These are just like a pint of the dark stuff. Bittersweet, rich and fudgy chocolate cupcakes with a sweet, creamy frosting. If you are a fan of dark chocolate, you’ll love these. The Guinness in the recipe reacts with the baking soda to make the cake rise, as well as adding dark, delicious, malty flavours. So good! The perfect treat for St Patrick’s Day.
Liz x
Ingredients (makes 12)
Cake:
150g flour
50g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
100g sugar
pinch of salt
50ml oil
250ml Guinness
Icing:
50g butter (room temperature)
100g cream cheese
100g icing sugar (sieved)
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 175C and line a muffin tin with 12 cases.
Mix the dry cake ingredients together in a bowl to evenly disperse the baking soda, then stir in the oil and the Guinness. Stir into a smooth batter, but do not over-mix.
Divide the batter between the 12 cupcake cases and bake for 12-15 minutes until risen. An inserted skewer should come out clean. After a few minutes, carefully move the cupcakes to a cooling rack.
To make the icing, whisk the softened butter with the cream cheese until smooth. Then add the sieved icing sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Whisk the first tablespoon in until creamy and smooth before adding another tablespoon and whisking in again. Repeat until all the sugar is incorporated and the icing is fluffy and creamy.
Allow the cupcakes to completely cool before icing. Enjoy!
We love oats in every way, when you eat them they release energy slowly over the next few hours and make for a great start to the day! However, porridge everyday can get a bit boring so we’ve added a few good ingredients to make this indulgent baked oats dish. Of course you probably won’t have chocolate oats everyday so give this a go at the weekend or to celebrate a special day! Serve as it is or with yoghurt and banana or ice cream and berries.
The ultimate thick, rich and luxurious hot chocolate is made with an obscene amount of melted chocolate. 50g per mug is good, more is even better. Fair warning: once you try ‘proper’ hot chocolate like this, you might be ruined for the powdered stuff. Think of this delicious drink like a dessert rather than a quick cuppa. It’s a real treat and so worth the effort. We like to use a deep dark chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa, for that complex bitter flavour. If you use a milkier, sweeter chocolate, you should leave out the sugar in the recipe below. We add a pinch of cinnamon for Christmassy vibes, but feel free to leave that out or replace with a little vanilla. Enjoy!
Liz x
Ingredients (per person)
250ml milk (we use creamy oat milk but any rich, creamy milk will work)
50g dark chocolate
a pinch of salt
1 tsp sugar (or to taste)
optional pinch of cinnamon or a few drops of vanilla essence
coconut cream whipped with a little icing sugar to serve
Method
Start by whipping coconut cream with a little icing sugar and set to one side. You can buy a tin of coconut whipping cream on our website, or just carefully spoon off the solid top layer of a tin of full fat coconut milk that has been chilled in the fridge overnight.
Next, weight and chop your dark chocolate. Meanwhile heat your milk in a small pan but be careful not to boil it. It should be steaming with small bubble around the sides.
Remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the chopped chocolate (reserve a small amount to sprinkle on top), salt, sugar and cinnamon if using. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted. You may need to return the pot to the heat to gently re-warm.
Pour into mugs and top with a dollop of cream and a sprinkle of the reserved chocolate.
Make your favourite bar of chocolate that bit more special by melting it into puddles and adding festive toppings. We love adding green pistachios and red pomegranate seeds to ours for fresh bursts of flavour and Christmassy colour. But be aware that if you are using fresh pomegranate seeds, these chocolates will need to be stored in the fridge and eaten within 3 days, so only make as much as you’ll need. These are a great (minimal effort but maximum wow factor) treat to bring to a Christmas gathering to be enjoyed with a glass of mulled wine.
Did you know that most chocolate has quite problematic origins? Cocoa production is rife with child and slave labour, as well as environmental issues with land clearing and overuse of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Organic, ethically sourced chocolate is of course more expensive, but I think we can all agree that it is totally worth spending a few more cents to help make the world a fairer place. Playing with your chocolate like this and adding nuts, seeds, fruit etc can also make it go further. Check out our chocolate selection here.
