are also known as ‘Sante Biscuits’.

Ingredients:
125g butter, softened
50g brown sugar
50g sweetened condensed milk
5g vanilla extract
125g plain flour
85g desiccated coconut
1 tsp baking powder
170g choc chips

Method:
1) Pre heat oven to 160 degrees C (fan forced).
2) Place butter, sugar, condensed milk & vanilla in TM bowl, mix 20 seconds/speed 4. (If the butter is cold from the fridge, place in TM bowl first & soften for 1 minute/50 degrees/speed 1 – then follow the remainder of step 2).
3) Add flour, coconut, & baking powder. Mix 8 seconds/speed 4. Scrape down sides of bowl & repeat 8 seconds/speed 4.
4) Add choc chips, mix 10 seconds/reverse/speed 2.5
5) Roll into balls & flatten with a fork onto greased or lined baking trays.
6) Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Notes:
I use an old fashioned ice cream scoop to portion my cookie dough.  This ensures the cookies are all the same size & cook evenly.   Just take care towards the bottom of the TM bowl that you don’t scrape it.  I have 3 different sizes of ice cream scoops that I also use for making cupcakes too.

I never like to waste food, so given I only needed a small amount of condensed milk, I’ve frozen the rest in 50ml portions to make these cookies again.

I was at a girlfriends house recently & I was browsing through her vast collection of cookbooks.  I noted that we both had Neil Perry’s cookbook ‘Good Food’.  My friend then told me about an amazing cake from his book.  It’s a carrot & almond cake & as I read the recipe, I noticed ingredients like ground nuts, ground biscuits & whipped egg whites.  Of course I had a light bulb moment & thought, hello, Thermomix!  I made the cake a week later & served it dusted with a generous amount of icing sugar.  It was lovely & of course very easy to make in my Thermomix.    As I was eating it though, I thought it would be even better with some chocolate, so here’s where I’ve tweaked the recipe, along with converting it to Thermomix method.  I hope you enjoy this cake as much as I do!

Ingredients:

180g almonds
100g walnuts
230g caster sugar
130g Savoiardi (sponge finger) biscuits
10g baking powder
5 eggs, separated
1 large carrot
15g Grand Marnier or Cointreau
zest of 1 orange, microplaned/grated
1 qty chocolate ganache – 100g dark chocolate & 80g full fat (whipping) cream

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (fan forced), lightly grease a round cake tin, then line base & sides with baking paper.
2) Place nuts, sugar, biscuits & baking paper in TM bowl, grind 10-15 seconds/speed 9. Set aside in a large mixing bowl.
3) Without cleaning TM bowl, add carrot, chop 5 seconds/speed 6. Add Grand Marnier, egg yolks & grated zest, mix 10 seconds/speed 3. Add this to the crumb mixture in the mixing bowl & mix until all ingredients are moistened & well combined.
4) In a clean TM bowl, insert Butterfly into bowl & add egg whites. Whip for 3.5 minutes/speed 3.5

5) Gently fold whipped egg whites into the cake mixture in 3 batches. Pour into prepared cake tin & bake for 1 hour. When it’s cooked, the top of the centre of the cake needs to feel quite firm to touch.
6) Allow the cake to cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes before removing & cooling on a wire rack. If time allows, let cake cool completely in the tin. You can even leave in the tin overnight covered with glad wrap.  To serve the cake, the top of the cake becomes the bottom, so the bottom of the cake is now the top & flat.

7) To make the ganache, place chocolate pieces into TM bowl & grate 10 seconds/speed 8.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
8) Add cream, melt 3 minutes/50 degrees/speed 3.
9) Working quickly, pour ganache over the cake & gently smooth up to the edges of the cake.  Very gently give the ganache a push over the edge of the cake, so the chocolate drizzles down the sides.  This must be down quickly though, as the ganache will thicker as it cools.

Notes:

I had no idea what Savoiardi biscuits were, but I found them in Coles with the sweet biscuits.

It’s always best to line your tin with baking paper on the base & sides, even if your tin is non stick.  It will give you a much more professional looking cake once it’s cooked, cooled & removed from the tin.

