Almond Bars

Gluten Free and Vegan

I was absolutely amazed by this recipe, I had no idea how it was going to work out, one of those times where I just mixed together what I had with an idea in mind of what I wanted. 


They have something here in Dublin, called Almond fingers, I have seen them in Holland too. And I was really really craving them the other week. I can't even describe them, soft and cakey, yet almost like marzipan. When I was a teenager, my brother and I used to buy a packet every so often, we made sure to make them last, just one per day at about 4pm with a cup of tea. I looked forward to it every day.


These bars are not exactly like an almond finger, but it is close enough for me and I am so happy with it. It passes my test, and I'm pretty stringent. Now I can make a new tradition with these Almond bars, soft and moist, with a bit of a gooey chew, and a lovely sweet almond flavour. And it is incredibly easy to make. 


INGREDIENTS: 
90g cup ground almonds 
75g caster sugar 
3 Tblsp soya milk
75g dairy free margarine 
25ml oil (for this recipe I used rapeseed oil) 
75g demera sugar 
2 Tblsp golden syrup 
225g gluten free flour (I use a mix of 125g rice flour, 50g potato flour and 50g tapioca flour) 
1/4 tsp salt 
1 tsp baking powder 
1/2 tsp baking soda 
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp almond essence 


METHOD: 
1) Preheat oven to 150C / 300F / Gas Mark 2 
2) Mix almond, caster sugar and soya milk into a paste. 
3) Add margarine and oil and cream together. 
4) Add demera sugar, golden syrup, vanilla and almond essence and mix until smooth. 
5) Combine flour, salt, baking powder and soda in a separate bowl. 
6) Add to mixture and combine well. Depending on the flours you use you may need to add more flour. You want quite a thick cake like batter.
7) Bake in the centre of the preheated oven for 45 mins. 
8) Remove from oven and brush while still warm with melted golden syrup for a sticky top. 


Note: The last batch I made I didn't have enough margarine, so used 25g marg and 75ml oil, and they still turn out beautifully

Vegan Whiskey Chocolate Truffles

The first time I made these, I made specifically because I had a bottle of whiskey that I was given as a gift but I couldn't use because I don't drink (hurts my tummy). I was racking my brain trying to think what to put whiskey in so I could cheatingly have it, then it just popped into my brain, truffles.

A simple quick recipe, though it was tricksey for me at times. First time I made it, perfect, delicious, luxurious. The next three times, it was too melty, then too hard and crumbly, then too melty again. And every time since it has been grand, perfect, yum yum yum.

Normal chocolate truffle recipes use cream, but to make it dairy free and vegan, I use coconut milk, or coconut cream, they both work well. And it doesn't even taste like coconut.

INGREDIENTS:

250g Dark Chocolate, the darker the better
80ml Coconut milk or coconut cream
45ml Whiskey
Cocoa powder for rolling the truffles

METHOD:

1) Bring the coconut milk/cream to a boil, all bubbling and dancing.
2) Take off the heat and add the chocolate. Whisk until it is all smooth and shiny looking. (Good tip, make sure the chocolate is in small pieces, it will melt easier this way.)
3) Then add in the whiskey and give it a good ol' whiskin, mix it well. I find it helps if you heat the whiskey up a little before adding it to the mixture.
4) Then just pop it into the freezer for a couple of hours, check it every hour and see how it is getting on. It should be firm yet malleable, easy to shape into balls and not sticky and melting on your fingers.
5) When it is ready, scoop and roll into balls and roll the little beauties around in some cocoa powder in a bowl, then eat them or wrap them individually or put them in a box. You might need to pop them back in the freezer for a bit to firm them up again.

Of course, you can use whatever liquor you want, I expect brandy would work well, or if you just want plain truffles, substitute the whiskey with more coconut milk, just boil it all, then add the chocolate. Enjoy!