Vegan Magnum Ice Creams

August is coming to an end but summer is still in full swing here in Barcelona, luckily though the heat wave's gone and nights are a bit more bearable when you are in bed. A great way to end the month (and use those silicone molds I bought last year and haven't used them since then) is making these extra delicious vegan Magnum-style ice creams.

I tested this recipe two times and didn't need a third one because the first batch came out almost perfect, but I wanted the vanilla ice cream filling to be very creamy...honestly, some Magnum recipes that I've seen on the 'net look rather like rock solid popsicles...and that's not what we want, amiright!? So after a few tweaks here and there I can finally share with you these homemade, dairy-free Magnum ice creams that, let me tell you one thing: they taste as good (or even better) than the original ones. You'll enjoy them a lot if you are a true dark chocolate lover like myself. I'm not very fond of milk chocolate to be honest, and the sweet vanilla ice cream filling pairs so well with the intense flavor of the dark chocolate+chopped almonds shell. This one is truly a must-try recipe, you won't regret it.

I was meaning to publish another ice cream recipe this month but as some of you may already know I've been busy being a proud kitten mom (sorry guys, I'm officially a member of the"Crazy Cat Lady Club") and simply enjoying some quiet time at home. Also some sleepless nights too because the little furball loves to play when the clock strikes midnight. But I'm slowly learning some tricks to train her so she let us sleep during the night; she's a super smart, adorable and sweet kitten and learns very quick! To those who follow me on Instagram, I'm sorry for all the kitty spam but my Paquita Steele (yup, that's her name) mealts my heart.

¡Receta en español aquí!

Vegan Magnum Ice Creams

(4 servings)

Ingredients

1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight.

2/3 cups water.

1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk.

1/4 cup agave syrup.

1/4 cup unrefined cane sugar.

2 tablespoons vegan vanilla protein powder.

1/4 teaspoon guar gum.

The seeds from one vanilla pod.

A small pinch of pink Himalayan salt.

- For the chocolate shell:

300 g (10 oz) dark chocolate (70 % cocoa).

1/3 cup approximately of chopped almonds.

Directions

Don't forget to soak the cashews in water with a small pinch of pink Himalayan salt overnight. The day after, drain them well and place inside the jar of your high-speed blender or food processor, add in the water and pulse until a creamy mixture forms. You might need to stop a few times and scrape down the sides of the container to make sure you get a really smooth cream.

Add in the rest of the ingredients, minus the guar gum, and pulse until creamy and smooth; finally add in the guar gum, on low speed, until fully incorporated.

Pour the cashew-coconut cream into the molds, add wooden sticks and freeze until solid. It's very important that you wait until the pops are very firm cause they'll be covered in hot melted chocolate, I recommend to let them sit in the freezer overnight.

Melt dark chocolate in a double boiler, transfer to a tall mug wide enough to fit the Magnums, and set aside.

Press the chopped almonds against the surface of the pops making sure they stick to the vanilla cream and immediately dip the pops in the melted chocolate. Wait a few seconds so the excess chocolate drips off, holding the pops almost upright but being careful the wooden sticks don't get covered in chocolate too. Carefully transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let it harden in the freezer until ready to use.

Notes:

- You may think the chocolate quantity is excessive but I've tried several methods to cover the ice creams and the one that works best is by dipping them in a tall and wide mug. The chocolate shell looks better and you make sure the Magnums are fully covered.

There will be plenty leftover chocolate, obviously do not throw it away! I make chocolate chips or use it for peanut butter cups. ;-)

- Look for a brand of full-fat coconut milk that doesn't contain any thickener since we already add 1/4 teaspoon of guar gum to the vanilla ice cream.
- Just in case you are curious to know the type of molds I used, you can find them here. (This is NOT an affiliate link, btw).