Liz x
Ingredients
Your favourite chocolate
pomegranate seeds (or use freeze-dried fruit for longer lasting puddles)
desiccated coconut
sea salt flakes
pistachio nuts, chopped
or any toppings you prefer
Method
Line a tray with a sheet of baking parchment and make space in your fridge or in a cool, dry place in your house. Prepare your chosen toppings.
Gently melt the chocolate. The best method is in a glass bowl over a simmering pot of water.
Spoon the chocolate out onto the parchment and use the back of the spoon to create little puddles.
While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle over the toppings. Set in a cool place until solid then enjoy! If you are using fresh pomegranate seeds, store the chocolates in a container in the fridge and eat within 3 days. Dried fruit and nuts will last a lot longer.
These sweet treats are so easy and fun to make. A delicious chocolate layer around a sticky date (which tastes just like caramel), stuffed with nut butter – this treat is reminiscent of a snickers bar, but the quality ingredients make it so much better! You can customise them to your taste using your favourite chocolate, nut butter and decorations. I’ve gone for a white chocolate drizzle here, but crushed hazelnuts or desiccated coconut make delicious decorations. Or try some Achill Island flakey sea salt to offset the sweetness of the dates? I’d love to see your re-creations. Tag us on social media or share in the comments below.
Your choice of nut or seed butter (we stock peanut, almond, hazelnut and tahini works well here too – or you can make your own nut butter, it’s easy! Simply blend roasted nuts or seeds into butter with a pinch of salt. We sell organic nuts and seeds in compostable bags here.)
Your choice of chocolate (we stock a really good range of ethically sourced, organic chocolates here.)
Gently melt chocolate in a bowl over a simmering pot of water. Place a sheet of baking parchment on a tray or chopping board.
Open up a date and stuff it with a 1/2 tsp or so of nut butter. Close the date up again.
Dunk the stuffed date in the bowl of melted chocolate. Use two small forks to turn the date over a few times to get it completely coated in chocolate. Then remove the date with a fork and place on the baking parchment.
Repeat until you have made as many Easter dates as you like. Now, while the chocolate is still wet, you can quickly decorate the dates with some sprinkles of salt/nuts/coconut or a drizzle of white chocolate.
Allow the chocolate to completely set in a cool place. Then enjoy! Pack into little Easter baskets to share with friends or bring along to a coffee date. They should stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days.
Truffles look fancy don’t they? But do you know what? They’re actually really really easy to make and a gorgeous way to make your favourite bar of chocolate go further. All you need is good quality chocolate (we have a range of ethically sourced, organic, plastic free options), some oat milk (or any plant based milk you prefer) a little vanilla and maple syrup, and some gorgeous, bitter cacao powder. We stock everything you need here. Treat yourself or your loved ones with a box of homemade truffles this Valentine’s Day.
I love darkest dark chocolate, but you can use any chocolate you like, plain or flavoured, it will all work. You can also choose to roll your truffles in chopped nuts, or rose petal powder, or blueberry powder, or toasted, desiccated coconut or anything you prefer. Make them your own to your own taste.
Liz x
Ingredients (makes around 12 truffles)
100g good chocolate, chopped into small pieces
50ml oat milk
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
1-2 tbsp cacao powder
Method
Chop your chocolate and put it in a heat proof bowl.
Heat the milk, maple and vanilla to boiling then pour it over the chocolate.
Let the chocolate melt, give it a gentle stir every now and then to incorporate the ingredients. You should end up with a shiny, thick melted chocolate.
Put the bowl in the fridge to set for 20 minutes or so. Spread the cacao powder out onto a small plate and have a clean plate ready.
Use a teaspoon to scoop out balls of the mixture, place them on the plate of cacao powder. Roll them around in the cacao powder and then roll between your palms to create the truffles. Put them on the clean plate.
