dairy free

Lemon Olive Oil Cookies

recipes

Hey guys, it’s been a hot minute! But, I’ve got a good one for you. Lemon olive oil Cookies! So, it was the end of the week and I didn’t have that many ingredients left but I still wanted to bake something sweet and easy. Then it hit me, I’ve been seeing olive oil cookies all over my for you page and I finally decided to give them a try. They always looked so good, soft on the inside with a crinkle outside and they’re dairy free. But these cookies have a twist, they’re not only dairy free, they are also gluten and sugar free. I also added lemon because it pairs great and really enhances the flavour. If you want you can drizzle them with icing or sprinkle on some white sugar. I went with flaky sea salt, my go-to for all my cookies, because I like the added kick of salt. So, let’s get into it.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup gluten free flour (I used freee gluten free flour)
  • 2 tbsp sugar free brown sugar (I used Truvia soft brown sugar)
  • 3tbsp sugar free white sugar (I used Truvia’s white sugar)
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp flaky salt
  • lemon zest
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions

  1. Add the olive oil and sugar to a bowl and whisk until well combined.
  2. Add the lemon juice and zest and give it a quick mix.
  3. Sift in the flour and baking powder. This is an important step to get rid of any lumps and avoid over-mixing.
  4. Use a spatula to fold in the flour gently.
  5. Line a tray with baking paper, scoop out the dough evenly into balls and flatten them slightly on the lined tray.
  6. Bake at 160ºC (with fan) for 20 mins.
  7. Allow to cool and sprinkle with some flaky salt.

There you have it! If you try these out, let me know what you think down in the comments. This is a great recipe to try out because you most likely already have these ingredients in your kitchen. I hope you enjoy this one and come back for more gluten and dairy free recipes, xoxo.

Gluten Free Artisan Style Bread

recipes

Hey guys, welcome back to the blog! Today’s recipe is a play on a traditional artisan style loaf bread. Have you ever walked by a bakery with all kinds of breads lined up? Unfortunately, if you can’t have gluten like me, you walk past them. Before I became gluten free, I used to enjoy all kinds of loaf bread, but since cutting gluten out of my diet, I’ve missed it. Since I had a bag of Bob’s red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour (the red bag) laying around, I thought I’d try to make an artisan style loaf bread. This gluten free flour has a heavy garbanzo bean flour base or chickpea flour with a mix of fava bean and sorghum flour. These types of flours aren’t ideal for cookies and cakes but they work great in bread recipes. Here is how you can use them.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups gluten free all purpose flour ( I used Bob’s Red Mill)
  • 2 tbsp arrowroot powder (starch)
  • 1 cup warm plant-based milk
  • 2 tbsp yeast
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp white vinegar

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven at 180ºC
  2. Combine your dry ingredients together in one bowl. I used instant active dry yeast so I simply mixed it into the flour but if you need to activate your yeast, mix it in the warm milk with the sugar and let it sit for 5 mins before adding it in the bread dough.
  3. Add the olive oil, milk and vinegar to the dry ingredients. It’s easier to combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and use your hand or spatula to knead the dough together after combining them with the flour.
  4. Cover the dough and let it rest for 45mins-1hr in a warm place.
  5. Bake at 180ºC in a lined baking pan. I used a cake pan lined with baking paper.
  6. Let it cool down before storing in the fridge for up to two weeks.

More Recipes like this one

Gluten and Dairy Free Bread Recipe – find here

Healthy Fruit Loaf – find here

Gluten Free Cornbread Recipe – find here

Gluten Free Raisin Loaf – find here

Gluten Free Brioche Bread – find here

No Bake Almond Bites (GF, DF)

