An on-the-fly recipe to use up almond pulp from making almond milk and some failed caramel that split. You can use any flour you wish and if you don't have caramel handy you can omit or marble the top with melted chocolate.

150 g coconut oil (or butter)

1/3 c granulated sugar

1/3 c brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs

2 c almond pulp or meal 
1 tsp baking powder

3/4 c white chocolate chips

3/4 c caramel or butterscotch sauce

Preheat oven to 180C. Line a brownie tin with baking paper.

In a large bowl...

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Another better-for-you treat by Jerrelle Guy that uses more wholesome ingredients than your standard caramel tart. I finally learnt that caramel is traditionally made with white sugar and a small proportion of butter and butterscotch with brown sugar and a higher proportion of butter. There is a difference in flavour, however, I now often make such syrups with coconut cream, coconut oil and coconut sugar so you can have vegan/dairy free versions too. It's adapted from Black Girl Baking (Page ...

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I didn't realise the chewiness factor of toffee increases by a hundred-fold once melted! The caramel oozed out of my cookies, which wasn't a bad thing. However, I will try and enclose them better in the cookie dough next time. Instead of toffees, you can add different stir-ins to this dough, such as nuts, choc chips, dried fruit or candies.

Makes 12

1 c flour

1/2 c cocoa

1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch sea salt

110 g butter

1/4 c brown sugar

1/2 c granulated sugar (I used coconut)

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla extra...

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I bought a freshly shelled kilo of hazelnuts from Mt Hyde Hazelnut Farm in Outram, near Dunedin. Oh, the things I can do! I usually go for quick gratification recipes but I went all out on this layered pie. Multiple ingredients and components equals multiple dishes and applied time management. The result though is totally worth it. It's a rich tart so moderate-size slices will feed plenty, or the three in our family multiple times! It's from BBC Good Food. 

Pastry:

1/2 c hazelnuts, toasted and ...

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This recipe can be made as individual puddings, muffins, a loaf or cake. Just adjust the baking time to suit. It's a healthified version of your standard date pud as it's free of gluten, dairy, eggs and refined sugar. Even the sauce is vegan. Thanks to Eight Forest Lane.

Makes 8 individual puddings

1 c dates

2 Tbsp maple or brown rice syrup, optional

1 tsp baking soda

boiling water

1/2 c coconut sugar

1/2 c vegetable or coconut oil, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 c flour (I used wholemeal gluten-fre...

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This is Donna Hay's simple recipe for a better-for-you fudge - only 4 ingredients! You can use another nut butter and mix or match your nuts if you prefer, such as almond, hazelnut, macadamia, pistachios or tahini. It's best to use roasted nuts for flavour. You can also add dried fruit, such as sour cherries or cranberries, but there is already enough dates to make the fudge sweet.

2/3 c cashew butter

400 g fresh pitted dates (medjool are best but you can use any other kind. Dried dates too can...

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These are surely the most decadent cupcakes I've ever made. It's from Marian Keyes' book (yes, the author is also a baker). The final result is a soft bananary bite with a burst of silky dulce de leche in the middle and a crunchy caramel topping. My husband's birthday cupcakes - may the fourth be with you! You can use store-bought dulce de leche but if you're in lockdown, just make your own.

dulce de leche:

4 c milk (I used rice)

1 1/2 c sugar (I used coconut sugar)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Bring the...

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The classic millionaire's shortbread usually involves sugar, butter, condensed milk, egg, golden syrup and sometimes cream. This version is free from refined sugar and dairy and can be gluten too.

Tastes amazing, with that mix of crunch, salty/sweet caramel and silky chocolate. I guarantee you'll be pleased you switched to a healthier version!

For the base:

200g flour of choice (I used spelt)

pinch salt

100g coconut oil, room temperature

50g cane sugar or stevia

For the caramel:

300g pitted dates

150g...

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What makes this banana cake special? Coconut cream caramel in the middle and cream cheese icing on top!

Caramel sauce:
1 c coconut cream or milk
3/4 c unrefined sugar (coconut, rapadura or brown)
pinch sea salt

Cake:
125 g butter or non-dairy spread
3/4 c unrefined sugar
1 egg
3 mashed bananas
2 c flour (I used spelt)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Icing:
50g softened butter or non-dairy spread
75g icing sugar
1 c icing sugar
1/4 c chopped toasted walnuts (optional)

Make the caramel sauce by...

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Here's another version of a raw caramel slice. I've tweaked the ingredients to make it simpler. If you're not averse to peanuts, peanut butter makes a very good caramel base. The prunes add a lovely sweetness to the base.

Base:
1/2 c pitted dates
1/3 c prunes, optional
1 c almonds (toasted if you like)
1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
pinch sea salt

Caramel:
1/2 c pitted dates (or date syrup)
1/2 c maple syrup
1/3 c peanut butter (I prefer smooth)
1/4 c coconut oil

Topping:
1/4 c cacao powder
1/4 c coconut oil, so...

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S is for salted caramels - no. 19 of 26 alphabetical bakes! I was pretty pleased with how these turned out. You CAN make caramels without cream, and I used unrefined sugars too. 

