Chocolate Pots

Serves: 4

Prep time: 15 Minuets

Chilling time: 1 hour minimum 

Ingredients:

2 large ripe avocados

25g unsweetened cocoa powder

4 tsp maple or agave syrup

1/4 tsp salt

100g of 70% dark chocolate 

Method:

Brake up the chocolate into chunks and put into a pyrex bowl resting on a pan of boiling water. Don’t let the water touch the bottom of the bowl as this will burn the chocolate. You can also melt the chocolate in a microwave but I find the stove top method more controlled. once melted set aside to cool a little.

If you have a blender place all of the other ingredients into it and blend till there are no chunks of avocado left. If you are using a hand blender this process may take a little longer but the smoother the mix the better the end result will be.

Now add the cooled melted chocolate to the mix and blend again. Now I tend to use teacups to set my chocolate mix in as it looks nice, but feel free to use any small container you have to hand. Ramekins work well and will look good on a serving plate.

Now place the chocolate pots into the fridge to cool down and set up. I recommend an hour but it does depend on how hot your kitchen is and the weather outside. If you can give them longer it will taste so much better. 

As this is using avocados the shelf life on this is quite short and it should be eaten within 12 hours of being made.

If you want to make it look stunning serve with some fresh strawberries and some grated chocolate on top.

I tend not to tell people that the main ingredients is avocados in this dish until after they have asked for more. I do love the shocked look on their faces. 

Baked Cinnamon Doughnuts

This week is National Doughnut Week, I’m not one to jump on these sort of marketing ploys, but I though I would post my recipe for easy baked cinnamon doughnuts. 

Dry Ingredients:

100g plain flour
110g caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dry nutmeg
1/2 tsp dry cinnamon

Wet Ingredients:

60ml soy milk
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Egg replacer for 1 egg (or 2 Tbsp. apple sauce)
55g pure soya margarine 

Coating Ingredients: 

40g caster sugar
1/2 tsp dry cinnamon

You will also need a doughnut pan or mini bunt tin, you can find these on line online. 

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180c/350ºf/4 GM

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients with a whisk to mix thoroughly. 

Combine the wet ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat and mix until the margarine is just melted. (This mixture should be just slightly warm to the touch, but not hot).

Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix until just combined. It should form a very soft dough.

Using a tablespoon, scoop dough into an un-greased nonstick doughnut pan. Then smooth out the top of each doughnut with your fingers, this will make for more even doughnut when baked.

Bake the doughnuts in the oven for 12 minutes. While the doughnuts are still in the oven combine the coating ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. 

You will know when the doughnuts are cooked as they will be browned on top, and a toothpick or cake tester will come out clean. Invert the hot pan over a cooling rack to remove them from the pan. When the doughnuts come out of the pan and are still hot, toss them in the cinnamon sugar coating.

This recipe will make 20 mini-doughnuts or 10 regular-sized doughnuts.