recipes
no bake energy balls
Almond energy bites

No bake energy bites or snacks are probably one of my favourites recipes out there, they’re quick and easy to make and you can change their flavour combinations every time. You can also make these almond energy balls ahead of time and store for a quick snack. Most recipes I’ve found contain dates, peanuts or cashews and require a blender or food processor. So I decided to make my own version of no bake bites, using almonds and coconut, that tastes like actual cookie dough! All you need are a few simple ingredients and a spatula to stir, here is how you can make them.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Almond flour – I like to use almond flour because it doesn’t require any baking. But if you don’t have almond flour you can also use gluten free fine oats or rolled oats (you can also toast them if you don’t like the taste of raw oats).
  • 1/4 cup almond butter or any nut butter – this helps combine the ingredients and adds a great nutty flavour.
  • 2 tbsp honey – for some sweetness and to help the ingredients stick together. You can choose any liquid sweetener you like.
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds- for more fibre and honestly I just really like chia seeds.
  • 1-2 tbsp plant-based milk – depending on how dry you dough is you might need to add a few tablespoons of milk. If the texture is too crumbly try adding a tablespoon of plant-based milk (I used almond milk).
  • Optional: 1/4 chocolate chips or raisins or any toppings you’d like.
  • 1/4 cup shredded coconut – to coat the energy balls.
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
no bake almond bites
no bake dessert
energy balls

Steps

  1. In a bowl, add the almond flour, chia seeds, cinnamon and toppings.
  2. Add in your liquid ingredients; almond butter, honey, and vanilla and combine until you form a dough.
  3. If the texture is too dry or crumbly add in a tablespoon of milk.
  4. Refrigerated for 5-10 mins before scooping and rolling into balls. I usually wet my hands for this step to prevent the mixture from sticking to my hands.
  5. In a plate, sprinkle some shredded coconut and coat each energy ball.
  6. You can store these energy bites in the fridge for up to two weeks.

There you have it! Easy, no-bake almond, coconut bites. If you want to try different flavours some of my favourites are double chocolate (simply add a tablespoon of cacao powder to the recipe) and coffee (add a teaspoon of instant coffee to your milk). Feel free to mix up the flavours and let me know your favourites down in the comments. I hope you enjoyed this recipe and please like and follow for more, thank you for reading, xoxo.

More recipes like this one…

Best Almond chocolate oat cookies (find the recipe here)

Easy Vegan Snack bars (find the recipe here)

Healthy Cookie Dough Bites (find the recipe here)

Gluten Free Matcha Cookies

Matcha Recipes, recipes

Hey guys, welcome back to the blog! Today’s recipe is a matcha coconut cookie with almonds. I’ve been on a matcha craze lately so I thought why not add it to my cookies. I chose to pair the flavour of matcha with coconut which balanced it perfectly. These cookies ended up being thick and moist with a lightly sweet flavour. You might think matcha doesn’t belong in cookies but you’ll find its flavour works great in baked goods and even if you hate matcha, I’m pretty sure you’re going to love these matcha cookies.

What is Matcha?

Matcha is simply grounded green tea leaves that have been used most commonly in traditional Japanese tea ceremonies. It’s popularity on social media has risen considerably in recent years for its health benefits and also for its aesthetic. But, there is more to matcha than just its pretty green colour, it has a number of health benefits, including improving your metabolism, calming the body, lowering blood sugar, and it is packed with antioxidants. If you want to know how to get the best out of matcha, check out my matcha latte recipe here.

Baking With Matcha

Matcha is a versatile superfood and it’s fun to incorporate it in different ways. When baking with matcha, it’s best to use fine grade matcha for that earthy flavour and vibrant colour. To incorporate it better, you can choose to sift the matcha powder into your dry ingredients. Since matcha is slightly bitter, it needs sweetness to balance it out. It’s used in many recipes, from matcha brownies to matcha bread. Here is what you’ll need to make the best matcha cookies.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup xylitol or coconut sugar
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (or any flavour extract)
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1 cup gf all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp matcha
  • 1/4 cup shredded coconut + 1 tbsp
  • 1/4 cup flaked almonds + 1 tbsp
  • 1 tbsp almond milk (or any plant-based milk)

Step 1: Whisk the coconut oil and sugar together until well incorporated. Mix in the flavour extract and eggs, ensuring the sugar is dissolved. It’s best to allow all your ingredients to come to room temperature.

Step 2: Fold in the different flours, matcha, salt, and baking powder until you get a smooth thick cookie batter, add a tablespoon of milk if the dough is too dry. Mix in the coconut and almond flakes.

Step 3: Chill the cookie dough for 10-15mins, then scoop out the cookie dough onto a lined baking tray. Sprinkle with more coconut and almond flakes before baking at 180ºC for 20-25 mins or until slightly browned on the edges.

