Sensationally Sugar Free: Delicious sugar-free recipes for healthier eating every day - Susanna Booth (2016)
Muffins, Cookies & Cupcakes
Double Chocolate Muffins
Cherry & Almond Muffins
Seeded Breakfast Muffins
Sage Muffins with Sour Cream & Bacon
Roquefort & Pear Muffins
Hazelnut Cappuccino Cupcakes
Lemon Coconut Cupcakes
Cinnamon Thins
Salted Lime Sandwich Biscuits
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Date & Walnut Cookies
Almond & Fig Cookies
Chocolate Hazelnut Palmiers
Strawberry Scones
Double Chocolate Muffins
Airy chocolate muffins oozing little nuggets of melted chocolate are one of the finest sights to emerge from an oven. Even better is the fact that muffins benefit from a laid-back approach, so this is seriously easy baking that anyone can master.
MAKES 12
225g (7½oz) plain flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 teaspoons baking powder
250ml (8fl oz) rice milk
125ml (4fl oz) sunflower oil
3 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons unsweetened vanilla extract
2 teaspoons stevia powder
150g (5oz) no-added-sugar milk chocolate, chopped into chunks Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper muffin cases.
Mix the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder together in a bowl. Stir the rice milk, oil, eggs, vanilla extract and stevia powder together in a jug.
Pour the liquid mixture into the bowl and give a quick stir. It doesn’t matter if there are still a few lumps - undermixing is better than stirring for too long, which can lead to a chewy, rather than airy, texture. Stir in the chocolate chunks.
You’ll now have a sloppy brown mixture. Divide the muffin mixture evenly between the muffin cases.
Bake the muffins for 15-30 minutes until risen and springy to the touch, and an inserted skewer comes out clean. Leave them to cool on a wire rack before serving.
These muffins are lovely warm, but even better the following day. They also freeze well.
Cherry & Almond Muffins
Almonds are one of nature’s superfoods and combining them with cherries is a sure-fire way to get a tasty result. Almond milk gives an extra nutrient hit and also makes these muffins a dairy-free treat.
MAKES 12
150g (5oz) ground almonds
150g (5oz) plain flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
175ml (6fl oz) unsweetened almond milk
85ml (3¼fl oz) sunflower oil
3 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons stevia powder
1½ teaspoons unsweetened almond extract
300g (10oz) fresh cherries, pitted and halved
2 tablespoons flaked almonds
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper muffin cases.
Mix the ground almonds, flour and baking powder together in a bowl. Stir the almond milk, oil, eggs, stevia powder and almond extract together in a jug.
Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and give everything a quick stir until combined. Stir in the cherry halves.
Divide the muffin mixture evenly between the muffin cases. Sprinkle a few of the flaked almonds on top of each one.
Bake the muffins for 15-20 minutes until risen and golden brown, and an inserted skewer comes out clean. Leave them to cool on a wire rack. Store the muffins in the refrigerator and eat within a couple of days.
Seeded Breakfast Muffins
Forget sugary cereals and try these awesome muffins for breakfast instead. Filling and nutritious, the combination of superfoods and protein will give your morning just the boost it needs. I like to make a batch and pop them in the freezer, defrosting them in the microwave as needed so that I always have some to hand.
MAKES 12
225g (7½oz) plain flour
150g (5oz) drained canned sweetcorn kernels
150g (5oz) soft pitted prunes
50g (2oz) sunflower seeds
50g (2oz) carrot, peeled and finely grated
250ml (8fl oz) unsweetened almond milk
125ml (4fl oz) sunflower oil
3 eggs
3 teaspoons unsweetened vanilla extract
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper muffin cases.
Place all the ingredients except the pumpkin seeds in a food processor and blend for 10-15 seconds until everything is combined.
Pour the muffin mixture into the muffin cases, ensuring you have distributed it evenly. Scatter the pumpkin seeds on the top of each muffin.
Bake the muffins for 25 minutes until risen and golden brown, and an inserted skewer comes out clean. Leave them to cool in the tin. These are great either warm or cold, perhaps spread with a little butter. Store the muffins in the refrigerator and eat within a couple of days.
