Martina Greenberg´s tips on raw Christmas confectionery
The Advent started last weekend and that is the time when our homes get scented by confectionery. There is an advantage of its raw variant – you don´t have to prepare it beforehand, it is made in couple of minutes and there is no risk of loitering in front of the oven and later waiting for the confectionery to cool off. We´ve chosen three recipes that can become a highlight of your Christmas table. We also reveal a couple of useful tricks of the trade.
Not only is the raw confectionery really fast to prepare, it also doesn´t contain any white sugar, flour or animal fat. Do you wonder how it all sticks together? Martina Greenberg, an author of our recipes and a lecturer of courses on raw confectionery preparation, has some tips on how to achieve it: “Use seed, nuts or buckwheat instead of white wheat flour. If you soak the seeds and the nuts for a couple of hours, it is easier to digest them. Sprout the buckwheat.”
Dates are the must-have in raw confectionery making; it´s a perfect sweetener and it sticks the pastry together. “Use coconut nectar instead of sugar, its glycaemic index is very low and its taste is delicate, it remind of wild plants honey”, says Martina.
Coconut oil or cocoa butter is a great replacement for butter; any homemade chocolate, topping or pralines will harden perfectly thanks to these ingredients. “Coconut oil provides a creamy consistence and cocoa butter has a higher melting point so you can leave the confectionery in a warm room for a longer time”, recommends Martina.
We hope you´ll draw inspiration from favourite recipes for Christmas sweets Martina prepared for you – Linzer tarts, two-coloured stars and delicious caramel.
Raw Linzer Tarts
Linzer tarts are one of the Czech Christmas evergreens and everyone seems to like it. We spread our favourite Rawtella inside, but you can use whatever seems convenient for you.
Ingredients for 30 pieces:
- 2 tablespoons raw almond butter
- ¾ cup almond flour (grounded almonds)
- ¼ cup coconut flour (grounded coconut)
- 2 teaspoons coconut nectar 1 teaspoon maca powder
- 1 pinch Himalayan salt ½ teaspoon vanilla 2 tablespoons water
- 2-3 tablespoons Rawtella
Instructions:
Blend all ingredients excluding Rawtella into a smooth pastry. Roll it out and cut any shapes depending on what you wish and what cookie cutters you have at hand. These tarts are perfect with and without drying but dried last much longer. Dry them at 42 °C for 12-14 hours. Join the halves of the tarts with Rawtella or homemade raw jam.
Coconut two-coloured stars
Star has been a Christmas symbol for ages so we decided to bring a couple of them on your table. They´re made in no time and look amazing.
Ingredients for the cocoa pastry:
- 2 cups cashew nuts (soaked)
- 2 tablespoons taw cocoa
- 3 tablespoons coconut nectar
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 pinch Himalayan salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Ingredients for the filling:
- 2/3 cup cashew nuts (soaked)
- 1/3 cup grounded coconut
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon coconut nectar
- ½ squashed banana
- 1 tablespoon almond milk (check how to make it here)
- 3 teaspoons lemon juice
- vanilla
- 1 pinch Himalayan salt
Instructions:
Prepare the pastry first. Blend cashew nuts into dusty consistence. Add cocoa, cinnamon, a pinch of salt, coconut nectar and melted coconut oil. Make pastry and let it rest in the fridge.
To make the filling, blend cashew nuts and grounded coconut first. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Banana makes it smooth and creamy. Put it in the fridge for a while, it hardens a bit and it easier to work with it.
Use cling film both under and on the pastry while rolling it out. Either roll and cut the chocolate stars first and the light filling then or use a clever trick – put both pastries one on another and cut it at once. Prepare the pastry first. Blend cashew nuts into dusty consistence. Add cocoa, cinnamon, a pinch of salt, coconut nectar and melted coconut oil. Make pastry and let it rest in the fridge.
To make the filling, blend cashew nuts and grounded coconut first. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Banana makes it smooth and creamy. Put it in the fridge for a while, it hardens a bit and it easier to work with it.
Use cling film both under and on the pastry while rolling it out. Either roll and cut the chocolate stars first and the light filling then or use a clever trick – put both pastries one on another and cut it at once.
Chocolate caramel with pecan nuts
Caramel with chocolate coating is a pure joy. We added some pecan nuts to enrich your body with vitamins and minerals.
Ingredients for 30 pieces:
- ½ cup dates
- ¾ cup cashew nuts
- 2 tablespoons cocoa butter
- 2 teaspoons water
- 1/8 teaspoon Himalayan salt
- vanilla bean
- 100 g 73% chocolate
- 80 g chopped pecan nuts
Instructions:
Blend dates with water in a potent blender, add cocoa butter and blended cashew nuts. Season with Himalayan salt and fresh vanilla. Put the mix into a box about 15× 10 cm big – the caramel will be about 3 cm high.
Melt 73% chocolate in a pot immersed in water. Pour the melted chocolate on caramel and sprinkle with pecan nuts.