Gluten-Free Crackers with Mediterranean Herbs

Since the beginning of this year I've been thinking about slowly adding savory recipes to the blog, not every single dish I prepare at home (because honestly, most days are "let's throw those leftovers in a bowl and pretend I'm eating a fancy buddha bowl") nor every recipe I develop for certain brands, but I want to share the ones that really resonate with me. Also I will try to keep this savory recipes as simple as possible, wholesome and nourishing dishes that won't require too much planning and will make your tummy feel happy and full.

Still don't know how often I'm gonna share this type of recipes, will just let myself go with the flow and rest assured that whenever I'm inspired I will quickly write a new blog post. Of course the cakes, cookies, ice creams and all things sweets will always be the soul of Cinnamon Girl; some super easy recipes and others a tad bit more elaborated...because some days you can't tame the Nigella inside of you and have the need to create some tall and decadent layer cakes. ;-p

So let's talk about this recipe, gluten-free crackers that are so damn easy to make and taste so damn good! They are really tasty on their own, and quite addictive like potato chips; I love to have a small bag of these crackers in my pantry to nibble on between meals.

They are great with any kind of vegetable spread, paté, hummus, cheese...highly recommended to serve them if you are having a dinner party. You can throw in whatever aromatic herb your heart desires, my favorites are oregano, thyme and rosemary.

To make things even more fuss-free you can use some good quality herb-flavored salt, like I did. The team at Herbes de la Conca kindly sent me a package with some of their best-selling products and I used their mediterranean herbs & salt blend; it works great for so many dishes! It's unrefined fossil salt 100 % free from microplastics...kind scary to know so many table salts contain microplastics; that's why I always buy Himalayan pink salt, it's one of the cleanest salts you can find.

Cooking with flavored salts is quite fun and gives a more complex and aromatic flavor to any food; maybe next time I will try cooking tofu with BBQ salt. ;-)

¡Receta en español en mi último post de Instagram, aquí!

GF Crackers with Mediterranean Herbs

Ingredients
1 cup chickpea flour.
1/2 cup white rice flour.
1/2 cup potato starch.
1/2 cup water.
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
1 1/2 tablespoons chia seeds.
1 teaspoon garlic powder.
2 teaspoons herb-flavored salt.

Directions

Preheat oven to 180 ºC (356 ºF) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl sift together the chickpea flour, rice flour, and potato starch; mix well using a wire whisk. Add in the chia seeds, garlic powder, herby salt, and mix until combined.

Pour in the oil and mix using a silicone spatula until the mixture looks coarse, like wet sand. Gradually pour the water into the mixture mixing with your hands, until a cohesive and dense ball of dough forms; it shouldn't stick too much to your fingers.

Cut a big piece of parchment paper and place over your working surface, roll out the dough creating a circular shape (doesn't have to be perfectly round), until the dough is quite thin but still easy to handle. If the dough is too thin it'll be difficult to cut into shapes and transfer to the baking sheet.

If your rolling pin sticks to the dough lightly grease it with olive oil.

Using a circular cookie cutter cut your crackers until you've used all the dough, depending on the size of your cookie cutter you'll get a larger or smaller amount of crackers. Don't throw away the leftover scraps, shape into a ball and roll out repeating the process all over again.

Carefully transfer the crackers to the prepared baking sheets and prick each one with a fork to prevent them from puffing during baking. Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through.

Let crackers cool completely on the baking sheets, they will get crispier as they cool.

I recommend to serve them on the same day to enjoy them at their best level of crispiness but you can safely store them in an airtight container at room temperature and still be delicious.

Vanilla Date Caramel Swirl Ice Cream

Summer is flying by and I've been so super busy the past weeks...damn, I've felt really overwhelmed by deadlines! But needed to finish several collaboration works before everyone goes off on vacation, and I stay here dealing with this insanely humid hot Barcelona weather preparing new recipes for my blog, call it a productive staycation. I've been so focused on developing recipes for food brands and other collabs that neglected the blog a little too much. Anyways, I'm back with a delicious super summery recipe: a vegan vanilla ice cream with date caramel swirl and walnuts. It's a completely vegan recipe and as usual I only use organic and wholesome ingredients. So incredibly good, so creamy...like really, really creamy no one would ever guess it's a homemade ice cream.

