Crunchy Wholesome Crackers – GF/Vegan

by Lou Robbie

These are a treat to eat, really crispy and crunchy and deliciously healthy. My kids love savoury crackers and cheese or crackers and dips. We really enjoyed making these and its such a clever use of butter beans!

Will you try them? Let us know if the comments below.

Lou x

Ingredients:

240g tin butter beans – drained and patted dry
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp nutritional yeast – optional
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp baking powder
Salt and pepper to taste

**1 tablespoon chickpea flour or plain flour if needed

Method:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 170C

Step 2: In a food processor, blend the butter beans, chia seeds, olive oil, nutritional yeast, paprika, baking powder, salt and pepper into a smooth paste. If the mix is really dry add a small dash of water, if it’s very wet add some chickpea flour or plain flour. The dough should come together and hold, it shouldn’t be too dry or wet.

Step 3: Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Spread the mixture and use another piece of parchment paper and a rolling pin to flatten to about the thickness of a 1 euro coin. Cut the mixture into cracker-sized pieces with a knife or pizza cutter.

Step 4: Bake for about 30 minutes until golden and crispy at the edges. Increase the temperature to 200°C for an extra 10-15 minutes to get them extra crispy.

Allow them to cool completely. Then break into cracker pieces. Enjoy with creamy hummus or use as a base for summer canapés!

Storage: These will keep for 1 week in an air tight container. A jar works really well.

Christmas Crumble w/ Apple & Cranberry

by Lou Robbie

It’s so lovely to combine Christmas flavours at this time of year. Cranberries are delicious served with savoury food but equally delicious bakes in a sweet pudding. The tart crimson fruit works really well with our delicious sweet organic Irish apples.

This crumble can be made and stored for 3 days in the fridge ready to bake on the big day. It also makes a gorgeous dish to take to a festive dinner party.

Enjoy the festive flavours,

Lou x

Ingredients: serves 6

For the crumble

  • 100g plain flour
  • 40g rolled oats
  • 40g sugar
  • ½ tsp mixed spice
  • 100g butter, cut into cubes (vegan butter will work too)

Method:

Step 1: Preheat the oven 190ºC and use a square or round deep dish 22cm approx.

Step 2: Pour the peeled and chopped apples into the dish along with the fresh cranberries, mixed spice, cinnamon and sugar, mix with a wooden spoon.

Step 3: In a separate mixing bowl measure in the plain flour, oats, sugar and mixed spice, stir to combine. Add the cubed butter and work into the dry ingredients with your fingers. When it looks coarse and crumbly its ready.

Step 4: Sprinkle the crumble topping over the apple mix. Bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Serve with ice cream, custard or fresh cream

Pumpkin Banana Bread

by Lou Robbie

Organic orange pumpkins are sweet and delicious and marry perfectly with banana, spices and chocolate! While the supermarkets are jammed with ornamental pumpkins, in October, that will be carved and go to waste we think its much better for the planet that we roast them and cook and bake with them as nature intended.

This recipe will give you a delicious bread that isn’t too sweet or spicy its just right. Add butter if you like and tea or pumpkin spiced latte!

Keep cosy with this one.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients:⁣
⁣
▪️100g pumpkin puree (*homemade see below)
▪️⁣2 large ripe banana
▪️4 tablespoons neutral oil
▪️2 medium eggs ⁣
▪️70ml maple syrup ⁣
▪️300g plain flour⁣
▪️2 tsp baking powder⁣
▪️1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda⁣
▪️2 tsp mixed pumpkin spice or ground cinnamon ⁣
▪️80g chopped dark chocolate

Method:

  • *Follow the link to make your own pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice mix- Click here
  • Step 1: Preheat the oven 160ºc and line a loaf tin with a liner or parchment paper.
  • Step 2: Mash the bananas well and add them to a mixing bowl along with the pumpkin puree, oil, eggs, maple syrup, mix well.
  • Step 3: Sieve in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, mixed spice. Stir gently, then add 3/4 of the chopped chocolate. Spoon into the loaf tin. Smooth the batter and sprinkle with the remaining chopped chocolate.
  • Bake for 35-45 minutes until cooked through. Test with a skewer. Cool and slice.

Apple & Frangipane Tart

by Lou Robbie

We love baking with sweet organic Irish eating apples. And this simple tart is just fabulous and easy and incredibly tasty and it will feed a crowd just add cream or ice cream. Ready rolled puff pastry is very handy to use and gives a crispy base that goes so well with the almond frangipane layer with thinly sliced apples on top.

This tart gives a thin layer of frangipane if you like lots, then double the ingredients below.

We’d love to hear from you, will you try it? Let us know in the comments below.

Lou

Ingredients: makes 15 slices

  • 1 sheet of fresh ready rolled puff pastry, 375g approx
  • 3 eating apples (400g)
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  • For the frangipane:
  • 50g butter, softened
  • 45g caster sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 60g ground almonds/almond flour
  • 1 tablespoon plain flour

Method:

Step 1: Preheat the oven 180ºC. Then start by making the frangipane. Beat the soft butter with the caster sugar, then beat in the egg. Use an electric hand mixer if you have one or a wooden spoon will do. Then fold in the ground almonds, plain flour and vanilla extract. Put the bowl in the fridge to chill.

Step 2: Meanwhile, peel, core and finely slice the apples into a half moon shape.

Step 3: Unroll the pastry and lay it on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Lightly score a 1.5 cm frame around the pastry. The spread the frangipane mix evenly inside the frame. Lay the apple pieces in lines on top. Brush with the melted butter and scatter the brown sugar on top.

Step 4: Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and golden. Cool then dust with icing sugar and serve.

Blueberry Crumble Bars

by Lou Robbie

We are spoiled with beautiful organic Irish blueberries in the summer and autumn. They are gorgeous to eat fresh as they are but if you are looking for a recipe to bake try these delicious crumble bars. They do crumble so keep one hand under to catch those crunchy crumbs.

We were paying a friend a visit so make a batch of these to have with tea and a catch up. My kids adore them, they are just sweet enough with lovely pops of jammy berries.

Shop for the wholesome organic ingredients in our shop.

Let us know if you make it, we love to hear from you.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients: Makes 12 bars

  • For the crumble base and topping:
  • 120g oats/1 ½ cups 
  • 65g brown sugar /¾ cup
  • 180g plain flour /1 ½ cups
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 90g butter
  • For the filling:
  • 230g/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
  • 40g granulated sugar 
  • ½ tablespoon cornflour 
  • Juice ½ lemon 

Method:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180ºC and line a 8in tin with parchment paper.

Step 2: Measure the flour, oats, brown sugar and baking powder into a bowl, mix well. Then add the butter and work it into the oats and flour with your fingers until it starts to clump together and feels like wet sand, this will take a few minutes.

Step 3: Tip HALF the mix into the tin. Push down into the tin until its spead out and even, make sure to get into the corners. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. In the meantime mix the blueberries with the granulated sugar, cornflour and lemon juice. 

Step 4: When the base comes out of the oven top with the blueberries and scatter over the other half of the crumble mix.  Put it back in the oven to bake for another 25-35 minutes. 

Leave it to cool for an hour to set and then cut into bars.