They are best served warm and can be stored in the fridge for up to a week or frozen for longer storage. It’s taken some time to perfect baking with matcha but this recipe definitely makes it worth it. I hope you try it out and like and follow for more recipes, xoxo.

Gluten & Dairy Free Milk Cake

recipes
coconut milk cake
three milk cake
tres leches cake

Hey guys, welcome back to the blog! Today’s recipe is a gluten and dairy free milk cake. This cake is a play on a tres leches cake, but it is a much simplified version. It is light and decadent, with a slightly sweet coconut flavour. Tres leches cake (three milk cake) is a Spanish dessert consisting of a sponge cake soaked in three types of milk; evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream. The sponge cake is meant to have a light and airy texture. Despite being soaked in milk, it’s supposed to retain its texture without being soggy. There are several varieties of the milk cake, but in this version I’ve opted for soaking in one layer of milk for a healthier option. The cake is not overly sweet, usually with a cinnamon flavour, but for the dairy-free option, I’ve chosen coconut milk and coconut flavours throughout the different layers.

I used my gluten free sponge cake for this recipe, with a few alterations. You can find the original recipe here. I opted for an almond sponge with a shredded coconut layer on top. The cake is supposed to be refrigerated and unlike many gluten free cakes, this one stays moist and soft even when cold. I made this recipe for a family lunch and everyone absolutely loved it and I’m sure you will too. If you want to keep it closer to the original tres leches cake, I’d suggest using a layer of coconut whipping cream on top. You can also top it with different nuts such as pistachios, but since I’m allergic to them, I went for sliced almonds and pumpkin seeds for a the green colour. Now, let’s get into it.

baking
sugar free cake
cake baking

Ingredients

Sponge Cake

  • 6 eggs
  • 1/2 cup xylitol or erythritol (or regular white sugar if not sugar free)
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 1 1/4 cup gf flour blend
  • 3/4 cup almond flour
  • 3 tbsp almond or oat milk
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/3 cup shredded coconut

Milk Layer + topping

  • 1 can of coconut milk
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp cardamom seeds or cardamom powder (optional)
  • 2 tbsp pumkin seeds (optional)
  • 2 tbsp almond flakes (optional)
sponge cake
almond sponge cake
cake batter

Instructions: Baking the Sponge

  1. Separate your egg yolks from the egg whites.
  2. In one bowl, whist the egg yolks and sugar together.
  3. Over a double boiler, whisk the egg yolks until light and runny for one minute.
  4. Add in the almond extract and coconut oil.
  5. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until white and fluffy.
  6. Fold in one scoop of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture before incorporating all of the egg whites.
  7. Sift in the flours and baking powder, pour in the milk and fold in gently. Avoid over-mixing the batter.
  8. Pour the batter into a lined baking tin and top it with shredded coconut.
  9. Bake the cake at 180ºC for 30-35 mins.
baking cake
sponge cake layer
gluten free cake

Instructions: Assembling the cake

  1. While you cake is baking you can make your milk to soak it in. Heat up one can of coconut milk in a saucepan over low heat with the sugar and cardamom.
  2. Once the sugar has melted, remove it from the heat and set aside.
  3. Once the cake has cooled slightly, use a skewer to poke holes all over it. This to allow the milk to soak through. You can also cut the edges of the cake off to allow milk to soak in all around. I sliced of the sides of the cake to make it a bit cleaner.
  4. Pour 1/3 of the milk mixture over the cake. You will want to let it soak up before pouring over the other batches of milk.
  5. Once you have poured in all of the milk, sprinkle your toppings and let the cake set in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours.
dairy free cake
dairy free milk cake
coconut cake

There you have it! My simple and delicious version of a three milk cake. I loved this dessert because I enjoy coconut, but if you don’t particularly like coconut you can opt out of the coconut layer and replace the coconut milk with a thicker oat milk. I haven’t tried this yet, but I imagine the barista oat milk creamers would work well to soak a cake. I hope you enjoyed this recipe, please like and follow if you did, and I hope to see you back next time, thank you for reading, xoxo.