Enjoy right away or set them in the fridge again before eating. They will keep well in a sealed container in the fridge for a week.
Did you make any sustainable new years resolutions?
Resolutions are a nice idea but often it’s impossible to stick to a big, drastic change. So we suggest making a series of small sustainable swaps, they all add up. Here’s how we can help with one area – plastic packaging. Choosing to buy products without petrochemical based plastics sends a clear message to big companies and producers, there is a better way!
Our fruits and vegetables are delivered plastic free, nationwide to every address in Ireland and Northern Ireland, and we use compostable bags for things like salad and spinach leaves that need that extra protection. If you are on one of our local routes (in green on the map below) then we collect and re-use the cardboard boxes too! Some of our deliveries are with a courier company (in orange on the map below) so we can’t collect those boxes yet unfortunately, but they are compostable or recyclable so please dispose of them responsibly.
As well as our fresh produce, we deliver organic groceries and we are always looking at the most sustainable options. We have a growing plastic free aisle and here are a few of our favourites from the plastic free swaps we’ve been making recently.
Herbs and Spices – Plastic Free Refills
Sonnentor are our new herb and spice supplier. We love the organic contents of course, they are high quality and full of amazing flavour to make our dishes sing. But we are also really impressed with the packaging. The contents are protected in clever, compostable bags and then packaged in lovely sustainably sourced cardboard boxes. Read more about Sonnentor here. Add some of our selection to your next order here.
Grains, Pulses, Dried Fruit, Nuts and Seeds – Refills (in compostable bags)
We now have a really useful range of nuts, seeds, dried fruit and grains in compostable bags. Perfect for refilling jars in your kitchen. We love having big jars of ingredients like these visible in our kitchen, they remind us to cook from scratch and have healthy snack bowls. The clear visibility makes writing a shopping list of what we are running low on easy! Check out our range here and here.
Plastic Free Teas
Did you know that most tea bags contain plastic? Not good for us and certainly not good for our compost bins! We stock a lovely selection of plastic free, organic teas here.
Chocolate!
Chocolate is a bit of a sustainability minefield. Cocoa production is linked to child labour, slavery, deforestation, and low wages. So how can concerned chocolate lovers make the most sustainable and ethical purchases? As well as researching different brands on their cocoa sourcing, choose bars with biodegradable packaging. For example, our Vivani bars are wrapped in a protective, compostable film which performs like regular plastic. It is made from sustainably sourced wood fibres. The paper and cardboard packaging is also FSC® certified and printed using mineral oil-free inks. Check out our sustainable chocolates here.
Eco Toiletries
Switching to bamboo toothbrushes and shampoo bars is an easy way to massively cut down your plastic consumption in the bathroom. We are really impressed with our shampoo bars, they smell incredible and really work! Check out our eco toiletries here.
These deliciously dark, squidgy brownies are an absolute treat (and shhh! contain a few tricks too). Make these for the little monsters in your life and trick them into eating beetroot, sunflower seeds and black beans. Hahahahahaaaaaaa! *evil laugh*
This tricky treat is packed full of plant protein and fibre. It is gluten, nut, dairy and egg free, but most definitely not flavour free! So it’s perfect for everyone to enjoy at your Halloween party. These are seriously good, let us know if you make them. All the ingredients can be added to your next order. Did you know we have compostable bags of nuts, seeds, oats etc in the grocery section of our shop? We deliver to every address in Ireland. Happy Halloween!
Liz x
Ingredients
100g sunflower or pumpkin seeds
100g porridge oats (gluten free if needed)
100g sugar (or your choice of sweetener)
100ml oat milk (or any dairy free milk)
1 tin of black beans (including the liquid)
5 tbsp oil or butter
6 tbsp cacao powder
2 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
250g cooked beetroot
250g melted dark chocolate
Method
Preheat your oven to 180C and line a baking dish (I used a 20x28cm one) with baking parchment.
