Spekulatius - Spelt Gingerbread Cookies

Speculoos Spekulatius, Speculoos or Speculaas. Popular in Belgium and the Netherlands, but also in the Rhineland and Westphalia. In Germany spekulatius are typical gingerbread Christmas cookies, and in Belgium, the Netherlands and Indonesia, as well as in former Dutch colony, they are eaten throughout the whole year.Its distinctive flavor spekulatius owe to cardamon, cloves and cinnamon. An important role is played by almonds to soften the spicy taste spicy. Sometimes, almonds flakes are on placed the bottom of the cookies.Cookies in bulk are cut by using a rectangular - wood or metal - matrix. The photos on cakes traditionally depict the story of Santa Claus, and today there are also motifs such as ships, farmhouses and windmills.Before World War II, production of gingerbread due to the high price of spices were expensive and only a part of society could enjoy their taste. Fortunately, today, all the ingredients - once called exotic - are generally available and we can all enjoy them.

 Ingredients for about 30 gingerbread:

250 g spelt flour*
 100 g butter at room temperature
 70 g brown sugar
 50 g ground almonds
 2 eggs, organic 
1 tsp lemon zest  (I used homemade)
1 tsp baking powder 
1/2 tsp cinnamon 
1/2 tsp nutmeg 
1/2 tsp cardamom 
1/2 tsp ground cloves 
1/2 tsp of ginger powder

Directions:

Combine all dry ingredients, in a large mixing bowl, next add all the rest and knead well. (you can use food processor). Then roll the dough in plastic foil and chill in the refrigerator for 3 - 4 hours. After the time sprinkle the flour over pastry board and roll out the dough on it. Molds of any patterns you like/have. Line the cookie sheet with a baking paper and lay cut-outs. Put into preheated to 180°C oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove, wait a few minutes and then place on cooling rack. Spekulatius can be store up to a month.

* For healthy reason I used spelt flour

 The recipe was inspired by kochabar.de.

Double Chocolate Spelt Chip Cookies

Personally, I don't bake a lot of cookies, (doesn't mean, that I don't like to eat them :), but recently I promised them to someone who usually gets them out of the box... For this very reason I baked something special, tasty, that will convince the person to not buy them from the box anymore. 
The home baked, from scratch cookies are the only ones worthy to add few calories from time to time ;).
 Presented today double chocolate spelt chip cookies are probably the best chocolate cookies we have ever eaten, crispy outside and slightly moist inside.

 Ingredients for approximately 16 -18 cookies:

 
250 g spelt flour
170 g butter at room temperature
85 g of brown, unrefined sugar
50 g dark chocolate chips
2 tsp pure cocoa
2 tsp pure vanilla essence
2 tsp tapioca*
1 egg, organic
1 tsp baking soda (preferably less than more)
1/2 tsp sea salt

 Directions:

Mix together flour, tapioca, baking soda and salt. In another dish, beat butter with sugar, then add vanilla and egg. Combine together dry and wet ingredients and mix in the chocolate chips. Place a baking parchment paper on baking sheet and spoon the dough on it. Preheat oven to 180°C, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer them to drying rack and leave to cool.

* Can replace with potato flour or corn starch

The recipe was inspired by a sweetkitchen.

Pumpkin - Coconut Cake from a Slow Cooker

Perfect pumpkin cake. Moist. Has an excellent taste, but topped with delicious caramel powers the taste 
and changes to an extra ordinary. I heartily recommend it.

Ingredients for a cake cooked in 3.5 liter slow cooker:

250 g mashed pumpkin,I used Hokkaido* 
120 g spelt flour 
100 g coconut butter 
60 g of brown sugar unrefined
 3 eggs, organic 
1 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin spice 
1/2 tsp baking powder, organic
 1/2 tsp baking soda, organic 
1/2 tsp sea salt

Caramel:

250 ml coconut milk 
2 tbsp maple syrup, real
 1 tsp vanilla extract
 Pinch of sea salt 

Directions:

Grease the slow cooker with coconut butter and set on the highest temperature. Combine the dry ingredients. Beat sugar, butter (3 minutes), add the eggs and little later, pumpkin puree. At the end, slowly add the flour and beat until all is smooth. Pour into slow cooker, cover, and cook for two hours. After this time, remove lid and allow the slow cooker be open for 10 minutes. Then, turn upside down to put the cake on the plate. From my experience I can add that is easier to remove the cake when is completely cooled. 
Usually I make it in the morning or even a night before.
Serve the cake with warm caramel poured over. 
Caramel prepare shortly before the cake is served. Place all ingredients in a saucepan and heat on medium heat until boiling. From time to time stirring occasionally so long until it thickens and turns darker (20 - 30 minutes). After this time, remove from the gas, allow to cool slightly use it. You can also pour the caramel into a glass container and store in the refrigerator up to one week.

* Fresh pumpkin (approx. 600 - 700 g), cut into quarters and cook steamed until tender, approx. 20 minutes.  
Allow to cool and blend to puree.

The recipe is inspiration by pilcookbooks.

Pumpkin - Coconut Pancakes

Season for low caloric pumpkin is opened. Pumpkins are not heroes of upcoming holiday which some celebrate, but most of all, it's a very valuable vegetable, rich in vitamin A, B1 B2, C and PP. Contains magnesium, iron, calcium and phosphorus, and is an excellent source of protein and fiber. The most nourishment pumpkins are the ones in deep, orange color (such as Hokkaido), because they have the most beta-carotene. Other crucial information is that cooked pumpkin does not lose its value, and the puree can be frozen and stored for several months.

Ingredients for approx. 60 pancakes:

500 ml coconut milk
200 g coconut flour
100 g spelt flour
300 g pumpkin puree*
3 eggs, organic
1.5 tsp baking powder, organic
1/8 tsp Bourbon vanilla, powdered
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch of sea salt

Additional:

100 ml maple syrup, organic
50 g toasted coconut flakes
Oil for frying, I used the coconut oil

Directions:

All ingredients place in mixing bowl and mix well. Heat the pan, reduce heat, add a little oil and fry pancakes on both sides until golden brown. Serve topped with maple syrup and sprinkled with coconut flakes.

* I make my own puree form a Hokkaido pumpkin

Recipe was created in my head and comes from my heart 

(Spelt) Very Lazy Dumplings

Original name is lazy pierogi, but lazy dumplings is more appropriate name for them. Lazy dumplings for me, it's a childhood, and of course, the best ones were made by mom. Today's recipe comes from the provision of our neighbors, of whom a quarter-century ago, right after the wedding, we shared the house. My husband was working, I still was studding and therefore, every day we drove by train and public transportation from the beautiful suburb of Warsaw to the city center. The whole operation was taking nearly two hours one way. After coming back home it was not much time left to prepare dinner/supper. One evening my neighbor showed me 
how to make dumplings the express way.
Traditionally, lazy dumplings are topped with buttered breadcrumbs and sprinkled with sugar. I like them with homemade berry sauce and maple syrup.

Ingredients for ca. 50 - 60 dumplings: 

550 g white cheese*

200 g spelt flour 

3 eggs, organic, large

In addition: 

Maple syrup 

Homemade berry sauce

Directions:

Boil water in a large pot, add salt. In the meantime, beat the eggs, add cheese, then gradually add the flour. Well combine. Spoon to take the cake, lightly shaping it by moving the spoon on the side of the dish and gently thrown into the boiling water. Cook few minutes. Serve topped with maple syrup and fruits. Enjoy your meal.

* In Poland we distinguish white cheese and yellow cheese. The time of making white cheese is very short (few days) and is made from fresh milk. It's soft and it's consistency is crumbly or creamy. Outside of Poland I replace white cheese either with cottage or curd cheese and quark, it's not the same, but close enough.

Recipe was inspired by BZ.

Potato Pancakes with Fried Cheese

Most of the time I am making classical (traditional in Poland) potato pancakes, that my family loves. This time I wanted to make them different way. In the fridge I had a big chunk of Emmental, and thought, I may use it with the pancakes. However, I did not want to shred the cheese and mix with potatoes, because I was afraid that the taste will not be perceptible and I wanted it to be. I decided to fry cheese between two pancakes like a closed sandwich.
Pancakes came out delicious and nutritious. You can satisfy your hunger with smaller amount of them than with the classical ones.