If I had to pick just one type of dessert I'm pretty sure it'd be ice cream, I'm a real ice cream monster that even during the coldest winter days dreams about caramel swirls and big chunks.

What's your favorite ice cream flavor? Mine is anything vanilla-based with lots of chunks and toppings.

Hope you are all having a fantastic summer, enjoying those endless golden afternoons outside with lots of ice creams, gazpachos and whatever your heart (and your gut) desires.

Vanilla Date Caramel Swirl Ice Cream

(4-6 servings approximately)

Ingredients

- For the date caramel:

8 Medjool dates.

150 ml full fat coconut milk.

- For the vanilla ice cream:

2 cups raw cashews.

1 1/3 cups water.

1/2 cup agave syrup.

1 cup full-fat coconut milk.

1/2 cup organic cane sugar.

1/4 cup vegan vanilla protein powder.

1/4 teaspoon guar gum.

A pinch of pink Himalayan salt.

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla powder.

1 cup walnuts, chopped.

Directions

Soak the cashews in filtered water with a pinch of pink Himalayan salt overnight. The day after, rinse them well and place in your blender (preferably a high speed blender) or food processor with 1 1/3 cups of water (discard the soaking water). Blend until you get a smooth and creamy texture with no clumps. Let it set in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the ice cream base.

Combine the agave syrup, coconut milk, sugar, vanilla protein, guar gum, salt, and pure vanilla powder and blend until creamy and soft; you might need to stop a few times and scrape down the sides of the container. Add in the refrigerated cashew cream and blend again until fully combined.

Pour the mixture into an airtight shallow container, cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or preferably overnight (the colder your ice cream base is the creamier it will be).

Once the mixture is very cold churn according to the manufacturer's instructions of your ice cream maker, it should have a soft serve consistency. Transfer to a shallow container and stir in the date caramel (instructions below) creating swirls with the help of a toothpick or a cake tester and finally add in 1 cup of walnuts.

Place the ice cream (covered) in the freezer until ready to use. Don't worry if your ice cream looks very solid once it's frozen, simply let it thaw at room temperature until it's scoopable.

- For the date caramel:

Chop the dates and place them inside your food processor and mix with the coconut milk until you get a smooth and slightly sticky mixture. Store in a sealed jar and refrigerate until ready to use.

Mandarin & Ginger Brownies

I wanted to share this recipe with you guys since the very first day I made them, these brownies are seriously addictive: fudgey and super chocolatey but not too gooey, which is the perfect texture for a brownie, in my humble opinion. I just needed a second try to nail them (I wanted them not to be too crumbly), though the first batch disappeared in the blink of an eye!

These brownies are, like the majority of my recipes, vegan-friendly, made with wholesome, organic ingredients. Of course I want my brownies loaded with chunks and this time I opted for chopped walnuts and big chunks (always big chunks, go big or go home!) of one of my favorite dark chocolate bars, Seed and Bean's Mandarin & Ginger Extra Dark Chocolate, they kindly sent me a super nice package with goodies a few months ago and I'm slowly sharing what I cooked with their range of  insanely delicious, organic, vegan-friendly and fair-trade dark chocolates. Here's the first recipe I made for them.

The recipe was published earlier this month at Seed and Bean's website but these brownies are so yummy I couldn't resist to share them here on the blog too, so now it's available for everybody!

I highly recommed to serve these with a scoop of vanilla ice cream because dang it! it's summer, and everybody knows how good vanilla ice cream pairs with almost every baked dessert.

Btw, speaking about ice cream...stay tuned cause I'm preparing a new vanilla ice cream recipe that is to die for.

¡Receta en español aquí!

Mandarin & Ginger Brownies
(makes approx. 9 brownies)

Ingredients
1 cup wholegrain spelt flour, sifted.

½ cup pure cocoa powder.

1 tablespoon potato starch.

1 teaspoon pure vanilla powder.

½ teaspoon ground ginger.

½ teaspoon baking powder.

A small pinch of pink Himalayan salt.