Sage Muffins with Sour Cream & Bacon
Don’t knock a savoury muffin until you’ve tried one, and few are as mouth-watering as these, with their light sage flavour and crowning dollop of soured cream and bacon.
MAKES 8
1 teaspoon sunflower oil
4 unsmoked streaky bacon rashers, finely chopped
125ml (4fl oz) soured cream
50g (2oz) Cheddar cheese or other hard cheese
150g (5oz) plain flour
1 tablespoon finely chopped sage
2 teaspoons baking powder
85ml (3¼fl oz) sunflower oil
175ml (6fl oz) milk
2 eggs
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Line 8 cups of a 12-cup muffin tin with paper muffin cases.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the chopped bacon until crisp. Stir the bacon bits into the soured cream and set aside.
Roughly grate the cheese into a bowl. Stir in the flour, sage and baking powder.
Whisk the oil, milk and eggs together in a separate bowl. Pour the eggy liquid into the flour mixture and give a good, brisk stir until everything is combined. You’ll now have a sloppy mixture.
Pour the muffin mixture evenly into the muffin cases. Top each one with about a tablespoonful of the soured cream and bacon, dolloped into the centre.
Bake the muffins for 15 minutes until risen and browned - the soured cream will have remained at the top of each muffin. Leave the muffins to cool on a wire rack before serving. These are best eaten on the day they are made.
Tip
A mezzaluna, consisting of a single or double curved blade with a handle at either end, makes chopping fresh herbs incredibly easy and quick.
Roquefort & Pear Muffins
Roquefort cheese might seem a strange addition to muffins, but it works really well without being overly cheesy. My two-year-old will happily eat these, yet there is no way he would ever eat Roquefort, walnuts or, to be honest, even pears by themselves. These are delicious hot or cold, but best enjoyed on the day they are made.
MAKES 12
4 small Williams pears, about 400g (13oz) total weight 75g (3oz) Roquefort cheese or other blue cheese, crumbled 3 eggs
175ml (6fl oz) sunflower oil
4 tablespoons milk
1½ teaspoons unsweetened vanilla extract
100g (3½oz) wholemeal plain flour
100g (3½oz) white plain flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
100g (3½oz) walnuts, chopped
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper muffin cases.
Remove the cores from the pears (leave the skin on). Chop one into small chunks about 1cm (½ inch) in size and set aside. Place the remaining pears in a blender with the cheese, eggs, oil, milk and vanilla extract and blend until smooth.
Transfer to a bowl and stir in both flours and the baking powder, then stir in the walnuts and reserved chopped pear.
Divide the muffin mixture evenly between the muffin cases and bake for 20
minutes until risen and browned. Serve straight away or leave to cool on a wire rack before serving.
Hazelnut Cappuccino Cupcakes
I have a total weakness for hazelnut lattes, a habit that I try to keep to an absolute minimum for the sake of my teeth and general health! It was, however, the inspiration for these cupcakes - they provide the nutty-coffee flavours and frothy sweetness that I love, just without a load of sugar.
MAKES 12
3 tablespoons stevia powder
2 tablespoons instant coffee
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons boiling water
50g (2oz) wholemeal plain flour
50g (2oz) white plain flour
75g (3oz) unsalted butter, very soft, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
40g (1½oz) whole hazelnuts, chopped
For the topping
250ml (8fl oz) whipping cream
1 teaspoon stevia powder
½ teaspoon unsweetened vanilla extract
cocoa powder, for dusting
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper muffin cases.
Stir the stevia powder, instant coffee, balsamic vinegar and measurement boiling water together in a jug until you have a thick, dark liquid - it doesn’t matter if the stevia hasn’t completely dissolved.
Place both flours, butter, eggs and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl. Add the coffee mixture and whisk everything together for a minute until fluffy and well combined.
