Earlier this week I ventured down to Brighton with seven week old Joy, leaving Nino in the hands of his ever-adoring grandparents for day of swimming and Gruffalo hunting. Not wanting to negotiate London rush hour with the buggy, I bundled her into a snowsuit then stuck her in the sling, quietly congratulating myself as we met with a wall of commuters twenty deep on attempting descent to the tube. Maternity leave has removed me so completely from central city life, I’d forgotten the silent grey sea that is the London rush hour, office workers hiding behind papers and iPhones, unspeaking, their clothing muted and gaze cast low. Navigating the crush with a child swathed in bright pink unicorns attached to my chest, I felt like an imposter, unable to imagine having done this twice a day, every day, for almost all of my adult life.
Making raw and/or vegan desserts is a little like going on maternity leave. Your point of reference changes. Crisp-edged cookies become soft and dense with dates, cream tastes of coconut and jam is held together with chia seeds. As a seasoned lover of butter and flour and sugar, I’m perfectly aware that the recipe posted here is not a cookie as we know it, but these treats are no less delicious for it. Just as hanging out in the playground in leggings is no better or worse than going suited and booted into work, it’s just different, each to be enjoyed and appreciated on their own merits.
The cookies in question come from Donna Hay’s beautiful new book, Modern Baking. When her publisher got in touch to see if I’d like a copy, I couldn’t say yes quickly enough. Donna’s recipes are brilliant and beautifully shot, she uses interesting flavours and textures and – from what I’ve seen from other cookbooks and her website, which is so important – they work first time. The press release came with several recipes attached and I was immediately drawn to the photo of these raw chocolate coated cookies with raspberry and coconut filling. Dense, sweet and creamy with a zing of fruit, they could be the raw vegan answer to a Wagon Wheel and went down a treat with both my boys.
Don’t let this mislead you as to the content of the book. There’s plenty of butter, sugar, eggs and baking throughout the 250 recipes inside, divided into chapters on Chocolate, Caramel, Toffee & Coffee, Sugar & Spice, Fruit & Berries and Milk & Cream. Each category has ‘Quick Fix’ and ‘Fresh and Light’ options but overall the theme is indulgence, reflected in the stunning moody photography that accompanies each recipe. Any book with over eighty pages dedicated to chocolate, and which includes recipes like S’Mores Cookie Sandwiches, Creme Brulee Custard Doughnuts, Chocolate Custard Poke and Sticky Date Meringue Cakes gets my vote, and I think you’ll love it too, which is why I asked for an extra copy to give away.
To be in with the chance of winning a copy of Modern Baking by Donna Hay, simply comment below telling me your favourite ingredient to bake with. For an additional chance, head on over to Instagram and comment on the competition post. The competition closes next Friday 26th October, good luck!
- For the filling
- 125g raspberries
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 60g dessicated coconut
- 125ml coconut cream
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- For the cookies
- 60g rolled oats
- 120g almonds
- 2 tbsp natural almond butter
- 75g raisins
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 200g dark chocolate melted with 2 tsp coconut oil, to coat
- To make the fillings, crush the raspberries and stir in the chia seeds. Refrigerate at least 30 mins, until thickened. Blitz the dessicated coconut, coconut cream and oil in a blender and blend until well combined and fluffy. Transfer to a separate bowl.
- To make the cookies, ilne a large tray with non stick baking paper. Blitz the oats, almonds, almond butter, raisins and maple syrup in a blender for 3 minutes or until the mixture comes together to a sticky dough. Roll out between two pieces of baking parchment to 4mm thick, then refrigerate 15 minutes. Once firmed up, remove the top sheet of paper and stamp out 5cm rounds - you should get about 20.
- Top one cookie with a teaspoon of raspberry mixture and two teaspoons of coconut. Sandwich a second cookie on top then repeat until all cookies are sandwiched together. Dip each cookie in the melted chocolate mixture, shaking off any excess, then return to the lined tray. Refrigerate for 10 minutes, until set, then serve.
- Will keep, refrigerated in an airtight container, for 2 - 3 days.
Fruit, apples or rhubarb or cranberry or oranges or lemons or mangos, peaches, berries
So much choice!
I love Donna Hay! I have tried a few recipes from her website and they were all a success with the family. My favorite ingredient to bake with is chocolate. Chocolate takes any bake to another level!!