¾ cup coconut sugar.

¼ cup pureed silken tofu (90 g approximately).

¼ cup unsweetened soy milk.

1/3 cup mild-tasting extra virgin olive oil.

Zest of one mandarin.

1/3 cup chopped walnuts.

1/3 cup Seed and Bean’s Mandarin & Ginger Extra Dark chocolate, chopped into chunks.

Mandarin slices, for garnish.

Optional: two drops of orange essential oil (food-grade and organic).

Directions

Preheat oven to 170 ºC (338 ºF) and line a square baking pan with parchment paper making sure there’s enough paper hanging over the sides for easier unmolding.

In a large mixing bowl sift in the spelt flour, cocoa powder, potato starch, vanilla, ginger, baking powder, and salt. Mix everything together with a wire whisk and set aside.

In a separate bowl whisk the pureed tofu with the coconut sugar, soy milk, oil, and the zest of one mandarin (organic if possible). Mix until completely combined and soft.

Pour in the wet mixture into the dry ingredients, and mix using a silicone spatula until smooth. If using, add in two drops of organic orange essential oil (make sure it’s food grade certified), and stir just a little bit. Fold in walnuts and chocolate chunks but do not overmix the batter.

Bake brownies for 28 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let them cool completely before slicing.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Easy multi-seed bread

It's been almost a month without publishing a new recipe here on the blog, you know...life (and shit) happens and then you got a lot of deadline work to be done. Even though I still have to finish a couple works for a client I wanted to share a new recipe before may ends. Seriously, time flies! Feels like it was january just a few weeks ago, and summer's right around the corner. I don't know about you but 2019 is passing by way too fast, and I think that's a sign I'm getting older, lol. Also it's being one of the busiest years for Cinnamon Girl too, so glad that (besides my usual collaborations) little new projects and collabs keep coming up every month. Right now there's an awesome giveaway on my Instagram for all my spanish followers, they can win a great package full of organic food products from one of my favorite brands. Hope I can make an international giveaway in the near future!

May is a celebration-filled month in my family (birthdays, Mother's Day...) so as you can imagine there has been quite a big amount of sweet treats involved, so I decided to prepare a bread recipe for the blog and stay away from chocolate and sugar for a couple weeks at least. :-p

This multi-seed bread is really easy to make, requires a slight kneading and only 35 minutes to rest. The result: a nice wholesome bread filled with sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, and flax seeds that is both nourishing and filling, perfect for your morning toast or to make a veggie sandwich with homemade vegan mayo, yum! This recipe yields two loaves so I suggest to slice and freeze in separate ziploc bags one of them so you can enjoy your brekkie toasts for a longer time.

Hope you had a good month and an even better and sunnier june!

Receta en español en la web de Ecocesta.

Easy Multi-seed Bread

(yield: 2 loaves)

Ingredients

700 g wholegrain spelt flour, sifted.

1 1/2 teaspoons pink Himalayan salt.

15 g fresh yeast.

600 ml lukewarm water.

1 teaspoon honey.*

3/4 cup sunflower seeds.

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds.

1/4 cup sesame seeds.

1/4 cup flax seeds.

*For vegan option: 1 teaspoon agave syrup.

Directions

Lightly grease and line two 23-cm loaf pans leaving enough excess of parchment paper on the sides, and set aside.

In a small bowl pour around 150 ml of the warm water and crumble the fresh yeast into the water and stir together. Add in the honey and mix until combined, let the mixture rest for 10 minutes until yeast is activated. Small air bubbles should form on the surface.

In a large mixing bowl place the sifted spelt flour and stir in the salt using a wire whisk. Make a well in the center and pour in the rest of the warm water (450 ml). Mix using your clean hands making movements from the outside to the center, until dough doesn't stick too much to the sides of the bowl.

Don't worry if dough sticks to your hands, it's quite a wet dough but once you work it for a few minutes it should be more soft. You can let ir rest for 3 to 5 minutes and you'll see it becomes quite a lot more pliable.