Fold in the nuts, then dollop a tablespoonful of the cupcake mixture into each muffin case.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until risen and browned, and an inserted skewer comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
To make the topping, whip the cream with the stevia powder and vanilla extract until it forms firm peaks. Place in a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle then pipe on to the cupcakes. Finish by sifting cocoa powder on to the top of each one.
The finished cupcakes should be kept in the refrigerator until ready to serve and are best eaten the same day.
Variation
For a different slant on this recipe, smear a little of my Chocolate Hazelnut
Spread on the top of each cupcake instead of the sweetened cream.
Lemon Coconut Cupcakes
The delicate creamy sweetness of coconut is used to full effect as a topping for moist lemon sponge. Coconut milk varies: for best results, choose coconut milk with at least 18 per cent fat, and avoid brands with added sodium metabisulphite, as it can have an unpleasant taste.
MAKES 12
1 x 400ml (14fl oz) can coconut milk, chilled
3 tablespoons stevia powder
150g (5oz) plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
85ml (3¼fl oz) sunflower oil
2 eggs, beaten
grated rind of 1 unwaxed lemon and 2 tablespoons juice For the topping
20g (¾oz) desiccated coconut
1 teaspoon stevia powder
125ml (4fl oz) whipping cream
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper muffin cases.
Open the can of coconut milk, then scoop out the thick coconut ‘cream’ from the top of the can into a large bowl and set aside. Pour 125ml (4fl oz) of the remaining watery coconut milk into a separate large bowl. Stir in the stevia powder, then add the flour, baking powder, oil, eggs and lemon rind and juice. Give everything a quick and thorough whisk and then divide the mixture evenly between the muffin cases.
Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes until risen and just browned, and an inserted skewer comes out clean. Leave on a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the topping, gently toast the desiccated coconut in a dry frying pan for 2
minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden. Leave to cool completely.
Add the stevia powder to the reserved coconut ‘cream’. Using an electric whisk, whip until it forms soft peaks - this may take up to 4 minutes. Whip the whipping cream until it forms firm peaks, then fold into the coconut cream. Use a tablespoon to swirl a dollop on to each of the cupcakes and sprinkle the tops of them with the toasted desiccated coconut. These cakes will keep for a couple of days in the refrigerator.
Variation
For a completely dairy-free alternative, make the topping using only the thick coconut ‘cream’ scooped from the can. Stir in 1 teaspoon stevia powder and a pinch of xanthan gum, then whisk until it forms firm peaks. Spread onto the cupcakes and sprinkle with dessicated coconut.
Cinnamon Thins
These buttery, wafer-thin biscuits are part Swedish pepparkaka and part delicate tuile. Their light and airy crispness makes them perfect served alongside coffee or as an accompaniment to ice cream. The apple and cinnamon flavour is just heavenly too.
MAKES 18
1 egg white
4 tablespoons unsweetened apple purée
2 teaspoons stevia powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
35g (1¼oz) plain flour
25g (1oz) unsalted butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/325°F/Gas Mark 3. Line a couple of baking sheets with silicone baking paper.
Whisk the egg white in a bowl until it forms a thick froth, then whisk in the apple purée, stevia powder and cinnamon.
Stir the flour and melted butter together in a small bowl. Fold into the egg white mix until you have a pale brown, thick mixture.
Dollop a heaped teaspoonful of the mixture on to one of the baking sheets. Use the back of a tablespoon to smooth it out evenly into a round about 7cm (3 inches) in diameter and 1-2mm (about 1/16 inch) thick - use a cookie cutter as a guide if you want them perfectly round, or cut a circle out of a piece of card to make a template. Repeat until you have filled the baking sheets.
Bake the thins for about 30 minutes until they have darkened and look dry - start checking them after 20 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack. They will still be soft while they are hot, but once they have cooled they should be completely hard and crisp. They will keep for about a week, stored in an airtight container.
Salted Lime Sandwich Biscuits
These luscious and very grown-up sandwich biscuits feature a frozen lime cheesecake filling encased within salted crackers. Try them as a modern twist on ice cream in a cone, or serve as a quick and easy party snack.