I always have two yoghurts on the go in my fridge – Natural for myself & for coking & then Vanilla for the kids.  If you haven’t done so already, check out my Make Your Own Yoghurt post.

The most important thing to do first though, is always take 3 tablespoons of yoghurt for your next starter, before you add your flavouring.

Follow these directions to flavour your natural yoghurt.  I make Vanilla yoghurt for the kids, which they love on it’s own.  I’ll then often add to that fresh fruit, passionfruit or make my own berry coulis in my Thermomix (see below).

Vanilla Yoghurt:
Add to 1 quantity (1L) of Natural Yoghurt;
60g caster sugar
10g vanilla bean paste
10g vanilla extract
Stir ingredients well into yoghurt & refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

Berry Coulis
Ingredients:
200g fresh or frozen raspberries or mixed berries
100g caster sugar
20g freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)

Method:
1) Place all ingredients into TM bowl, cook 6 minutes/90 degrees/speed 4.
2) If you prefer a smoother coulis, puree 10 seconds/speed 8 after cooking.

Serve coulis once cooled & store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

What’s not to love about a quick treat for the kids that takes 7 minutes to make?  I’ve tried a few different chocolate custard recipes (or at least my kids have) & this one is my favourite.  This custard will keep in the fridge for a few days.  When it’s cold, the custard tastes like chocolate mousse & is quite light & fluffy!  I used to buy my kids custard from the supermarket.  This custard doesn’t even compare on taste, obviously has no additives/preservatives & the money I save continues to astound me!

Ingredients:
6 squares of dark chocolate
60g raw sugar
30g cornflour
20g cocoa
700g milk
2 eggs

Method:
1) Place chocolate, sugar, cornflour & cocoa in TM bowl, chop 20 seconds/speed 9.
2) Add milk & eggs. Cook 7 minutes/90 degrees/speed 4.
3) Serve immediately on it’s own or with fresh fruit.

Source: Thermomazing

Notes:

If let sit to cool, remove the layer of skin that forms before serving.

You can halve the quantity – just cook for 6 minutes in step 2.

For a thicker custard, either reduce the milk to 600g or add an additional egg.

I found this recipe online this week & thought it looked delicious.  The recipe wasn’t in Thermomix format & of course called for the use of a saucepan, electric beaters & a sieve.  I thought I’d make it & convert the recipe to TM method at the same time.  Well, the cake was delicious!  I’ll definitely be making this one again.  It was a hit with the whole family, nut free for lunch boxes & lovely even without the icing.  However, the icing is divine!  I love to bake & decorate cakes, so in this post I’ve included some great tips for presenting & freezing the perfect cake.

Cake Ingredients:

170g Golden Syrup

125g Butter

300g SR flour

110g Caster sugar

40g shredded or desiccated coconut

2 eggs

250g Full cream milk

Icing Ingredients:

60g Butter

5 g Honey

5g Vanilla extract

210g Raw sugar or icing sugar

20g hot water

Extra coconut to decorate

Cake Method:

1) Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

2) Place butter & syrup in TM bowl & melt 4 minutes/70 degrees/speed 2.  Check that butter is melted & heat for another minute if required.

3) Add flour, sugar, coconut & eggs to TM bowl.  Mix 10 seconds/speed 4.

4) Place an empty jug on top of the TM lid & zero scales.  Weigh 250g milk.

5) Keep mixing the mixture on speed 4 & gradually pour the milk into the TM bowl, through the hole in the lid.  Take about 1 minute to pour the milk in.

6) Scrape down the side of the bowl & mix 10 seconds/speed 4.

7) Pour mixture into a greased & lined cake tin & bake at 180 degrees for approximately 60 minutes.

Allow the cake to cool in the tin.  The majority of the cakes you will bake will end up with a raised & crunchy peak in the middle.  This is due to the middle of the cake being the last point to cook.  This used to drive me crazy & I always wondered how other cakes looked so even.  Cut off the top of the cake (as shown below) in an even line & then the top of the cake becomes the bottom of the cake.

Icing Method:

1) Place raw sugar in the TM bowl & mill for 20 seconds/speed 9.  set aside.  If using icing sugar, this step is not necessary.