Add in all the seeds to the dough mixing with your hands again until everything is well distributed.

Divide the dough in two equal portions and transfer to the prepared pans. Cover with a clean damp cloth and let rise in a warm dry place for 35 minutes, until loaves double their size.

Preheat oven to 200 ºC during the last 10 minutes of dough's resting and, right before baking the loaves top each one with a mix of the same seeds we used for the dough.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until loaf looks golden and bread sounds hollow when tapped.

Lift each loaf out of the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Dark Chocolate Chunk & Hazelnut Cookies

It's been a while since cookies made an appearance on the blog, actually this was my last cookie recipe (if you don't count the raw ones). We are having grey and rainy days here in Barcelona so my plan to feel cozy and nice while I'm on the computer editing pictures and answering e-mails is to prepare a warm cup of oat milk latte to dunk my cookies in, and listen to those stubborn little birdies out there chirping and singing even if it's raining...I guess they don't accept the fact that we'll have to wait until later this month to finally feel the warmth of the sun. :-p

Last week I received a super nice package from Seed and Bean with some of their most delicious dark chocolate bars, those who follow me on Instagram already know how much I love to try new chocolate brands and how a big fan I am of this brand; so it was awesome to get such a lovely gift from them! Specially because I can try some flavors that I can't find in my city.

Of course my first thought was to create new recipes with them and play a little in the kitchen, and after a couple hectic days here's one of the first recipes I will share with you over the following weeks.

These cookies are loaded with chunks of sicilian hazelnut fine dark chocolate and chopped hazelnuts, (needless to say they will remind you of the Nutella flavor) and are truly one of the best cookies I've ever baked! I know how many times we food bloggers tend to say this but trust me, they are really good (and addictive!). Also they are vegan-friendly and gluten free so everybody wins! (Well, almost everybody...sorry for all my readers with nut-allergy!) 

¡Receta en español aquí!

Dark Chocolate Chunk & Hazelnut Cookies (vegan, gluten-free)
(yield: 30 to 35 cookies)

Ingredients
1/2 cup almond flour.
1/2 cup gf oat flour.
1/4 cup potato starch.
2 tablespoons flax meal (ground flax seeds).
1 teaspoon baking soda.
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla powder.
A pinch of pink Himalayan salt.
1/3 cup natural cashew butter.
1/3 cup organic granulated sugar.
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted.
2 tablespoons any plant-based milk.
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup.
1/3 cup of Seed and Bean Sicilian Hazelnut Fine Dark Chocolate, chopped into chunks.
1/4 cup hazelnuts, chopped.

Directions

Preheat oven to 170 ºC (338 ºF) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl and using a hand whisk stir together the almond flour, oat flour, potato starch, ground flax seeds, baking soda, vanilla, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk the coconut oil, cashew butter, sugar, milk, and maple syrup until fully combined. Stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix with a silicone spatula until a cohesive dough forms. Finally stir in the chocolate chunks and hazelnuts.

Scoop around 1/2 tablespoon of dough per cookie and leave enough space between them (even though these cookies won't spread too much). Slightly flatten them with the back of a spoon and bake for 10 minutes or until edges are golden brown, check cookies halfway through the baking time to make sure they don't brown quickly.

Let the cookies cool in the baking sheets for 5 to 8 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack until completely cold (if you can resist temptation!).

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

Cookie Dough Protein Bites

I've been making several batches of these protein-packed cookie dough bites since last year, playing with the ingredients, proportions and protein powders. So half a year after showing a sneak peek on my Insta I think it's finally time to share the recipe; I don't know why I've postponed this for so long...maybe because I have too many things in my mind and simply forgot to stop and take some pictures of these little cuties. I promise you, these cookie dough raw bites are super delicious and easy to make; the perfect on-the-go snack whenever you need something to fuel your mornings or for those late afternoon cravings. My favorite time of the day to enjoy these bites is right after my workout session or when I'm on the computer working like crazy and don't even have time to move my ass and go to the kitchen. They are truly a lifesaver! :-p

This recipe is raw, vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar-free. I guess you can also make it nut-free by replacing the peanut butter with tahini or sunflower seed butter but obviously it will affect the flavor and probably the texture.

