Pineapple Coconut Upside Down Cake

Pineapple Coconut Upside Down Cake 

90g / 1 cup quick cooking oats
35g desiccated coconut
125g / 1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
150g / 3/4 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
160ml / 2/3 cup pineapple juice from a can
25g / 1/8 cup unrefined coconut oil, melted
50g / 1/4 cup soft dark brown sugar
9 pineapple rings from a can

1) Preheat oven to 180C / 350F. Prepare a 20 x 20 cm / 8 x 8 inch silicone baking dish or line a metal baking dish with parchment paper.

2) In a small bowl, combine together oats, coconut, flour, baking powder, salt and white sugar. Set aside.

3) In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add pineapple juice and melted coconut oil and stir to combine. 

4) Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine. 

5) Sprinkle the bottom of the baking dish with dark brown sugar. Arrange pineapple rings on top of it. Pour the batter into the baking dish and bake in oven for 30-35 minutes or until the toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

6) Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Invert cake and let cool completely before slicing and serving.

Recipe by collecting memories

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars (No-Bake, Healthy)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars (No-Bake, Healthy)

180g (2 cups) quick-cooking oats

75g (1 cup) unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tbsp ground flax seeds

250g (1 cup) salted peanut butter

100g dark (50%) chocolate

100g (1/2 cup) unrefined coconut oil

170g (1/2 cup) honey

1) Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or prepare a silicone loaf pan. 

2) In a large bowl, mix together oats, coconut flakes, and flax seed meal.

3) In a small saucepan, combine together coconut oil, honey and peanut butter. Cook just until melted. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate, cover and let sit for 2 minutes until the chocolate is melted. Stir until smooth.

4) Add the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stir to combine. Place in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours or until firm. Store in the fridge.

Recipe by collecting memories

Date Caramel, Cashew Butter and Cocoa Fudge Bars (No-Bake)

Date Caramel, Cashew Butter and Cocoa Fudge Bars (No-Bake)

Base:
30g (1/4 cup) unsweetened dark cocoa powder
20g (2 tbsp) ground flax seeds
85g (1/4 cup) honey
50g (1/4 cup) unrefined coconut oil

Middle layer:
125g (1/2 cup) cashews
30g (2 tbsp) unrefined coconut oil, melted
40g (2 tbsp) honey, melted
1/4 tsp salt

Top layer:
175g (1 cup) dates
2-4 tbsp boiling water
1/4 tsp salt 

1) Line the bottom and the sides of a standard loaf pan with parchment paper or prepare a silicone loaf pan.

2) In a small saucepan, combine together all the ingredients for the base and heat until the coconut oil and the honey is melted. Stir until smooth and spread evenly into the loaf pan. Refrigerate while you prepare other layers.

3) Make the cashew butter layer: Place cashews into your food processor and process until smooth and very creamy. It will take around 10 minutes. It takes more time and patience than peanut butter. But don't worry if the mixture doesn't look like getting smooth - it will look grainy like a curd but eventually it will turn into butter. Trust me. Just don't stop processing. Make sure you make a few short breaks to let your food processor rest.

4) When the cashew butter is ready, mix it with melted honey and coconut oil and salt. Stir until very well combined and spread onto the chocolate layer (first make sure that the first layer has set). Return to the fridge.

5) To make the caramel layer, add dates, salt and 2 tablespoons of water into your food processor. Process until smooth. You may need to add more water if the batter looks sticky and hard. I needed 3 tablespoons of water.

6) Spread the caramel layer onto the cashew butter layer and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cutting into squares.

Store in the fridge.

Recipe by collecting memories

Soft Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies (No flour, butter, sugar, eggs)

Soft Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies (No flour, butter, sugar, eggs)

250g (about 2 large) bananas, mashed
15g (1 tbsp) unrefined coconut oil, melted
83g (1/3 cup) homemade peanut butter
85g (1/4 cup) real honey, melted
90g (1 cup) old-fashioned oats, ground
90g (1 cup) quick-cooking oats
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp flax seeds, ground
25g (1/4 cup) dessicated coconut
40g (1/4 cup) semisweet chocolate chips

1) Preheat oven to 160C / 320F degrees. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

2) In a small large bowl, add banana, coconut oil, peanut butter and honey. Mix until combined.