Healthy Chocolate Banana Muffins

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The fluffiest healthy muffins you will ever make! These double chocolate banana muffins are an easy, guilt-free treat you can make for any occasion. Gluten and dairy free muffins can be tricky to make but this recipe makes a soft and delicious muffin. I like altering the toppings every time I bake muffins but in this recipe I went with a classic double chocolate chip combo. Other great flavours that work well with the banana oats recipe are blueberry or coffee streusel muffins.

It’s been a month since I’ve been on summer break, unfortunately, I’m spending mine in winter. But, nothing cheers me up more than warm, gooey chocolate muffins on a winter night. Lately, I’ve been trying to focus on blogging and investing more time into the blog. I think this recipe is the perfect kickstart to this new phase and I’m excited for it!

Ingredients

  • 3 eggs
  • 3 bananas
  • 1/4 cup xylitol or coconut sugar (sugar substitute)
  • 1 cup gf flour
  • 1 cup fine oats
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cacao powder
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened, dairy free chocolate chips

For this recipe, you can use fresh bananas or you can heat up some frozen bananas like I did. I found that it didn’t affect the taste or the consistency of the muffins, plus it makes the recipe much easier to use bananas you might already have lying in the freezer.

I get a lot of questions on the type of dairy free chocolate chips I use, I get mine from a local grocery store that sources them from Madagascar. The chocolate chips are dairy free and sweetened with xylitol which makes it sugar-free friendly.

Directions

  1. Mash the bananas until smooth and mix in the eggs, coconut oil, and xylitol.
  2. Fold in the oats, gf flour, baking powder, cacao and chocolate chips until we’ll incorporated.
  3. Pour into two greased muffin tins. Bake in the oven for 30-35 mins at 180°C or until darker in color.

A Few Helpful Tips

  • These muffins are best served warm, heat them up in the microwave for 20 secs.
  • They store well in the fridge for up to 5-6 days.
  • Using fine oats adds a nice texture to the muffins but you can blend your oats if you find them too coarse.

Thank you for reading this recipe, I’ll have a few more coming out soon. I hope you’ll stay and follow for more recipes and to support the blog, xoxo.

Gluten Free Cornbread Recipe

recipes

Cornbread is something I’ve always heard about during thanksgiving. It’s known as a staple in southern American cuisine but I had never tried it before. But the other day, I found a bag of cornmeal lying around and decided to give it a try.

This cornbread recipe is gluten and dairy free. It’s super easy to make and can be sweet or savory. With a crunchy outer crust and a soft and fluffy interior, this recipe is a must try for anyone craving homemade cornbread. Here’s what you’ll need.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 xylitol
  • 3/4 cup gluten free flour blend
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven at 180°C
  2. Combine the flour, cornmeal, xylitol, baking powder, and salt.
  3. Mix in the eggs, almond milk, and coconut oil.
  4. Pour the batter in a lined baking tray and bake for 30-35 mins or until a fork or cake tester comes out clean.
  5. Allow to cool and cut before serving.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Please like and follow for more quick gluten and dairy free recipes like this one. Thank you for reading, xoxo.

Almond Chocolate Oat Cookies

healthy living, recipes
cookies
oatmeal cookies
chocolate chip cookies

Hey guys, welcome back to the blog. Today’s recipe is a quick and easy oatmeal cookie recipe made with whole ingredients. They’re a guilt free treat that can be altered just by adding any toppings or flavouring you’d like. You’ll definitely want to make these on the regular, so make sure to save this recipe post.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups fine oats
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 tbsp coconut sugar or xylitol (for a sugar free alternative)
  • 1/4 cup chopped almonds
  • 1/4 cup chopped chocolate (I used Nova’s sugar and dairy free chocolate)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 pinch of salt
baking
gluten free cookies
cookie dough

Instructions

  1. Combine the coconut oil, sugar, vanilla extract and eggs.
  2. Fold in the oats, almonds, chocolate, salt and baking powder.
  3. Scoop out the cookie dough into equal balls and flatten onto a lined baking tray.
  4. Bake at 180°C for 30 mins.

A super quick yet delicious recipe that you can enjoy guilt-free. I like to think of it as an everything cookie where you can add any toppings; nuts, seeds, dried fruit. Definitely try out this one and like if you enjoy it. Thank you for reading and follow for more recipes like this one, xoxo.