MAKES 6
grated rind of ½ unwaxed lime and 1½ tablespoons juice 1 tablespoon white rum
1 tablespoon stevia powder
2 tablespoons cream cheese
125ml (4fl oz) double cream
12 salted wholemeal crackers
Stir together the lime rind and juice, rum and stevia powder in a cup until the stevia has dissolved. Stir in the cream cheese until smooth.
Whip the cream in a jug (see Tip) until it forms firm peaks. Stir in the lime mixture.
Sandwich a tablespoonful of the resulting rather sloppy cream between 2 crackers and press down lightly (the cream shouldn’t ooze out from between the crackers).
Repeat for the remaining crackers.
Place all the sandwich biscuits on a tray or plate and then freeze them for 15
minutes until the filling has become firm. They are now ready to eat.
Tip
A quick way to whip cream without it spattering everywhere is to pour it into a jug and to use a stick blender. This can work too well, in that it becomes easy to overwhip the cream, so go easy.
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
With just four ingredients, these cookies are simplicity itself, but none the worse for that. What makes them so irresistible is the way the chewy raisins burst through the oats, which have a lovely, almost buttery, crunch. Serve with a glass of milk for a perfect mid-morning pick-me-up.
MAKES 35
300g (10oz) jumbo rolled oats
160g (5½oz) raisins
85ml (3¼fl oz) sunflower oil, plus extra for oiling 175ml (6fl oz) boiling water
plain flour, for dusting
Preheat the oven to 150°C/130°C fan/300°F/Gas Mark 2. Lightly oil a couple of baking sheets with a little sunflower oil.
Place the oats and half the raisins in a food processor. Pulse until you have a mixture with the texture of breadcrumbs. Add the oil and measurement boiling water and continue to pulse until everything comes together as a soft dough. Stir in the remaining raisins, then let the dough sit and absorb the moisture for a couple of minutes.
Roll out the dough on a worktop well dusted with flour to a thickness of 5mm (¼
inch). Use a 6cm (2½-inch) round cookie cutter to cut out rounds, rerolling the trimmings as necessary, until you have used up all the dough. Place the dough rounds on the baking sheets.
Bake for 45 minutes until the cookies are golden brown, then switch the oven off and leave the cookies in the oven for a further 20 minutes until they have become completely hard. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack and store in an airtight tin. They will keep for up to a week.
Variation
You can make a gluten-free version of these cookies by using gluten-free oats and dusting your worktop with cornflour when rolling out.
Date & Walnut Cookies
These are proper doughy cookies, with a crunchy crust and chewy centre. However, unlike regular cookies, these are full of fibre and other goodness.
MAKES 12
1 banana, about 150g (5oz)
75g (3oz) pitted soft dried dates
50g (2oz) wholemeal plain flour
25g (1oz) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, plus extra for greasing 75g (3oz) walnuts, chopped
4 tablespoons milk
pinch of salt
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Lightly grease a couple of baking sheets with a little butter.
Peel the banana and place in a food processor with the dates. Process for 4-5
seconds until the dates are in small pieces and the banana has become mashed, though your mixture should still have some texture (you don’t want a purée).
Place the flour in a bowl, add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the date mixture, walnuts, milk and salt and stir everything together.
Use a tablespoon to place the mixture in 12 dollops on the baking sheets, spaced well apart. Use the back of the spoon to smear the dollops into rough rounds about 7cm (3 inches) in diameter and about 5mm (¼ inch) thick (if you want neat rounds, use a cookie cutter as a guide).
Bake the cookies for 20-25 minutes until the edges have become browned and hard, but the centres are still a little soft. Leave to cool on a wire rack and then store in an airtight container. They will keep for 2-3 days.
Almond & Fig Cookies
A combination of dried figs and whole almonds lends an attractive mosaic-like effect to these vanilla-flavoured cookies. Try them alongside an espresso - they make a great alternative to sugary biscotti.
