Ingredient: Coconut Cream

Coconut cream is so versatile and can be used in sweets and savouries to make a dish creamy or add a coconut flavour. You can use it in smoothies or to make ice cream, it is possibly the one pantry ingredient I use more than any other, in part just because I whip a can up to have with other desserts, so it is something I always keep on hand. A few cans in the fridge for whipping, a few cans in the cupboard for everything else. My favourite brand, because it’s organic and I’ve found it whips perfectly every time, is Honest to Goodness.

Coconut Apricot Bread and Butter Pudding

Wifey absolutely loves bread and butter pudding, so I’ve been trying to find a way to make it a bit healthier for us.

A standard bread and butter pudding contains a lot of cholesterol, a lot of butter, milk and cream. There has to be a better way to make it though.

I’ve been doing some hunting around and I found a Thermomix recipe here that I really liked the sound of called a Coconut Caramel Bread and Butter Pudding. I don’t have a Thermomix so that’s a no go, but I thought I’d try adapting it.

The result?

Amazing. Continue reading Coconut Apricot Bread and Butter Pudding

Coconut Whipped Cream

Cream is one of those reasons I have often said I could never be vegan, that and cheese. I can give or take meat, eggs, milk and so on, but cream and cheese always get me.

Then I decided to try whipping coconut cream up to see if it would whip like normal cream. Turns out while it’s not exactly like normal cream it is very close, and frankly, it is amazing! With cream like this, I can definitely do without normal cream. Not only is it cholesterol free and marginally better for me (still a bit on the fatty side though), but it actually tastes better too in my opinion. It also doesn’t have the side effect of phlegm build up in my throat that I get whenever I have regular dairy cream (too much info?).

All I can say is make it, it will blow your mind. Continue reading Coconut Whipped Cream

Coconut Rough Balls (Gluten-Free)

I love my home made chocolate, but I’ve been looking for some new sweets that I can make without too much effort. Ideally, something raw and something that is not too bad for me.

Wifey came across this recipe on Sweet As Honey and suggested I give it a try. They looked and sounded great so I thought, why not.

The recipe is very simple and the balls are quite quick to make. The longest part is waiting for them to firm up in the fridge, but if you stagger the decoration it doesn’t feel like you are sitting around waiting. Eg, roll one plate of coconut balls and put them in the fridge. Roll another plate and put them in the fridge then pull out the first plate and decorate etc.

I found that the mix makes between 50 and 60 coconut balls depending on how big you roll them, so it can serve quite a few! Continue reading Coconut Rough Balls (Gluten-Free)