Coffee Cake Crumble Recipe

recipes

Hey guys, welcome back to the blog. Today’s recipe is a soft coffee cake with a crumbly topping. This gluten free and dairy free version of a classic can be served warm with a scoop of dairy free or regular ice cream or even with a spoon of Oatly greek yoghurt. The crumble adds a great texture and you can even sprinkle some flaky salt to bring out the flavour.

I like making this as a Sunday dessert or for breakfast. When I first heard about coffee cake, I wondered how a crumble would work on a traditional cake, but the crumbly texture balances the base of the cake really well. Traditionally, an American style coffee cake is a sponge cake with a crumb on top, but this recipe uses more of a dense cake. The denser cake holds the coffee flavour while still being soft and fluffy. Here’s how you can make it.

Ingredients

Cake

  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 cup sugar substitute (I used Truvia)
  • 5 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1tsp coffee extract
  • 1 shot of espresso
  • 200 ml almond or oat milk
  • 4 cups gf flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder

Crumble Topping

  • 1 cup oat flour
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 3-4 tbsp coconut oil
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar substitute
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup coconut flakes (optional)
  • Almond extract (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Make sure all your ingredients are room temperature.
  2. Prepare the crumble by combining all of the dry ingredients and then adding in the coconut oil and any extracts.
  3. Set the crumble aside in the fridge and prepare the cake batter.
  4. Combine sugar, coconut oil, eggs, coffee extract, and shot of espresso.
  5. Sift and fold in the flour and mix in the plant-based milk and baking powder. You want a smooth and light batter.
  6. Pour half of the batter in a lined baking pan, sprinkle some of the crumble on top.
  7. Pour in the rest of the batter and top it with the rest of the crumble mixture.
  8. Bake in the oven for 30-40mins or until golden brown and a cake pick comes out clean.

This cake is best served warm and keeps well in the fridge. I hope you enjoyed today’s recipe and come back for more recipes like this one, xoxo.

Healthy Sponge Cake Recipe

healthy living, recipes
Sponge cake
Baking cake
Cake slice

Hey guys, welcome back to the blog! Today’s recipe is one you won’t want to miss. A gluten, sugar and dairy free sponge cake that is simple and quick. I’ve had my share of gluten free sponge cakes and I’ve tried multiple recipes but this is the best one I have ever made. As hard as gluten free baking can be, this cake is soft and airy and the perfect base layer for any cake. You can easily double the ingredients for a larger cake. I made a small batch when creating the recipe, but I will definitely amp it up for any celebration. The best part is that the cake is guilt free even though it doesn’t taste like it. It is great for those of you who want to enjoy a cake without any refined sugar or dairy. So here’s how you can make it!

Ingredients

  • 5 eggs
  • 1 cup gluten free flour
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup xylitol or erythritol (you can also use a stevia mix)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (or any flavor)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
Baking
Cake batter

Instructions

  1. Separate the egg whites from the yolks and place in different bowls.
  2. Beat the egg whites until thick and fluffy. Should take about 3 mins on medium speed.
  3. In the other bowl, add the sugar substitute to your egg yolks and mix well.
  4. Add the flavor extract. I used salted caramel flavoring but you can also use vanilla or almond.
  5. Over a double boiler, quickly whisk the egg yolk mixture for one minute until it becomes fluffy and runny.
  6. Remove from the double boiler and mix in your coconut oil.
  7. Add a spoon of the egg whites to the yolk mixture and fold in.
  8. Incorporate the yolk mixture into the rest of the egg whites.
  9. Sift in the flours and baking powder and fold gently.
  10. Pour the batter into a greased cake mould and bake for 15-20 mins at 180°C.
  11. Allow to cool before removing the cake from the tin and serving.

Tips

  • I find that pure xylitol works best in cakes as it is sweet enough without any bitterness. Avoid using pure stevia as it can be bitter, it’s preferable to use stevia blending with monkfruit sweetener or erythritol.
  • I find that almond flour adds the necessary fat and texture to the cake, it’s best not to substitute it for other flours. However, if you do omit it, increase the coconut oil to add more fat into the cake.

There you have it! This recipe is quick and easy and I hope you give it a try. Thank you for reading and please like and follow for more recipes like this one, xoxo.