Gluten free - grain free - dairy free - can be refined sugar free - egg free - vegetarian - (contains tree nuts)
"Hello.  My name is Karen, and I'm a chocoholic.  I've been a chocoholic since I was about 15, when I had my first job and the means with which to buy as much chocolate as I wanted.  I have tried to make more desserts and treats without chocolate... really- I have!  But it's no use.  Dessert without chocolate is like rain without water, music without a melody, love without the spark." ....(an excerpt from my imaginary first meeting at C.A.: Chocoholics Anonymous.  But of course, I'd never go, because I never want to give it up.   I prefer the Chocoholics 12 Step plan to recovery :  never be further than 12 steps away from chocolate!!)...

Anyway....here's another beauty for all you fellow Chocoholics.  And better yet, for all of you that love that divinely inspired combination of orange and dark chocolate, together, in harmony, in one mouthful.  The inspiration for this Cookie Cake came from the lovely Brittany at Real Sustinance, and I've really only changed a couple of quantities, and slightly messed with the ingredient list and turned it into Jaffa heaven.  Cookie Cake is definitely an American invention- not something we really do here in Australia, but let me assure you it's well worth trying! 
    If this isn't enough chocolate love for you, check out my lists of sweets and snacks....you will find much more chocolately inspiration there too!
    You can also turn this dough into individual cookies rather than a cake.  Follow the method right down to the bit where you put it on a lined pizza tray.  Instead, just flatten tablespoon-sized balls of the dough onto a lined cookie tray and bake for about 12 minutes, until lightly golden. 

Gluten free - grain free - dairy free - refined sugar free - nut free - vegetarian
    I've been experimenting with using coconut flour and have finally come up with a savoury muffin that I'm happy with!  If you like a more savoury breakfast, these would be great- even better with a bit of fried bacon, tomato and mushroom on the side!  They make an excellent lunch box snack too.  They freeze well so you can pull them out when you need them. 
   Coconut flour is really nothing like regular flour.  It needs to be baked with lots of egg to help give it it bind.  These muffins are actually a bit of a cross between a muffin and a frittata due to the amount of egg.  They are grain free and dairy free.  They are packed full of vegetable and protein goodness- a great way to fill up for the day!

    Makes about 10 medium sized muffins.  Double the recipe if you want to freeze a batch for later.
Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup grated carrot (about 160g / 5.6oz or two medium carrots)
• 1 cup grated cheese of choice (100g / 3.5oz).  I use Manchego (a sheep cheese) or sheep pecorino, but cheddar or parmesan would work too.
  
• 1 large spring onion (white and green bits), finely chopped
• 1/2 cup milk of choice - plant based or dairy
  
• 1/3 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon gluten free baking powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons Vital Vege Powder (optional)
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley or rosemary (or 1 tablespoon fresh, finely chopped herb)
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• a few grinds of pepper

Note : you can leave the cheese out all together if preferred.  Or to reduce the cheese, you can leave it out of the recipe and just sprinkle a little on top of each muffin before baking, as I did here:

Method:

• Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius / 370F. 
• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until a little fluffy.  Stir in the cheese, spring onion and milk until well combined.
• In a smaller bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients (coconut flour, baking soda, baking powder, paprika, herb, Vital Vege Powder, salt and pepper).
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until well combined
• Leave mixture to sit for 5 minutes.
• Place 10-12 patty cases in a muffin tin. Use an ice cream scoop to put batter into the cases- this helps get a uniform amount of batter in each one.
• If adding cheese to the top, do so now.
• Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes, until golden on top.
• Cool to room temperature before eating.  
• Freeze extras in airtight containers.

For more breakfast ideas, scroll through these recipes.
For more lunch ideas, scroll through these recipes.

Gluten free - grain free - dairy free - refined sugar free - contains nuts and egg  
     This is a wonderfully easy yet satisfying cake. It isn't too rich, and works really well for an afternoon tea cake, in the daily lunch boxes, or a dessert served with some cashew cream and fresh berries. The recipe was inspired by the Santiago Cake recipe in  "The Family Meal" by Ferran Adria, the head chef of the legendary elBulli restaurant in Northern Spain.
     The batter for the cake is very runny and it does not rise- therefore comes out a bit more like a slice than a cake. 

Serves 20 (or 12 if you like big pieces!)
Ingredients

• Butter (or non-dairy spread) for greasing baking tray
• Flour (gluten free- your choice) for lining the baking tray
• 6 large eggs (about 70g each)
• 150g (1 cup) rapadura sugar (or coconut sugar)
• 300g (3 cups) almond meal
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla essence or vanilla paste
• Rind of a lemon (I've used orange rind when I didn't have lemon, and it works well too)
• Icing sugar for dusting (optional)
  
  Method    

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease the bottom and sides of a 30x50cm baking tray with butter or dairy free spread. Sprinkle a little flour (any gluten free flour such as rice or potato flour) in the pan and shake around till bottom and sides are coated. Shake out any excess. Cut a piece of baking paper to fit the base of the tray and place it on top of the butter and flour.
• Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl. Add sugar. Using either a bench-top or handheld electric mixer, beat the eggs, vanilla and sugar until thick and foamy, about 5 minutes.
• In a separate bowl, mix the almond meal and cinnamon. Finely grate the lemon rind into the almond meal. Stir until mixed.
• Add the ground almond mixture into the wet mixture, very gently, and fold the two together very carefully, trying to retain as much air in the mixture as possible.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. It should only be about 1.5cm deep. Bake for about 15-17 minutes until golden and shrinking away from the sides of the pan.
• Allow to cool completely in the pan. Remove form the pan and cut into portions. Serve sprinkled with icing sugar if desired, some cashew cream or dairy-free ice cream and fresh berries.