It may sound boring but one of my favourite ingredients to cook with is yeast. It is a magical ingredient and you can use it in so many ways – not just bread but when you do, you produce the most wonderful breads (sweet and savoury) and buns that take you from Hot Cross Buns at Easter right through to Panettone at Christmas.
I’m always surprised that Donna Hay is not very well known in the U.K. As sha seems to be the Australian Delia, her food photography is amazing. I’m loving baking with apples and warming spices as autumn makes it’s presents felt. Loving the posts as usual. Xx
Oh these look lovely and yummy My favourite ingredient to bake with? Well that’s like asking a mother which one of her children is her favourite As a flavour, I very much like dark chocolate everything with a bit of salt. As an ingredient I love using my homemade vanilla sugar. But I think I love best when baking is using ingredients that give a subtle almost epheremal flavour, like rose water, pistachio paste or quince jelly ✨
favourite ingredient to bake with = almond butter!
My favourite ingredient to bake with are any kind of nuts. Roasted, ground, toasted. In sweet or savoury recipes. They add taste, texture and area wondrous alternative to meat as a source if protein. Wow how versatile they are….
I love baking with sour cream as it imparts moisture to cakes that no other ingredient does. The cakes keep longer and don’t go dry as they age. Australian and American use this ingredient more often than other countries. I love Donna Hay recipes and her food programs on the tv. She makes everything looks so easy and achievable. When I replicate them in my own kitchen they always work because Donna and her team have thoroughly tested them
Marzipan! Although mostly it’s added after baking, I have a small catalogue of recipes with marzipan centres and fillings, and a marzipan apple combination is dreamy.
I agree yeast is fantastic and has its own special magic -until you slide into sourdough and lose yourself down THAT very particular rabbit hole! Crikey, it’s a tough call and arguably changes with the seasons but it’s hard to beat a LOAD of good quality chocolate (even if the extravagance makes you sob!). Breaking out the peanut butter has a jolly feel, bright SPRINKLES make me smile… and I personally have something of an odd but heartfelt obsession with the dark, undyed glacé cherries. However, if I had to call on one ingredient, Desert Island style, it’d be top-notch BUTTER. I’d be sad without it.
This book looks really exciting -another one on my amazon wishlist, I suppose!
I love working with icing sugar and my daughter calls it fairy dust!
I love baking with sour cream because it gives the cake crumb a lovely unctuous bite and it doesn’t cause the cake to crumble in your fingers because it’s moist and hold together well in your hand..very important feature of a good cake! I find that you can swap yogurt for sour cream in cake, muffin and cookie recipes and that makes me very happy!
I have always enjoyed using Donna Hay’s recipes because I know I can trust them to work as her team have thoroughly tested the recipes before publishing. I am looking forward to trying this recipe
My favorite ingredient to bake with is definitely golden syrup! Anything you add it to goes up to the next level of deliciousness. I always add it to cookie dough, and use it instead of sugar to sweeten homemade hot chocolate or custard. Wish it wasn’t so hard to get hold of outside of the UK! I order it on Amazon along with tea and marmite…
I love cooking with seeds. In particular, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, linseeds, poppy seeds and sesame seeds (white and black), preferably in combination.
They transform bread, muffins, cakes, flapjacks, crumbles, pastry, salads, roasted vegetables, fruit compotes, yogurt and cereal, even cheese on toast. I find they turn from something delicious but fairly ordinary into something magical and doubly delicious when toasted / baked. Whether folded into a batter, kneaded into a dough, simply sprinkled on top before baking, or toasted and sprinkled on a host of different dishes (savoury or sweet) just before serving, they add taste, texture and nutrients. Throw in some toasted almonds, hazelnuts or pecans too and it’s even better! I love my copy of Donna Hay’s book ‘Life in Balance’, and regularly bake the seed and date slice with amazing medjool dates. It is a combination of pretty much all my favourite ingredients – seeds, nuts, dates, cinnamon, vanilla and a touch of honey. Yum!
I also agree with the comment on yeast (far from boring!) and I find eggs pretty amazing. So versatile!
Wow! These look super yummy, and so healthy too! I love that combination in a sweet treat!
My favorite ingredient to bake with is ground almonds – they add texture, moisture and nutty flavour. With the gluten free option as an added bonus for friends with dietary requirements!