from my orchid kitchen

The ingredients

• Sweet potatoes - in this "mousse" I used orange pulp sweet potatoes, but white pulp can also be used. The best way to cook sweet potatoes is steamed, or baked in the oven so that they retain the vitamins. If cooked in water, it must be allowed to cool completely so that the excess moisture evaporates.
• Powdered cocoa - powdered chocolate can also be used, but it is advisable to adjust the amount of syrup since chocolate already contains sugar.
• Maple syrup - can be substituted for agave syrup or another similar sweetener of natural origin. Since sweet potatoes already have some sweetness, you don't need much sweetener.
• Vanilla - an (almost) indispensable ingredient in many desserts.
• Port wine - is optional and serves only to improve the flavor of the "mousse", and can be replaced by another alcoholic beverage to taste. I have also experimented with this chocolate liqueur.
• Milk - the amount needed is variable depending on the texture (thicker or lighter) that is desired for this dessert.

How to make

• Start by cooking the sweet potato: if steamed, the potatoes are peeled and cut into medium cubes and cooked for approximately 20 minutes (the smaller the cubes, the faster the cooking); if roasted in the oven, they are peeled and roasted whole at 200ºC for about 30 minutes; if cooked in water, peel and cut into cubes and cook for 15 to 20 minutes (also here the smaller the cubes, the faster the cooking will be) allowing to cool so that the excess moisture evaporates.
• The sweet potato pulp is then pureed. Those who don't have a food processor can use a pass-vite or potato masher.
• To the puree are then added cocoa powder, maple syrup, vanilla, Port wine (or another drink), and 80ml (1/3 cup) of milk, and wrap everything until you get a homogeneous cream.
• Depending on whether you like a thicker or lighter cream, gradually add (or not) more milk.
• Place the cream in bowls or other containers and leave it to set and solidify in the refrigerator.
• In this version, the bowls were decorated with some whipped cream (fresh cream with a bit of sugar).

Sweet potato chocolate "mousse" recipe

400 gr of sweet potato (boiled or roasted)
30 gr of cocoa
80ml to 150ml of milk (of any type)
3 tablespoons of maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon of Port Wine, Brandy or chocolate liqueur (optional)
Whipped cream (optional - to decorate)
Chocolate shavings or sprinkles (optional - to decorate)

1. After roasting or boiling the sweet potato, mash until pureed and cool. 
2. Add the remaining ingredients: cocoa, maple syrup, vanilla, Port wine, and 80ml of milk, and mix everything.
3. Adjust the creaminess to taste with the addition of more milk.
4. Divide the preparation by cups or glasses, and place in the refrigerator. 
5. Decorate to taste.

The Ingredients

• Wheat flour - the base of the bread is always the flour, and it should be T65 (although it can also be made with T55) that has a higher protein and fiber content and is, therefore, more suitable for home baking.
• Whole wheat flour - optional, as the original recipe is made only with white wheat flour, but as I like bread with some whole flour I decided to substitute it. I have also tried a version with rye flour (100gr), and another with whole flour (50gr) along with rye (50gr).
• Yeast - although twice as much yeast is used in the original recipe, 1 teaspoon of granulated dry baker's yeast is perfect for leavening this dough.
• Water - it is very important to have a temperature of around 37ºC (I measure with a thermometer) because if it is too hot it will cancel the yeast function, and if it is cold it will not activate the yeast; if you don't have a thermometer, just test the water temperature by placing a few drops on your wrist.
• Sugar - the presence of sugar serves essentially to assist the leavening action of the yeast.
• Salt - when I make bread I prefer to use fleur de sel, as it dilutes more quickly when in contact with water and disperses better in the dough.

How to make

• We start by warming the water until it reaches a temperature between 37ºC to 43ºC.
• In a large bowl where the bread will rise, place the yeast along with the sugar, then add the water, stirring so that the yeast and sugar dissolve.
• Leave to stand for about 5 minutes to activate the yeast. In case the yeast is out of date or has not been well stored (in the case of previously opened packages) it will not have the characteristic bubbles that form on the surface of the water and that are indicative of the beginning of fermentation.
• Weigh the flours (wheat + whole wheat) and mix the salt.
• Mix the flours with the water, wrapping well with the help of a spatula or wooden spoon.
• Using a mixer with the spiral blades, beat the dough (at low speed) for 5 minutes.
• Sprinkle with a little flour and shape the dough more or less, by hand or using a spatula, forming a ball.
• Cover the bowl with a cloth, or with cling film (but leaving a slightly uncovered tip).
• Let it rise for about 1 hour in a place where the temperature is mild (avoid very hot places - above 30ºC).
• The next step is to knead, with the help of a spatula or even by hand, pulling the edges of the dough towards the center, then re-forming a ball with the smoothest part facing downwards, sprinkling again with a little flour.
• Place the dough on a large sheet of parchment paper, and grabbing the paper, place the dough in the same bowl or another container of a similar size to the pot or pan with a lid (preferably a cast iron or clay pot, or that has thick walls to accumulate heat).
• Allow rising again for 1 hour.
• When there are 30 minutes to finish rising, place the pot or pan with a lid in the oven previously heated to 180ºC so that its surfaces accumulate heat and allow better and more uniform baking of the bread.
• Grabbing by the parchment paper, place the dough in the pot or pan and cover, baking for 35 minutes.
• After this time, the lid is removed and returned to the oven to gain color for another 15 to 20 minutes. At this time, you can raise the oven temperature to 200ºC or 220ºC, depending on whether you want a more toasted crust or not.
• Remove from the oven and immediately cool on a grid, discarding the parchment paper. This way, and since the bread is still steaming, the crust (especially from the one in the bottom) will remain crispy.

