Date and pecan tartlets filled with chocolate cream, gluten - free

Easy to make, gluten free, perfect dessert for hot summer days. There is no need to bake. Mixed dates and pecans are very sticky and it's easy to make tartlets of this mixture. Although a few minutes of chilling is recommended. To make delicious, rich, chocolate cream melted chocolate and Mascarpone cream is enough. We loved them.

 Ingredients for 4 tartlets:

• 200g dates
• 70g pecans

 Put the dates and pecans into blender and mix them until finely blended. The mixture should resemble bread crumbs but when pressed small bits should stick to each other. 

Divide the mixture among four tartlets' tins. Press the bits with your fingers or back of the spoon  to the bottom and sides of the tins. Insert to the fridge to chill for a few minutes.

In a meantime prepare the filling.

Ingredients for chocolate cream:

• about 120g dark chocolate
• about 150g Mascarpone cream
• 4 pecan halves for decoration
• chopped pecans for decoration

 Melt the chocolate in a microwave or in a bowl placed over a pot with simmering water. Set the melted chocolate aside for a few minutes to cool down. Then add Mascarpone cheese. Using and electric mixer whisk until smooth. 

Remove the tartlets from the fridge. Divide the cream among all of them. Smooth the cream on the top. Place one pecan halve in the middle of each tartlets and sprinkle the edges with chopped pecans.

Put them back to the fridge and chill them for a few minutes.

Then gently remove from the tins and enjoy ! 

Recipe in Polish

Date and bran muffins

Moist, dense, packed with fibre, sweet muffins. The batter has to be prepared day ahead. So in the morning you can easily bake them, without preparation mess. Easy to make, healthy ... what else to say.. juts give them a try.

Recipe comes form "The Australian Women's Weekly. Muffins"

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 185g flour
• 1 tsp soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon  
• 110g caster sugar
• 105g wheat bran
• 120g chopped dates
• 125 ml oil
• 375 ml buttermilk
• 1 egg

Put all ingredients into a bowl, stir them until all combined. Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate overnight.

Next morning. Preheat the oven to 200C.

Line with paper cases or slightly grease the muffin.

Spoon the batter into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes. When ready remove form the oven set aside for a few minutes to cool the muffins down and enjoy !

Recipe in Polish

Oat, date and honey muffins

At first I thought it might be too sweet. Dates and honey together ? But when I gave it a try I was really happy with the final result. Fresh from the oven muffins were fluffy with crunchy crust, not too sweet. Next day they were more dense and moist but still very tasty. I hope you will enjoy them too. The recipe comes from this website.  

Ingredients for 12 - 14 muffins:

• 225g flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp soda
• 110g porridge oats + 2 tbsp to sprinkle the muffins
• 75g sugar
• 140g dried dates
• 125 ml canola oil
• 1 egg
• 125 ml low fat milk
• 90g honey

Chop the dates into small chunks. 

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line muffin tins with paper cases. 

Sift the flour, baking powder and soda into a  big bowl. Next add the oats, dates and sugar and mix them well. Set aside.

In separate jug whisk the egg, add the milk, oil and honey. Mix all ingredients together. Pour the mixture into a bowl with dry ones. Mix until just combined.

Spoon the batter into paper cases, up to 3/4 full. Sprinkle with oats. Bake for 15 - 18 minutes in preheated oven. When well risen and golden on top, remove from the oven. Transfer to the wire rack and cool them down.

Enjoy !

Very healthy muffins

This recipe comes from Muffin Tin Mania blog . When I saw those muffins I had to make them. As soon as I gathered all ingredients I started. Those muffins were extremely easy to prepare. They don't need to be bake. And the are very tasty. Crunch, chewy, sweet and full of goodness. We really enjoyed them. I think they are perfect snack.

Ingredients for 10 - 12 muffins:

• 100g rolled oats
• 50g rye flakes
• 150g chopped, pitted dates (I used half figs half dates)
• 60g shelled pistachios
• 40g sunflower seeds
• 50g raisins
• 60g cashew nuts ( I used salted)
• 30g cocoa nibs
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp ground flaxseed (skipped)
• 250 ml brown rice syrup
• 60 ml almond butter

Place all dry ingredients into a food processor and process until slightly pulverised and mixed. Then add the brown syrup and almond butter and mix again until all ingredients clump together. 

Spoon the mixture into silicone muffin moulds. And press the with the back of the spoon. If the seeds stick to the spoon cover the spoon with thin layer of brown rice syrup. Try to smooth the surface.

Chill the muffins in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Then remove form moulds and wrap into parchment. 

 Store the muffins in the fridge.

 Enjoy !

Sticky toffee date muffins

This is another delicious recipe of Ina Garten. Those muffins are soft, moist coated with sweet and sticky toffee sauce.We enjoy them very much I hope you will too.

Ingredients for 12 - 18 muffins:

• 225g pitted dates
• 450ml water
• 1 tsp soda
• 110g butter
• 90g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 vanilla extract 
• 300g flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp baking powder

To bake those muffins start with cooking dates.

Pour the cold water into a big pot add chopped dates. Bring to boil. Then leave to simmer for about 1 minute. Remove from heat stir in the soda. Be careful the mixture will bubble up. Set aside to cool down a little.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

Cream the butter and sugar together in an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time. Al last add flour and salt. This will create very lumpy mixture. 

Now it is a time to add the date mixture. Pour half of the mixture into the bowl with the lumpy batter. Mix well then add the remaining date mixture. At last stir in the baking powder. This will make the batter to bubble up.

Pour the runny batter into prepared earlier muffin cases. Fill them up to the top as they don't rise much. Bake about 20 minutes.

While the muffin are in the oven prepare toffee.

Ingredients for toffee sauce:

• 110g butter
• 120g brawn sugar
• 80ml double cream
• 1/2 vanilla extract

Combine the butter, sugar, cream and vanilla in a medium size sauce pan. Bring  to boil then reduce to simmer gently for a few minutes until thickened.   

When muffins are baked remove them from the oven and poke with toothpick. Pour over them the runny toffee sauce.

Let them set then spread another toffee sauce layer over each muffin top.

 Enjoy !

Orange muffins with dates and walnuts

This recipe comes from joy of baking website. They were very easy to make and their taste was delicious. Those muffins were soft, spongy, with beautiful orange scent, sweet with dates and crunchy with walnuts. I think they are worth trying.

Ingredients for 12 muffins:

• 130g flour
• 130g whole wheat flour
• 140g brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bircarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 80 ml orange juice ( I used freshly squized orange juice from 2 oranges)
• 160 ml buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 57 g melted butter
• 90g chopped dates
• 60g chopped walnuts

Wash the orange and grate the zest. Set aside. Squizze orange juice, set aside. Melt the butter and set aside.
Chopp the walnuts and dates and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.

In a big bowl sift the flours, sugar, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, salt, orange zest and whisk them together. Set aside.

In a measuring jug whisk together the buttermilk, orange juice, egg, vanilla and melted butter.

Pour this mixture into dry ingredients, add the walnuts and dates. Mix all ingredients together just to combine them all. Do not over stir the batter.
Spoon the batter into baking cases. Bake for 20 min. Transfer to the wire rack to cool them down. Enjoy !