3) In a small bowl, stir together oats, salt, ground flax seeds and dessicated coconut. 

4) Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Mix in half of the chocolate chips.

5) Drop 9 scoops of dough onto the parchment paper (the cookies will be large). Press the remaining chocolate chips on top of the cookies. The cookies will not spread so you can flatten them a little bit. Bake for 12-14 minutes. The less you bake them - the better!

6) Cool completely before serving.

Serves 9 large cookies.

Recipe by collecting memories 

Coconut Cheesecake

Enough of pumpkin, it's time for coconut! Okay, I have nothing against pumpkin, but it's time to include other ingredients in my meals. Seriously. I've been eating pumpkin almost everyday. 
I haven't made cheesecake for a long time and when I saw a lonely can of cream of coconut in my counter, I realized that it's time to bake a coconut cheesecake. And I wasn't wrong. It was a perfect time. In fact, it's always a perfect time for a cheesecake. 
And the result? Absolutely perfect. Creamy, smooth, not too sweet, light and without a single crack on top. But the best part... was the frosting. It was TO DIE FOR. Really, it was the most delicious coconut frosting ever. You must try this cheesecake. And you MUST try this coconut frosting. That's all you need.

Coconut Cheesecake

Crust:
150g (~1 1/2 cup) graham cracker crumbs (any other cookies work as well)
60g (2oz) butter, melted

Filling:
1 kg (4 8oz packages) cream cheese
200g (1/2 can) coconut cream (unsweetened)
225g (1 cup) sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
15g (1 tbsp) cornstarch

Frosting:
200g (1/2 can) coconut cream (unsweetened)
60g (2oz) powdered sugar

1) Mix together graham cracker crumbs with butter and press into the bottom of a springform pan. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

2) In a bowl, beat together cream cheese and sugar. Add coconut cream, eggs, vanilla extract and cornstarch. Mix just until smooth.

3) Pour onto the crust and bake in a 180C / 350F preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 120C / 250F and bake for another 60-90 minutes. 

4) Let cool completely, preferably overnight. 

5) For the frosting, beat together coconut cream and powdered sugar until creamy. Spread over the cooled cake. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Slice and enjoy!

Recipe by collecting memories

Coconut Cashew Cheesecake

No, I'm not vegan and I'm not going to become vegan. But the more vegan desserts I make, the more I fall in love with this kind of food. It feels so good when you know that what you eat is good for you and every ingredient has important nutrients. I LOVED this cashew cheesecake! It doesn't taste like a traditional cheesecake, I'd say it tastes like a coconut ice-cream pie. Doesn't that sound good?? 
Just use unrefined coconut oil. Trust me, don't use refined stuff here.
It's best to serve it frozen. Keep it in the freezer and let thaw at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before serving. If you keep it in the fridge, it will have a mousse-like texture which is yummy too, but I prefer it frozen. Then it really tastes like ice cream. It Melts in your mouth! 

Coconut Cashew Cheesecake

Base:
50g dried coconut flakes
50g ground cashews
90g raisins

Filling:
2 1/2 cup (350g) cashews, soaked for 6-8 hours, drained
1/4 cup (60ml) unrefined coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup (150g) agave nectar
3/4 cup (180ml) coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

1) To make the base, grind coconut, cashews and raisins in your food processor until the mixture looks sticky and comes into a ball. Press it into the bottom of a round baking pan (I used a 23cm pan with a removable bottom).

2) To make the filling, grind cashews in your food processor until you get a smooth creamy paste. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour onto the crust and freeze overnight.

3) Thaw at room temperature for 5-10 minutes and slice!

Recipe by collecting memories