from my orchid kitchen

For those who love coffee and enjoy hazelnuts, these crispy cookies are a suggestion to try sided by a hot drink.

The ingredients 

• Egg - will bind all the other ingredients of these cookies.
• Butter - is the main source of fat and contributes to the crunchy texture of cookies.
• Coconut sugar - any type of sugar can be used, but coconut sugar or brown sugar gives it a caramel-like flavor that pairs very well with the flavors of hazelnut, cinnamon, and coffee.
• Hazelnut flour - although not in much quantity, its flavor will be the main one along with that of coffee. To obtain hazelnut flour, just ground the 50 g of hazelnut finely in a food processor (with or without skin, and it may or may not be lightly toasted previously).
• Wheat flour and baking powder - are ingredients that give body and some volume to the cookies. Wheat flour can be replaced by spelt flour or else a mix of gluten-free flours.
• Cinnamon - is another aroma that complements these cookies along with coffee and hazelnut.
• Coffee - if you want you can use only 1/2 teaspoon to make the coffee taste less intense, or alternatively use a soluble mixture similar to coffee.

How to do

• You start by bringing the butter and the egg at room temperature. If necessary, soften the butter a little more, but without melting it completely.
• Beat the butter together with the sugar until it is completely dissolved. Then add the whole egg, wrapping well.
• Separately in a bowl, mix the wheat and hazelnut flours along with the baking powder.
• To these add soluble coffee and ground cinnamon.
• Gradually, the previous mixture of flours with the moist ingredients is involved until everything is well bound and homogeneous.
• A ball of dough is molded and then flattened and covered with a little cling film.
• So we can extend it later, it must be placed in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
• The dough is then removed from the cold and placed between 2 sheets of parchment paper to facilitate the sliding of the dough roll, stretching it until we get about 3 to 4 mm thick.
• Using a cookie cutter/mold or other utensils you have, cut the cookies. The leftovers are added again, stretching the dough again and cutting until it runs out.
• Carefully place the cookies on a greased tray or lined with parchment paper.
• Place them in the oven at 180ºC for about 15 minutes or until it starts to brown.

 

Hazelnut, cinnamon and coffee cookies recipe

Ingredients

1 egg
80 gr of butter
50 gr of coconut sugar
50 gr of hazelnut flour
150 gr of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon of instant coffee
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

1. Beat the butter with the sugar.
2. Add the egg, wrapping well.
3. In a bowl, mix the flour with the hazelnut flour, the baking powder, the cinnamon, and the coffee.
4. This mixture of dry ingredients is added to the mixture of egg, butter, and sugar and wrapped until is well bound.
5. A flattened dough disk is formed, covered with cling film, and placed in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
6. After that time, the dough is placed between 2 sheets of parchment paper and spread with the dough roller until it reaches about 3 mm in thickness.
7. With a cookie cutter or a cup, the cookies are cut and then placed on a greased tray or lined with parchment paper.
8. Bake at 180ºC for about 15 minutes.

 

 

Being on its season, a pumpkin pie could not be missing - in this case, in an individual version. These mini-pies are made quickly and easily and are pleasantly creamy.

Traditionally, pumpkin pie has evaporated milk (or cream) and sugar as its ingredients, but this version that substitutes these two elements for condensed milk is also well known. Unfortunately, in Portugal there is no canned pumpkin puree on sale as in the USA, but that is not a reason to discard the recipes made with this vegetable rich in fiber and low in calories.

 

The ingredients

• Shortcrust pastry - for those who do not want to make the pie crust, you can always choose to use a store-bought.
• Egg - for these mini-pies, only 1 egg is needed to bind the remaining ingredients of the filling.
• Pumpkin - in the USA when making recipes with pumpkin puree, they almost always resort to canned puree; as it is more difficult to find this canned item, we have to cook it in advance and then puree it.
• Condensed milk - when using condensed milk, we are not only sweetening the pies but also giving the filling extra creaminess.
• Spice mix - for those who usually read pumpkin recipes, especially those of American origin, the famous "pumpkin spice" is often found on the list of ingredients, which is nothing more than a mixture of spices that combines quite well with the sweet taste of pumpkin. Usually in the USA, they buy this mix already prepared in packs, but for those who don't have access or want smaller portions, it's quite easy to make at home. You just need the following powdered spices:

• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon of cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice (optional)