Ingredients for approx. 45 -50 pancakes: 

1 kg potatoes, used organic 

300 g of cheese sliced into small pieces (~ 1.5 cm x 3 cm) 

5 tbsp spelt flour 

3 eggs, large, organic 

1 onion, small 

1 tsp sea salt 

Color pepper to taste 

Oil for frying (organic, canola)

Directions:

Peel the potatoes and shred on a fine grater. Add finely chopped onion, eggs, flour and spices, mix well. On the hot pan pour a little bit of oil and put a spoon (thin layer) of potato dough. After about a minute, when edges of the pancakes will become golden - brown place on them a slice of cheese. Cover with another thin layer of the dough and fry until golden brown. 

Recipe was created in my head and comes from my heart

Eclair Tort

I was looking and looking and did not find it, so I created it myself. If I can make 20 small, regular éclairs, I can make one big, too, right? The Jubilarian asked specifically for eclairs, and I wanted to go one step further and make the pleasure of surprise. For the  éclairs to be even more French I added pattisserie and made it healthier way. The whole torte was poured over with the chocolate - coffee glaze.
 

Ingredients for 24 cm cake:

375 g spelt flour

375 ml water

185 g butter

6 eggs, organic

Coconut flavor Pattisserie (Paleo):

400 ml coconut milk in a cans, organic

50 g shredded coconut

3 tbsp potato flour

3 tbsp honey

1 egg, organic

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of sea salt

In a small saucepan, combine milk, flour, honey, and salt. Heat over medium heat until thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and after 5 minutes, add coconut and vanilla. Done.

Chocolate - Coffee Glaze:

75 g of dark chocolate, I use 85%

30 ml espresso

2 - 3 tbsp maple syrup

Dissolve the chocolate in a water bath or in the oven (5 min, 150°C/300F°). Mix with coffee and syrup. Ready.

Directions:

In a low, wide saucepan boil water and butter. To the boiling water, gradually pour flour, stirring and stir with a wooden spoon. When the flour has absorbed all the water, allow to cool completely (approx. 2 hours). After this time, very slowly add previously lightly beaten eggs. Stir with a wooden spoon until smooth.  

The consistency should be glossy.

Butter and flour spring form pan. Pour the pastry in to it and put to preheated to 200°C/400°F oven. 

Bake for 30 minutes.

Next, remove from the spring form and cool on a baking rack. Once it's cooled, cut horizontally in half. Put the lower bottom part of the eclairs a serving plate, spread pattisserie over. Gently cover with the second part and decorate with chocolate - coffee glaze.

 Recipe was created in my head and comes from my heart

Anzac Biscuits

Anzac Biscuits owes its name to two armies: the New Zealand and Australian. Legend says that when the soldiers of these countries were leaving for the front during the First World War, their mothers, wives, sisters baked them biscuits. Biscuits played a dual role, had to be nutritious and survive for a long time, and they were.
In every legend is a bit of truth, which is why in 1916, the name ANZAC came to be officially protected by law and reserved only for those biscuits. In 1921, the Anzac biscuit recipe appeared in the cookbook for the first time.My version is only slightly changed, descended golden syrup with honey, wheat flour - with spelt flour, wheat bran with spelt bran. Additionally, I added coconut and almonds.
The biscuits are very tasty, is good to have them always at home for unexpected guests.

Ingredients for approx. 30 biscuits:

250 g spelt flour 
200 g spelt bran 
70 g shredded coconut, organic 
70 g almonds with skin, crushed 
5 tablespoons butter of your choice (e.g. regular, cashew nuts, almond) 
4 tbsp of honey, heaped, organic 
2 tsp vanilla paste, organic 
2 tbsp hot water
Pinch of baking soda

Additionally

Wafers (optional)

Direction: 

Melt the butter, honey, and vanilla in a pot on low heat. Take it form heat and add bran, flour, coconut and almonds. Dissolve soda in water and add to the rest. Mix well. Cover and leave for 30 minutes to allow the dough "rest". Then, take the dough with a spoon and form rings placing on a baking sheet. If you are using wafers, place the dough on them.Put into preheated to 150°C/300°F oven and bake for 35 minutes. Ready.

Recipe inspired by "the healthy chef"