3 Scrumplicious Sweet Healthy Treats

Looking for a healthy alternative to your favourite sweet treat or how about an allergy friendly, (refined) sugar-free pud your kids are guaranteed to love?

We asked Lifestyle blogger and RHOC star Stacey Forsey to share three of her favourite Vegan recipes from her new (appropriately titled) book ‘Scrumplicious Sweet Treats’!

DOUBLE CHOCCY BROWNIES

I so need sweet snacks readily available in my store cupboard, as does my daughter Grace, and I wanted Grace to be able to freely open the cupboard and grab a snack without worrying about the ingredients. I pack her off to school with these every week. They are so easy to make, so there is no excuse for not batching up a tin-full for the week. The combination of the double chocolate and the dates satisfies every sweet craving!

Ingredients

• 75g of organic cocoa powder

• 300g organic brown rice flour

• 3 soft ripe bananas

• 70g of flax meal

• 9 organic medjool dates

• 2 tbsp organic maple syrup

• 240ml of organic maple syrup

• 240ml of organic vanilla almond milk

• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

• 340g of organic dark chocolate chips (make sure you use dairy-free chocolate if you

  have dairy allergies)

  Method

• Preheat your oven to 180c/gas4 and line a brownie tin or deep cake tin with baking parchment.

• In a blender or food processor pulse the dates (make sure you remove the stones)

• Add the cocoa powder, brown rice flour and flax meal. Give them a really good mix

  until nice and smooth.

• At this point add all the remaining ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, and

  mix well until all the bananas are smooth too. Take a spatula and scoop the mixture

  into a bowl.

• Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour the mixture into a lined brownies or cake tin. Make

  sure you get all that gooey mixture out and into the tin! It’s too good to leave any

  behind!

• Bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until your knife test runs clear. Enjoy!

CAROB + FIG CAKE

Carob is a great alternative to cocoa powder and chocolate. I discovered my love of carob cake while on holiday in Portugal, and as carob is grown locally, it’s a typical Portuguese sweet dessert. After many attempts, it has become a family favourite.

Ingredients- Base

• 250g organic dried figs

• 2 tbsp. organic coconut oil

• 1 tbsp. organic ground almonds

  Filling

• 100g organic coconut sugar

• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

• 2tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 75g organic coconut oil

• 60g carob powder

• 25g ground almonds

Topping

• 1 tbsp. carob powderMethod

Base

1. In a blender or food processor, add the figs, coconut oil and ground almonds. Mix well until the mixture bulks together.

2. Line a flan dish with baking parchment and grease the slides with coconut oil.

3. Place the base mixture into the flan dish and spread to cover, with some of the base

   coming up the sides. I find using my hands is much easier.

Filling

1. In the same stand/food mixer add all the filling ingredients and mix well.

2. Scoop out the filling mixture and put on top of the base and spread evenly.

3. Place the cake in the oven on 180C/gas 4 for 15-20 minutes until a knife runs clear.

4. Leave to cool and cover the top with carob powder. I much prefer the cake the day

   after once chilled and set!

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

This chocolate ice cream is a huge hit with the kids! It’s creamy and has lots of chocolate bits inside. I prefer to make mine with shaved dark chocolate swirls, rather than chunks; but, of course, it’s down to your own preference. It can be served with layered honeycomb bits, as we do, and the chocolate sauce.

Ingredients

• 50g organic cashews

• 150g organic mediool dates

• 1 tin organic coconut milk (Biona has no thickening agents)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 50ml organic almond or coconut milk

• 25g organic cacoa powder

• 80g dark chocolate or shaved dark chocolate

Method

1. Placecashewsinaheatproofbowl,coverinboilingwaterandsoakforat least 30 minutes before completely draining.

2. Addallingredientstoablenderorfoodprocessor,exceptthedark chocolate, and blend until smooth.

3. Pourintofreezer-proofcontainerandfreezeuntilsolid.

4. Spoonintoablenderorfoodprocessorandblenduntilsmooth.

5. Choporshavethedarkchocolateandmixthroughicecream.Pourback

   into container and refreeze until set, then serve.