How to make

• It's better to start by preparing the pumpkin puree because once it has been cooked, it will have to cool down before being added to the rest of the recipe ingredients.
• After peeling and removing the seeds, the pumpkin can be steamed (as used in this recipe) for about 20 minutes (whatever the type of cooking chosen, the smaller the pumpkin portions, the faster it will be), it can be cooked in the microwave in a container with a little water at the bottom for 15 minutes, or baked in the oven at 190ºC covered with aluminum foil for about 1 hour.
• We move on to the mini-pie dough, and in a bowl, we mix the flour and wholemeal / oatmeal.
• Then we add the salt along with the milk and oil and wrap well until we get a well-bonded dough (if you think it's too dry you can add another tablespoon of milk).
• The dough is wrapped in cling film and placed for a few minutes in the refrigerator to rest.
• After cooling, the pumpkin pieces are mashed in a food processor, hand mixer, or even passe-vite, until we obtain a fine puree. Reserve.
• With the help of a rolling pin, spread the dough so that you can cover 4 mini-pie pans (these are 12 cm in diameter).
• For the bottom to be cooked, prick with a fork, and then bake it in the oven at 220ºC for 10 minutes.
• Returning to the filling, place the pumpkin puree, egg, condensed milk, salt, and spices in a bowl and mix well.
• The mini-pies are removed from the oven, and the filling is distributed over them, returning to the oven but this time at 175ºC between 15 to 20 minutes.
• They can be served slightly warm or completely cold, accompanied with a little whipped cream.

Mini pumpkin condensed milk pies recipe

Ingredients
 

Store-bought shortcrust (optional)

for the pie pastry
130 gr of flour
50 gr of wholemeal flour
4 tablespoons of oil
3 to 4 tablespoons of milk (of any kind)
1/4 teaspoon salt

for the filling
1 egg
400 gr of pumpkin puree
150 gr of low fat condensed milk (approx. 1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice mix (see below)
Pinch of salt

1. For the pumpkin puree, simply steam the pumpkin in advance, or cook it in the microwave or in the oven, and let it cool.
2. For the tartlets dough, mix the flours and add the remaining ingredients, kneading until you get a ball.
3. Leave to rest in the refrigerator while preparing the filling.
4. In a bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, the egg, the condensed milk, the salt, and the spices, until obtaining a homogeneous preparation.
5. Take the dough out of the refrigerator, and roll it enough to line 4 mini-pie pans, pricking the bottom of each with a fork.
6. Place in the oven to pre-cook at 220ºC for 10 minutes. The filling is distributed over the tartlets, and placed back in the oven at 175ºC between 15 to 20 minutes.

 

 

This cake is ideal for saying goodbye to the summer and celebrating the beginning of autumn with the warmth of spices and sloes, a fruit that is often overlooked and appears during this time of transition.

When I saw this recipe, I admit that I feared that mixing cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom with a fruit other than apples or pears, might not go very well...

But I surrendered to this mixture of flavors, not to mention the lightness of the dough and the succulence of the sloes that created small creamy pockets all over the cake.

The ingredients

• Sloes - it is advisable for this cake to choose sloes that are not too ripe because they are more difficult to slice and are too juicy.
• Egg - you only need 1 egg to bind all the other elements.
• Flour - common wheat flour or a mix of gluten-free flours can be used, which works equally well.
• Baking powder - if you use self-raising flour, you can omit the baking powder mentioned in the recipe.
• Sugar - for this sloe cake I preferred to use brown sugar (my favorite is this sugar-stevia blend), and that's what I used to sprinkle over the fruit.
• Butter
• Milk - vegetable milk can be used to replace cow's milk, such as almond, oat, or rice.
• Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Cardamom - it is the combination of these 3 spices that turn this fruit cake into something special, but in order not to overpower the flavor of sloes, I decided to reduce the original quantities.
• Vanilla - is optional, but its presence always improves the flavor of cakes.

How to make

• In a bowl mix the flour with the baking powder.
• Add cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt.
• Apart, beat the butter well (at room temperature) with the sugar until it dissolves and we get a soft cream.
• Add the egg and vanilla, mixing well.
• Milk is added little by little, alternating with portions of the flour mixture, involving well but without beating too much so as not to activate the gluten. Reserve.
• The sloes are washed, cut in half and the stones are removed.
• Each half of the fruit is then cut in half (each sloe then yields 4 similar portions).
• The preparation is poured into a removable ring pan greased and sprinkled with flour.
• The sloes pieces are then arranged in a circle over the dough and are pressed lightly to enter the cake's dough.
• Sprinkle with a little sugar over the fruit (as I forgot this step, I just sprinkled the cake halfway through cooking and therefore the sugar was more at the surface).
• Bake at 180ºC for 30 to 35 minutes. 

Sloes and spices cake recipe

Ingredients

180 gr of flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon salt
100 gr of butter
200 gr of sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
125 ml of milk
8 sloes
1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar for sprinkling

1. You start by mixing the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, spices, and salt.
2. Apart, beat the butter with the sugar until you get a soft cream.
3. Add the egg and vanilla.
4. Gradually, and alternating, add the milk and flour mixture, mixing well but without beating too much.
5. The sloes are washed, the stones are removed and cut into 4 similar pieces.
6. The preparation is poured into a removable ring pan greased and sprinkled with flour.
7. The  fruit pieces are arranged in a circle over the dough.
8. Sprinkle the sugar over the fruit.
9. Bake at 180ºC for 30 to 35 minutes.

