Healthier Honey Jumbles

Don't expect these to last long! The bicarb of soda mixed with the honey creates a deletable honeycomb texture to these biscuits. I also love the crunchy shell and soft inside of the icing smeared on top, which makes the biscuits look all that bit cuter.

Healthier Honey Jumbles

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of plain flour
• 1/2 cup of Natvia
• 1 teaspoon of all spice
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 large tablespoon of raw honey (I used an amazing natural honey from Tasmania) 
• 1 tablespoon of whole milk
• 2 tablespoons of soft organic butter
• 2 tablespoons of soft coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon of chia seeds soaked for 30 minutes in 50 mls of water

Icing:

• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 cup of Natvia icing sugar mixture
• a few drops of red food colouring - could also use blue, yellow or leave white. 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees fan forced and line a large baking tin with greased-proof paper.
2. In an electric mixer, whisk together the butter, coconut oil and Natvia until pale and creamy.
3. In a small microwave safe dish, warm the honey and milk until the honey is dissolved. Add in the baking soda and stir until the mixture is frothy and bubbling.
4. Add the honey mixture into the first mixture and whisk to combine. Add in your chia mixture.
5. Sift over the bowl the plain flour and all spice. With a large spoon, stir until well combined.
6. Dust your hands with plain flour. Roll a tablespoon of each mixture into a ball and place onto tray. Repeat with remaining ingredients, leave a couple of centimetres of space around each biscuit. Flatten with a fork before baking.
7. Bake in the oven for 10 - 13 minutes, checking after 10 minutes as the biscuits can cook quickly.
8. Take out a let cool slightly on the tray before transferring to a wire rack to cool.
9. To make the icing, use an electric mixer and whisk the egg white, lemon juice and vanilla. Gradually add in the icing sugar while beating. Wait until the mixture becomes thick, pale and silky. Add a few drops of food colouring to get your desired colour.
10. Ice each of the biscuits and let dry, until the mixture becomes hard and shiny.

Natvia Sugar-free Give Away! + Lemon Delicious Pudding Recipe gluten/sugar-free

Exciting news! To help you with your sugar-free baking, I will be giving away a fabulous Natvia baking value pack!

Thanks to my baking sponsors Natvia, makers of all natural stevia sweeteners, I have a set of Natvia baking sugar and icing sugar to give away to my beautiful readers. I can't wait for you to have fun experimenting with these fabulous Natvia products, which are undoubtedly the world's best tasting sweetener brand. This exciting Skinny Sweets and Treats give away also includes some cute patty cake cases for your sugar-free goodies and a tin of Natvia sweeteners to pop in your tea or coffee when you're on-the-go!

To enter, simply comment on this blog post what recipe you are most excited to bake with your Natvia products and make sure to leave your email address. For a bonus entry, make sure you subscribe to my blog by entering your email address in the subscription bar on the right. Entries close and winner drawn on the 31st of August 2014.

Now onto the scrumptious recipe! This dessert is very simple (and not like Jamie's 15-minute-meals simple, like it's actually really quick and easy) and perfect to whip up for a hungry crowd.

Lemon delicious is an old-school citrusy dessert that my mum made for us when we were children. I have always adored the tangy lemon flavour and find these types of puddings so comforting, especially in the cooler months. This recipe is very versatile though so if it suits you more, bake the mixture in a mid-sized cake tin for a lemon cake that would be beautiful served at a morning or afternoon tea. You could even add in half a cup of poppy seeds to create the classic lemon and poppy seed pairing. As you can see from my picture below, the spongey cake cuts beautifully and is ridiculously moist. Totally yum.

Lemon Delicious Pudding

Ingredients:

• 40g organic butter, melted
• ¾ cup Natvia
• 1 tablespoon of finely grated lemon rind
• 2 eggs, separated
• 2 tablespoons plain (gluten-free) flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ⅓ cup (80ml) lemon juice
• 1 cup (250ml) almond milk
• pouring (single) cream or coconut cream, to serve

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160ºC (320ºF). 
2. Place the butter and Natvia in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 8–10 minutes or until light and creamy. Add the lemon rind and egg yolks and beat until smooth. 
3. Sift the flour and baking powder over the mixture and beat to combine. Add the lemon juice and milk and beat until smooth. 
4. Place the eggwhites in a bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Use a metal spoon to gently fold the eggwhites into the pudding mixture. This step is important in creating a light and fluffy sponge.
5. Pour into a lightly greased 1 litre-capacity ceramic ovenproof dish and bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden. 

Serve with cream. Serves 4.

Crushed Raspberries, Sour Cherry and Pistachio Tart

Crushed Raspberries, Sour Cherry and Pistachio Tart

Ingredients:

• 2 sheets of short crust pastry
• Natvia and cinnamon to dust
• water, with a pastry brush
• 1/2 cup of Greek yoghurt
• 1/2 cup of full-fat ricotta
• 1/4 cup of Natvia, pulverized in a blender to powder 
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 punnets of raspberries (or 1 cup of frozen raspberries, thawed)
• 1/4 cup of dried sour cherries (can omit if unable to source)
• 1/4 cup of chopped pistachios
• cinnamon to dust

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to a moderately hot oven at 180 degrees fan forced. Take two sheets of pastry out of the freezer and leave to defrost for a few minutes lying flat on a large chopping board or clean bench. 
2. Line a baking tray with greased-proof baking paper. Place one sheet of pastry on top of the baking paper and brush with water. Sprinkle with Natvia and cinnamon. 
3. Using the other sheet of pastry, cut four strips vertically with a sharp knife. Place these strips along the edges of the tart shape and pinch upwards to create an edge. Gently press the knife along the edges to make small indentations. Prick the centre of the tart carefully with a fork to let steam escape when baking.
4. Use a small heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out hearts in the leftover pastry. Put these hearts in the fridge for now on a plate lined with baking paper.
5. Pop the tart in the oven for 8 - 10 minutes until golden and crisp. Take care not to let the tart become too browned as the pastry can easily taste burnt.
6. Transfer the tart shell to a wire rack. Take the hearts from the fridge and place these on the baking tray. Brush with water, Natvia and cinnamon. Bake for a few minutes until crisped.
7. Place the baked hearts with the tart shell to cool.
8. To make the filling, mix together the yoghurt, ricotta, powdered Natvia and vanilla. Add half a punnet of raspberries to the mixture and crushed lightly to incorporate. Spoon the mixture into the tart shell.
9. Using the remanding raspberries, crush in a small bowl. Spoon the crushed raspberries on top of the tart. Finish off with sour cherries, pistachios and a dusting of cinnamon. Serve with pastry hearts on the side or arrange on top of the tart for decoration. 

Enjoy! xxx