¡Receta en español aquí!

Cookie Dough Protein Bites

(yield: 32 balls approx.)

Ingredients

1 cup gf oat flour.

1/4 cup coconut flour.

1/2 cup vegan vanilla protein powder.*

1 cup natural peanut butter.

1/4 cup raw extra virgin coconut oil.

3 to 4 tablespoons of pure maple syrup.

A small pinch of pink Himalayan salt.

A small pinch of pure vanilla powder.

1/4 cup raw dark chocolate chips.

Notes:

- About the protein powder: this is my favorite type of protein powder for this specific recipe but there are lots of alternative powders you can use, though the second best one is almond protein powder.

- I recommend using unsalted and unroasted peanut butter, cashew butter works well too in this recipe. If your nut butter is salted then you won't have to add any more.

- If you can't find raw dark chocolate chips (also, they are a bit pricey) use your favorite dark chocolate chips but make sure they really are dark, at least 70% cocoa.

Directions

Place all the ingredients (minus the chocolate chips) in the bowl of your food processor and pulse until all ingredients are mixed together and a sticky ball of dough forms.

Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl and stir in the chocolate chips with a silicone spatula or a big wooden spoon.

Scoop around 1 tablespoon of dough for each protein bite and roll into balls, you will get 32 balls approximately. Press some extra dark chocolate chips evenly around the dough to make them look more cute. ;-)

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to enjoy.

Sunflower Seed Cacao Spread

I published a teaser yesterday on my Insta account but didn't have time to sit down and write the recipe cause it was workout time, you know it's good to make some priorities and find time for yourself even if it is a quick cardio session

Ever since I bought my awesome food processor I've made a lot of different nut butters (like this spiced cashew butter, yum) but never tried nut-free spreads...until now!

This recipe is perfect for those who suffer from tree-nut allergy and miss enjoying a slice of bread with Nutella; though Nutella is bad for everyone...don't buy it kids, shitty ingredients that nobody needs to put in their bodies so yeah, this recipe is also a great alternative to those store-bought cacao spreads that even when they claim to be palm oil-free are still loaded with refined sugars (or an indecent amount of syrups).

I had a big bag of organic sunflower seeds that had to use up before they turned rancid, and what a better way to avoid throwing away these healthy nutrition-packed seeds than making a yummy chocolaty spread? It's crucial though to have a powerful food processor, yeah, the big ones that are heavy and a little bit expensive. But it's worth the price if you are really into healthy cooking and making your own nut butters, spreads, dips, etc.

So here it is, cacao sunflower seed butter that happens to be raw, vegan and paleo friendly, nut free and gluten free. Oh! and also super delicious! ;-)

¡Receta en español aquí!

Sunflower seed cacao spread
(yield: around 2 generous cups)

Ingredients
2 cups raw sunflower seeds.
2 tablespoons raw coconut oil.
3 tablespoons raw cacao powder.
1/4 cup pure maple syrup.*
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla powder.
A pinch of pink Himalayan salt.

Notes:

- To make this recipe completely raw you should use raw agave syrup or any raw-friendlt sweetener such as dates/raw date syrup. Also, if you don't follow a strict vegan diet raw honey is a great alternative too.

Directions

Place the sunflowers seeds in your food processor and process until it resembles wet sand. Add in coconut oil and pulse until the mixture looks quite smooth (be patient, it'll take you up to 15-20 minutes in order to get a good butter). You will need to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times.

Add the rest of the ingredients and process again. At this point your butter most probably will look like it's grainy but don't freak out, just keep processing until it looks creamy again, and remember to be patient, making nut and seed butters requires quite a bit of time in the food processor.

Transfer to a glass jar/container with a lid and store in the fridge. Since it contains coconut oil this sunflower seed butter will become thicker after setting in the refrigerator so give it a few minutes at room temperature and it'll be smooth and spreadable again.