In a food processor, blend the sunflower seeds and oats into flour.
Then add the rest of the ingredients except the melted chocolate. Blend until smooth.
Mix in the melted chocolate then pour the batter into the dish. Even it out, getting into the corners, then bake for 40 minutes or until cracked on top and still a little wobbly.
Allow the brownie to completely cool in the dish. Then remove onto a chopping board to decorate and slice as you like.
Energy bites do what they say on the tin. They are jam packed full of good ingredients – oats, nuts (or seeds) and dates – which give you a boost of energy and get you through the afternoon slump, power you up that hill on your hike or keep hunger at bay in the car on your way to your staycation. This base recipe is really handy to have in your repertoire. Make it your own by using your favourite nuts or seeds, replace the dates with apricots or raisins, add cacao powder or dried spices like cinnamon or ginger for different flavours, coat them in melted chocolate or roll them in sesame seeds or desiccated coconut. It’s fun to play around with flavours here.
Did you know, many of our grocery products like oats, nuts and dates are packed plastic free? We are always working on adding more plastic free products to the list too so keep checking back. Please share your favourite energy ball combinations with us on our facebook community group.
Liz x
Organic dates, nuts and oats from our shop, all in compostable packaging.
Ingredients (makes 20)
1 &1/2 mugs of porridge oats
1 mug of nuts (or seeds, or a mix)
1/2 mug of pitted dates
a pinch of salt
a drizzle of maple syrup or honey
optional extra ingredients to taste (like melted chocolate, desiccated coconut, sesame seeds, cacao powder, cinnamon, ginger…)
Method
Measure the oats, nuts, dates and salt into a food processor with the ’S’ blade attachment. (If you are making this in a blender, then divide it into smaller batches).
Pulse the ingredients together, stopping frequently to stir and scrape down the sides. You are aiming for an even, sticky, crumbly mixture.
Scrape the mixture into a large bowl. This is where you can stir in some extra flavours or textures if you like. Some cinnamon or ginger? Make it chocolate flavoured by adding some cacao powder?
Now test the stickiness of the mixture by picking up a small handful and squeezing. If it sticks together easily you don’t need the syrup – this depends on the freshness and variety of the dates. Otherwise add a small drizzle of maple syrup and stir. Test again and add more syrup until you get the right consistency.
Then squeeze and roll the mixture into little balls. If they are sticky enough you can roll them in seeds or desiccated coconut for extra flavour and fun.
Another fun option is to dunk them in melted chocolate and sit them on a tray in the fridge to set. While the chocolate is wet, you can sprinkle the bites with seeds or some flakey sea salt or anything you like to make them even more special.
Otherwise they are fabulous naked, just the way they are!
Pack in an airtight container in the fridge and eat them within the week.
Ok, yes, it’s a lockdown cliché, but banana bread is one of the most useful recipes to have in your arsenal against the war on food waste! Got any over-ripe or bruised bananas? Please don’t throw them in the bin! My recipe is easy and adaptable, dairy and egg free, and oh so delicious! Liz x
100g dark chocolate (Or lave plain. Or add other optional extras, like walnuts, dates, peanut butter…)
Method
Pre-heat your oven to 175C and line two tins with baking parchment.
In a large bowl, mash 8 very ripe bananas.
Add the oil, milk, sugar and vanilla and mix well to combine.
Add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt and mix into a sticky batter.
Chop the chocolate (if using) and fold it through the batter. Here’s where you can fold through other optional extras too if you like. A swirl of peanut butter? Some chopped walnuts and dates?
Divide the batter into two loaf tins. Add slices of banana on top and an optional sprinkle of brown sugar and bake.
The loaves normally take around 30-40 minutes to cook through*. *TOP TIP – cover the loaves with a baking sheet or some foil or baking parchment after about 25 minutes in the oven to stop them colouring too much on top before they are cooked through in the middle.
Serve in thick slices as they are or with butter or my favourite, peanut butter!