2) Place butter, honey, hot water & vanilla in TM bowl.  Mix for 15 seconds/speed 5, until creamy.

3) Add sugar, mix for 10 seconds/speed 5.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl & mix again 10 seconds/speed5.

4) Ice the cake & sprinkle extra coconut.

Source: Cooking for the Gang (blog)

Tips:

There is no need to sift flours or icing sugar when making this cake in the TM.  It’s the powerful, yet gentle blades that allow this.

One of the best pieces of advice I ever received regarding baking, was to invest in an oven thermometer.  These can be purchased from stores like House & Matchbox & cost around $10-15.  To bake successful cakes, it’s imperative to know what temperature your oven is.  The oven in my house is quite accurate, however, in our last house the oven was always 20 degrees lower than what I set it to.  So, if I wanted to bake a cake at 160 degrees, I would have to set the oven to 180 degrees.  As you can see, my thermometer has had a lot of use.  I just leave it in my oven to keep an eye on the temperature from time to time.

My Mum has taught me that you can freeze anything, and following that advice, I’ve developed a dislike for wasting food.  Food wastage can end up costing you a fortune if you add everything up over a year.  My freezer is full of things like cake, cheese, cooked meats, stews, tarts, pasta sauces.  The list is endless…..

I love to freeze cakes!  Although I love to bake them, I don’t like having too many temptations for myself in the cupboard.  Frozen cakes are fantastic for when we have visitors.  I can pull something out a few hours before they arrive & allow about 2 hours for it to come to room temperature.  Your friends will never know it was frozen.  You’ll also save time, by not having to make something at the last minute & save money by not having to go to the shops.

I’ve frozen a large portion of the Anzac cake.  If you place it in your freezer for 4-5 hours uncovered, the icing will freeze perfectly.  Once the icing has frozen, you can wrap in up in glad wrap & when you unwrap it, the cake will look like it’s just been iced!

It’s the weather for delicious sorbets & this one is absolutely delicious.  So refreshing, creamy & tropical.   Add some rum & you’ll have a Pina Colada Sorbet!

Ingredients:

80g raw sugar

zest of 2 limes

350g ice cubes

450g coconut cream, frozen in ice cube trays

2 limes (skin removed)

300g frozen pineapple pieces

5g vanilla bean paste

1 egg white

Method:

1) Place sugar & zest into TM bowl & grind 30 seconds/speed 9.

2) Add ice cubes & grind 10 seconds/speed 9.

3) Add frozen coconut cream cubes & grind for 10 seconds/speed 9.

4) Add frozen pineapple pieces, limes, vanilla & egg white.  Mix for 30-60 seconds/speed 9, or until sorbet is creamy.  Use the TM spatula to mix the sorbet as needed, by putting it through the hole in the lid.

Source: Quirky Cooking

Notes:

You can use a whole vanilla bean instead of paste.  Grind with the sugar & zest in step 1.

Can you imagine making traditional creamy ice cream, with no additives & preservatives? First of all, it’s delicious & so easy to make. Second, home made ice cream is great for kids. Although it’s still a sweet treat, the fact there are no additives will help control their sugary ‘highs’.  This recipe is for Vanilla ice cream & I’ve added a few optional ingredients to add to this base.

Ingredients:

250g Cream

250g Milk

2 Egg yolks

150g Caster sugar

1 tsp Vanilla Ben paste or Vanilla Extract

pinch of salt

Method:

1) Place all the ingredients into TM bowl & cook for 5 minutes/80 degrees/speed 4.

If you would like to add variations to traditional vanilla (listed below) add now & mix 10 seconds/speed 5 before proceeding to the next step.

2) Place mixture into a stainless steel bowl, cover with cling wrap & place in the freezer for 8-10 hours (or overnight).

3) Take the ice cream from the freezer, cut into the ice cream & spoon back into TM bowl.

4) Mix for 20 seconds/speed 9 & then for a further 10 seconds/speed 4.

5) Return to the freezer & allow to freeze for 8-10 hours before serving.

Some variations to traditional vanilla ice cream:

Pinch of cinnamon

50g cocoa powder

30g instant coffee

2 cloves & pulverised fruit