I'm sharing another sweet recipe this week but I promise to move on to healthy savoury dishes and main courses suitable for a plant based Christmas next week!
Who doesn't love a chocolate truffle...? We love healthy, delicious chocolates but not so much the dairy and refined sugar kind! Last year I shared this recipe for festive chocolate truffles which are nut free and lovely too, but these ones
​are a bit fancier and more festive in flavour.

The base for these delicious truffles are dates and nuts, two of my favourite ingredients and packed with fibre, protein, minerals and good fats so as well as tasting great these truffles do your body good as well!

These also make a lovely gift, packaged up in a nice box or a wee bag. I just think there is something special about a home made gift and just love to receive them!

I am very lucky that my daughter Jenna always makes special gifts for the whole family, she is a very talented and creative young lady! Handmade chocolates, chutneys, jewellery, lip balms, body scrubs and lotions, hats, place mats and beautiful natural floral arrangements have all been given and received with love. One year Laura, my youngest daughter, gave everyone a voucher for home made cakes, to be redeemed throughout the year! She is an ace vegan baker so her cakes are a real treat!! Kathryn writes lovely poems and puts such thought into them and that only leaves Emma, my oldest daughter who although she says she isn't good at making stuff, made delicious sloe gin last year with a handmade label!

It's just so nice when someone takes the time to make something.

We are fortunate in that we spend a lot of time trying out recipes and having lots of fun in the kitchen, one of the great things about writing this blog actually! So I hope that the recipes and stories I share are of interest and inspire someone out there to try something new!

So back to these very simple and delicious Festive Truffles, Chocolate Mint and Ginger, two flavours which I love, especially chocolate and mint which is a winning combination!  

The method for making both flavours is the same so here are the ingredients you will need!

Ingredients

Gingerbread Truffles - makes 12
1 cup of soft pitted dates
pinch sea salt
1 cup of almonds, walnuts, brazil or pecan nuts or a mixture
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger or 1 inch piece of freshly grated ginger
pinch of ground nutmeg and cloves
coconut or finely chopped nuts for rolling

Chocolate Mint - makes 12
1 cup of soft pitted dates
1 cup of almonds, walnuts, pecans or brazil nuts
pinch sea salt
2 tablespoons of raw cacao or cocoa powder
1/2 to 1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract (taste and add accordingly)
cocoa or raw cacao for rolling

Method
1. In your food processor, pulse the nuts until they are finely chopped. Put into a bowl.
2. Add the dates and sea salt and process on high until a smooth paste forms.
3. Add the processed nuts and the remainder of the ingredients. Process until thouroughly mixed.
4. Roll the mixture into balls ( makes 12 truffles) and coat in chopped nuts/coconut/cocoa.
​5. Store in a covered container in the fridge or the freezer.
6. Enjoy!

                                                    ...your health in your hands...

Coconut Scones

These are quite simply the most delicious scones ever! They really melt in your mouth and everyone loves them. My lovely mum and my youngest daughter Laura came up with this recipe one baking afternoon. Jenna my other daughter ( I have 4 lovely girls!) is vegan so we started experimenting with vegan baking and now we actually prefer vegan cakes. So no dairy or eggs in any of our baking and we always minimise or replace refined sugar which is just plain bad on so many levels!

These wee scones have only 1 teaspoon sugar per scone which is 4g but they are deliciously sweet due to the coconut which also has soluble fibre so benefits your digestion. I am known as Crazy Coconut Lady at home, I just love coconut in all its forms and will find any excuse to add it to cakes, smoothies, soups, dips, & curries! In my opinion its just the most delicious flavour and it is so incredibly good for you! 

Follow my blog for lots more coconut recipes..... !

Anyway I digress, back to the scones... The most important thing with scones is to cut them quite thick and make sure the oven is hot before you put them in. So often scones end up more like biscuits which is definitely not how they are supposed to be! They are best eaten fresh out of the oven, which isn't really a problem, they are so delicious and light you can eat two or three at one go....! 

The scones are delicious served with organic coconut oil, sugar free jam, coconut jam, or good old organic butter. Enjoy...!


Ingredients

8oz/225g self raising flour

2 level teaspoons baking powder

1 ½ oz/40g caster sugar

4 oz /110g soya or sunflower spread

2 oz/55g desiccated coconut

3 or 4 tablespoons soya milk.


Method

1. Heat the oven to 220C/425F/ Gas 7 and lightly grease a baking sheet.

2. The easiest way to make these scones is to add all the dry ingredients to
a food processor and pulse for a few minutes, then add the milk a little at
a time until the mixture comes together,

3. If you don’t have a food processor then put the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Using your fingertips rub the spread into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Vegan spreads are really soft so run your hands under a cold tap before you start and work quickly to keep the mixture from clumping.

4. Stir in the sugar and coconut then add the milk gradually and mix with a
wooden spoon until the mixture comes together.

5. Turn out onto a floured work surface and pat into a round ¾ inch or 2 cm thick.

6. Cut out 10 scones, I use a heart shaped cookie cutter since I reckon
we could all do with more love in our lives!

7. Brush the tops of the scones with milk and liberally sprinkle coconut on
the top.

8. Bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes until well risen and nicely browned

The scones are delicious served with organic coconut oil, sugar free jam, coconut jam, or good old organic butter.