Adapted from "Late summer plum cake"

 

The ingredients

• Almond - since it doesn't use flour, it's the almond that will be the base of this cake; almond flour can be used instead of grinding whole almonds, but since a significant amount of this is used, it probably pays off (in monetary terms) to buy unprocessed almonds.
• Carrot - along with the almond, it's the main ingredient for this cake, and in addition to some sweetness and flavor, it also provides moisture to it.
• Sugar - 2 types of sugar are used in this recipe - white and brown; however, you can choose to only use one of these, or instead use coconut sugar (a total of at least 150gr, because coconut sugar has less sweetening power compared to ordinary sugar).
• Eggs - will bind all the other ingredients.
• Baking powder - it will create air in the cake dough creating a soft texture characteristic of other cakes made with flour.
• Cinnamon, Vanilla and Nutmeg - along with orange zest, these are the elements that will give flavor to the cake; originally more cinnamon was used, which I reduced to make the other flavors stand out.
• Orange - in the original recipe the use of lemon zest was the one proposed, but I replaced it with orange, which is generally the most used in carrot cakes.

How to make

• In a food processor, grind the almonds along with the brown sugar until a fine granulate is obtained, or if you choose to use almonds already in flour, just mix this with the brown sugar. Avoid grinding too much so that it doesn't turn into a moist paste, which means that the almond has started to release its natural fat.
• The following are added to the almond mix: cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and baking powder, and then set aside.
• Next, grate the carrot finely, using a mandolin or food processor, and fill two measures of 250ml (equivalent to about 2 cups) and reserve.
• In the bowl where the cake is to be prepared, start by beating the eggs with the remaining sugar until a smooth and homogeneous cream is obtained.
• Vanilla and orange zest are then added.
• To this cream add the almond, sugar and spices mix, stirring well.
• Then, the grated carrot is well wrapped in the previous batter.
• After having greased and coated with parchment paper a small pan (this had 16cm diameter), pour the batter in there, smoothing the surface, and take it to the oven at 180ºC between 50 to 60 minutes.

Carrot almond cake (gluten free) recipe

Ingredients

250 gr of almonds
2 cups grated carrot
4 eggs
50 gr brown sugar
80 gr of sugar
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon of nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons orange zest
Pinch of salt

1. In a food processor, grind the almonds with brown sugar to obtain a homogeneous granulate.
2. Place this mixture in a large bowl, and add the spices (cinnamon and nutmeg), the baking powder and a pinch of salt.
3. With a manual or electric grater, finely grate the carrots until you get 2 cups of grated carrots.
4. With the help of a mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar, until obtaining a fluffy cream.
5. Add the orange zest and the liquid vanilla.
6. Slowly wrap the egg cream in the almond mixture, and finally add the grated carrot.
7. Grease a form (I used one with 16cm in diameter) and line it with parchment paper.
8. Pour the batter and bake at 180ºC between 50 minutes to 1 hour.

Adapted from "Flourless carrot cake" / Originally posted in 2017

This cream, which many may also call mousse, is a variation of the (now) classic avocado and cocoa cream, made only with healthy ingredients and is easy and quick to prepare.

Ingredients

Avocado - is the main ingredient that will make this dessert creamy; I usually use 1/2 avocado per person as a measure, but it will also depend on the amount of pulp obtained from each fruit after removing the core (some avocados have large cores and little pulp).

Vanilla - is an optional ingredient, but I like to include it in many of my desserts; if there is a possibility, it is always better to use natural vanilla extract or vanilla paste (unfortunately they are more expensive than the artificial kind sold in most supermarkets).

Milk - can be used of any kind; in most of my desserts (and also in other sweet recipes), I use vegetable milk (drinks) mainly oats and almonds.

Cocoa - is what will give that chocolate mousse color and flavor, expected from a recipe like this; it can also be replaced by chocolate powder.

Sugar - in this case, I used coconut sugar, but alternatives are agave, yellow or brown sugar; I have also prepared this cream by sweetening it with maple syrup.

Cinnamon - depending on taste, more cinnamon can be added; I preferred that the flavor of this spice didn't overlap the other flavors present, so I used only 1/4 teaspoon (approximately the equivalent of a coffee spoon).

White chocolate - is an optional ingredient, and this cream can be served simply or with another topping (like chopped walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts, ground cookies, puffed rice, ...)

How to make

After mashing the avocado until it becomes a soft cream, just add and mix the remaining ingredients, divide into several containers and serve, decorating with a topping of your choice.

Avocado, cocoa and cinnamon recipe

Ingredients

3 small avocados (or 2 large ones)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 tablespoons almond milk (or other milk)
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons of agave (or coconut sugar)
1 coffee spoon ground cinnamon
White chocolate shavings to decorate

1. Remove the pulp of the avocados and put in a bowl. 
2. Add the remaining ingredients, except the white chocolate. 
3. Using the blender or food processor, mix well until soft and creamy. 
4. Distribute in bowls and garnish with the chocolate shavings. 

Adapted from "Chocolate Pudding" / Originally published in 2017