At times, you’re craving something sweet even if you’re undergoing a detox, you’re fasting, or your diet is vegan. I’ve discovered something tasty, easy to make, and filling!

What did I use?

225g pitted dates

75g Romanian almonds

½ tbsp of cinnamon powder

3 tbsp of cocoa powder

100g coconut flakes

Soak the dates and almonds overnight.

Rinse them and transfer them to a blender with the cinnamon and cocoa powder, pulsing for 1-2 minutes until you get a paste.

Shape 32 bonbons (it helps if your hands are wet). Roll them through the coconut flakes (chop them in the blender if they’re too large).

It was by far our favourite dessert during our end-of-spring detox.

What do you need for the ...?

DOUGH

3 tbsp of water

1 tbsp of flax seeds

125g gluten-free oatmeal

25g tapioca flour

60g (melted and cooled) butter

a dash of vanilla bean

1 tbsp of apple vinegar

a pinch of salt

FILLING

3 big apples (chopped or grated)

some nutmeg

some (grounded) cinnamon

4 teaspoons of date sugar

15g butter

How to bake it?

First, let the flax seeds sit in water for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, clean the apples, cut them, and chop them in a blender or grate them.

Add the apples to a pan and let them simmer with the nutmeg, cinnamon, date sugar, and butter. Mix when the butter melts and remove from heat. You’ll know when they’re ready because they’ll smell divinely.

In a medium bowl, mix the gluten-free oatmeal, the tapioca flour, the melted and cooled butter, the dash of vanilla bean, the apple vinegar, and the salt. Mix in the flax seeds and the water, too. Knead until the dough is no longer sticky.

Shape the crust in a buttered and floured tart mould. Add the filling.

Bake for 25 minutes at 160°C in the preheated oven.

I served it alongside a cooling sour cherry sorbetto made by Marcel on a torrid day.

As I wrote in the previous recipe, our detox allowed us to eat a single non-vegan ingredient – butter, as long as it was high-quality butter. We had very few desserts to bring joy into those difficult days; this was one of them.

For a 20x20 cm baking pan, you’ll need—

2 tbsp of butter +40g melted butter

2 apples

125g gluten-free oats

a dash of cinnamon

a dash of nutmeg

a pinch of sea salt

4 tbsp of date sugar

How to prepare?

Melt 2 tbsp of butter. Slice 2 apples.

Pour over them a mix of gluten-free oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, sea salt, date sugar, and the 40g of melted butter.

Bake at 180°C for 20 minutes.

Munch from a bowl while still warm.

I’ve had many things on my mind. I feel bad I couldn’t go on earlier with my favourite ingredients. I will do it below, though! J

Today: cinnamon

What do I do knowing that not all people are cinnamon lovers? I use about half of what I’d use for a dessert made solely for me.

Where do I select cinnamon from? It is said that the best cinnamon in the world is from Sri Lanka. I don’t know why, but I’ve never tried it. I did test the cinnamon from Colombia, Ghana, and Iran (the one from Golestan Province is special). My favourite cinnamon, though, is the one from India.

Why do I love it? (I am crazy about it!) It is a perfect match for certain cheeses and fruits!

Ingredients:

60g butter

120g yoghurt

120g whole-wheat flour

5g baking powder

a pinch of salt

4 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon powder

for 25 cookies

Method:

Melt the butter.

Meanwhile, mix the flour, baking powder, pinch of salt, sugar, and cinnamon.  

Add the melted butter and the yoghurt.  

In a large baking pan lined with baking parchment, shape the dough as cookies.

Then, bake in the (preheated) oven for 15 minutes at 180⁰C.

How are they? J

500ml milk

100g sugar

1 cinnamon stick

50g butter 

100g semolina

3 eggs

+ cinnamon powder

6 years ago, when I shyly started to understand that I, too, could create desserts – on top of that, delicious ones! –, galatopita was one of the first cakes I made.

My fascination for Greek cuisine was the reason for trying this dessert out. It seemed easy and fast, with a spectacular result!

Pour the milk into a pan and place it on low heat, with the sugar and the cinnamon stick, until it starts boiling. At that point, remove the cinnamon stick by adding the butter and the semolina, mixing thoroughly. When bubbles form, remove the pan from the heat.

Add the whole eggs, one by one, mixing well.

When the final mix – a creamy one – is ready, pour it into a round mould. Mine is a silicone mould, so buttering and flouring it was not necessary.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes at 180⁰C. Then, open the oven door and let the cake cool for 10 minutes without removing it from the oven.

Cut triangular slices and serve them with cinnamon powder on top. That is if you like it. I am crazy about it!