MAKES 25
100g (3½oz) plain flour
50g (2oz) ground almonds
75g (3oz) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into chunks, plus extra for greasing 1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon stevia powder
1 teaspoon unsweetened vanilla extract
85g (3¼oz) dried figs, stalks removed and finely chopped 35g (1¼oz) whole almonds, roughly chopped
Place the flour, ground almonds and butter in a food processor and pulse until you have a mixture with the texture of coffee grounds.
Stir the egg, stevia powder and vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Pour the mixture into the food processor and then pulse until all the ingredients come together as a dough.
Remove the dough from the food processor and knead in the figs and almonds until well combined. Shape the dough into a rectangular block about 12 x 8cm (5 x 3¼ inches), and about 3.5cm (1½ inches) thick. Place it in the freezer for an hour until it has become firm.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Lightly grease a baking sheet with a little butter.
Remove the dough block from the freezer. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the block into slices no more than 5mm (¼ inch) thick. You may need to use a slight sawing action in order to cut neatly through the figs.
Place the cookies on the baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned and hardened. Leave to cool on a wire rack, then store in an airtight tin.
They will keep for up to a week.
Chocolate Hazelnut Palmiers
Palmiers are swirly biscuits made from puff pastry. They look complicated to make, but in practice the process is pretty simple - just don’t tell anyone else!
MAKES 15
250g (8oz) ready-made puff pastry
50g (2oz) whole hazelnuts
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons stevia powder
pinch of ground mixed spice
plain flour, for dusting
4 teaspoons unsalted butter, very soft, plus extra for greasing Bring the pastry out of the refrigerator an hour before you want to use it to allow it to reach room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Lightly grease a baking sheet with a little butter.
Place the hazelnuts, cocoa powder, stevia powder and mixed spice in a food processor and pulse until you have a mixture with the texture of coffee grounds.
Roll out the pastry on a worktop well dusted with flour to a rectangle about 22 x 32cm (8¾ x 12½ inches), and about 2mm (1/16 inch) thick. Spread with 3
teaspoons of the butter. Sprinkle two-thirds of the nut mixture across.
With one long side nearest to you, imagine a vertical line down the centre of your pastry. Fold either end of the pastry in to meet down the centre, then spread the remaining butter across the resulting surface, followed by the rest of the nut mixture.
Fold each side in to meet down the centre again. Finally, fold the left side over the right. You will now have a long, flattened sausage of folded pastry. Trim the ends to neaten and then cut into slices about 1cm (½ inch) thick.
Lay the slices cut side up on the baking sheet, spacing them well apart as they will spread dramatically. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. Leave to cool on a wire rack. These are best eaten on the day they are made.
Strawberry Scones
These voluminous scones are enriched with wholemeal flour and naturally sweetened with rice milk. When served with a dollop of cream and some balsamic vinegar-infused strawberries, they’ll not only give you that sweet treat you’ve been craving, but will also keep hunger pangs at bay.
MAKES 8
225g (7½oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
75g (3oz) wholemeal plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
50g (2oz) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into chunks, plus extra for greasing 125ml (4fl oz) rice milk
85ml (3¼fl oz) milk
For the topping
500g (1lb) fresh strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
300ml (½ pint) whipping cream
Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/425°F/Gas Mark 7. Lightly grease a baking sheet with a little butter.
Mix both flours and the baking powder together in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs (you can pulse the ingredients in a food processor instead, if you prefer). Pour in the rice milk and milk. Stir everything together, then get your hands in and knead the mixture into a dough.
Roll out the dough on a worktop well dusted with flour to a thickness of about 3cm (1¼ inches). Use a 6cm (2½-inch) cookie cutter to cut out 8 rounds, rerolling the trimmings as necessary, and place them on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes until well risen and browned.
To make the topping, stir the strawberry slices, vinegar and pepper together in a saucepan over a medium heat for 5 minutes, taking care not to let the mixture boil. Once the strawberries have become softened and translucent and have released some of their juices, remove the pan from the heat and leave everything to cool. Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks.
Serve the scones cut in half, with each side topped by a dollop of whipped cream and a serving of the balsamic strawberries.