Wheat bread recipe

1. Warm the water until it reaches a temperature of about 37ºC (lukewarm water).
2. In a large bowl, mix the sugar with the yeast and slowly add the water, dissolving well.
3. Leave to stand for 5 minutes to activate the yeast.
4. In a bowl, mix the wheat flour with the whole wheat flour and salt.
5. The flour mixture is then poured into the bowl and mixed well.
6. Beat this dough well with the help of a food processor or mixer with the spiral blades for 5 minutes.
7. With the help of a spatula, it is shaped like a ball, and sprinkled with a little flour.
8. Cover the bowl with a cloth or cling film (but leave a slightly uncovered tip).
9. Leave to rise for 1 hour.
10. After that time, with the help of a spatula or even by hand, knead by pulling the outer part of the dough to the center several times, then forming a ball again and sprinkling again with a some flour.
11. Place the dough on a large sheet of parchment paper, and grabbing the paper, place the dough in the same bowl or in a container of similar size to the pot/pan with a lid where it will be baked in the oven.
12. Let it rise again for 1 hour (when 30 minutes remain to finish rising, place the pot/pan with lid in the oven previously heated to 180ºC).
13. Grabing the parchment paper, place the dough in the pot/pan and cover, taking to bake for 35 minutes.
14. After this time, remove the lid and continue cooking for another 15 minutes.
15. Remove from the oven and immediately cool on a grid, discarding the parchment paper.

The ingredients

• Peanut butter - is the fat source of the recipe, and since it has a creamy texture it will give (besides flavor) less crunch to these cookies. It should be a very creamy and not too thick peanut butter. It can be replaced by almond or cashew butter.
• Egg - it conects all the ingredients of these cookies.
• Coconut sugar - you can use other type of sugar, but I prefer to use this one or brown sugar.
• Vanilla - is an optional ingredient, but I like to add it to many of my sweet recipes.
• Chocolate - I preferred to use chocolate sprinkles because it looks better in the format I chose for these cookies, but if they are made in a cookie shape, you can use chocolate chips, or else chopped/grated chocolate in small pieces. It is also an optional ingredient.
• Coconut flour - is the ingredient that builds the biscuit, rich in fiber and low in carbohydrates, and as in other recipes with this flour, it will also allow the texture to be slightly moister and less crunchy.

How to make

• Start by beating the egg very well together with the vanilla and the sugar, until it is well dissolved.
• Add the peanut butter and mix it well. If it gets thicker, it will probably be easier to mix everything with the help of a hand mixer.
• Then add the chocolate, either in sprinkles, chips, or simply chopped.
• Finally the coconut flour is added, incorporating everything very well.
• If you are going to use a mold (as in my case) just divide the preparation by the cavities.
• If you prefer to make it in the shape of round cookies/biscuits, I recommend placing the preparation into the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes (it may be more) or freezer, so that it becomes less soft and easier to shape. Soak your hands in water and remove portions, forming small balls that you then place on a tray lined with parchment paper. With the help of a fork, hand or bottom of a glass, flatten them slightly.
• Take them to the oven at 180ºC, for 12 to 15 minutes until they brown slightly.
• Allowed them to cool completely before removing it from the mold or tray because only afterward  they harden.
• Yields between 10 to 12 cookies, depending on the mold used (mine is a few years old and I bought it at Lidl, but there are similar ones for sale).

Coconut flour biscuits with peanut butter and chocolate recipe

1. Beat the egg along with the sugar and vanilla.
2. Add the peanut butter and beat well until everything is well mixed.
3. Add the chocolate sprinkles.
4. Wrap the coconut flour.
5. Divide the preparation into the mold cavities.
6. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes at 180ºC.