Makes 36-40 

400ml can coconut milk or cream
1/2 c rice syrup
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 3/4 c coconut sugar (or rapadura)
3/4 c water
450g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa, dairy free)
digital sugar thermometer

Line a 20cm x 20cm square tin with baking paper.

In a small saucepan heat the coconut cream, r...

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I scoured the net and came up with a mix-and-match raw vegan banoffee pie recipe. This is different from my other banoffee pie, which uses cashew cream.

For the base:
1/2 c almonds
1/2 c walnuts
1/3 c desiccated coconut
6 deglet noor dates (use medjool if you have them, I was just saving $)
1 tbsp rice malt syrup
1/2 tsp ground ginger

For the caramel:
10 medjool dates, pitted
1 c coconut cream or milk or other nondairy milk
2 heaped tbsp almond/cashew/peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt

2 banan...

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First attempt at making toffees. Quite a process, but the combo of coconut milk, spices and coconut sugar is rather delicious. This is adapted from Sweet Things by Annie Rigg (Kyle Books, 2013).

400ml coconut milk or cream
10cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
6 cardamom pods, bruised
2 star anise
1 stick cinnamon
150g soft brown sugar
75g golden syrup
50g non-dairy spread or butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt
220g coconut sugar
2 tbsp desiccated coconut, toasted
50g dark chocolate, melte...
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By Frances

Been wanting to make these doughnuts for a while, from Pease Pudding.

My niece Sophie actually made some salted caramel beforehand and there was a lot left over so I had to make something to go with it!

350g plain flour

50g brown sugar

1 tsp instant yeast

165ml luke warm milk

1 free range egg

70g butter, melted

vegetable oil for frying

 

Combine the flour and sugar in a bowl.

Add the yeast to the milk and put aside for a few minutes until it starts to f...

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By Frances
This was the second cake I made for Tui's 2nd birthday, also from Julie Le Clerc's Favourite Cakes (Penguin, 2011). My first attempt at an upside-down cake so was pretty chuffed it worked out. I'll be making more!

Caramel topping:
50g butter, melted
1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar
2 large bananas, sliced on an angle

Cake batter:
125g butter, softened
3/4 c caster sugar
1 very ripe banana, mashed
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 c self-raising flour
1 tsp ...
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By Frances
Being a huge snack lover, these recipes are right up my alley for healthy snacks - free of sugar, dairy and wheat.
The salted caramel is adapted from wholesome-cook.com.

• ½ cup macadamia nut butter (I used brazil, cashew, almond butter)
  
• 1/ 2 cup rice malt syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1.5 tsp sea salt flakes
• 4 cups popped corn kernels (made from popping about ¼ cup corn kernels)

1. Line a square tin with some waxed baking paper.
2. Place nut butter, rice malt syrup, vanilla extrac...

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By Frances
On my quest to find the perfect raw caramel slice, here is version no. 3 from Keilanaskye. The caramel part is particularly good - just tahini and maple syrup really. For the base I used sunflower seeds and activated buckwheat (buckinis) instead of cashews (just over 1/2 c each). I find the buckwheat gives a nice crunch that I really like.
I'm going to enter this in November's Sweet NZ monthly blog event, hosted by Toast.


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By Frances
I'm on a roll with raw caramel. This time I wanted more gooey caramel. This slice is quite soft all round, the choc icing didn't set hard like the first caramel slice recipe I tried. This recipe is from All in the Raw in Australia.

Base
1 cup dates
½ cup almonds
1 tsp coconut oil

Caramel
1 cup dates
½ cup coconut oil
1 ½ tbls unhulled tahini
½ cup pure organic maple syrup
1 cup raw cashews (covered and soaked in water for an hour and then rinsed)
1/3 cup water

Top Chocolate layer
Â...

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By Frances
I had my first taste of raw caramel at Little Bird in Ponsonby - their caramel pecan bar is outta this world! This is not their caramel slice but it's still pretty good, found on the Triumph of the Lentil blog.

For the base:
1 1/2 cups almonds, walnuts or pecans
a pinch of salt
4 medjool dates, pitted
1/3 cup coconut oil, liquid

For the caramel filling:
18 medjool dates, pitted
2-3 pinches of salt
1/4 cup coconut oil, liquid
1/4 cup nut butter (hazelnut, almond, cashew or brazil nut)...

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Ginny got this recipe from Dish magazine but she left out the "horrid" raisins and added more apple.

This cake is more apple than batter and is great served with a big dollop of softly whipped cream or warm with a scoop of ice-cream

½ cup raisins soaked in warm water for 20 minutes
2½ cups plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger
¾ cup brown sugar
finely grated zest 1 lemon
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
¼ cup melted butte...
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Welcome to Bake Club, Sarah! Sarah bought this round for our cuppa catch up. It was very moreish. The brown sugar really adds that caramel taste. Sarah says this recipe is from an Australian friend of her mother's, Barbara Fisher. Thanks Barbara!

125g butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 cup chopped dried fruit (I used raisins, but sultanas, dates also fine)
chopped walnuts (no amount given in orig recipe, I used about 1/2 cup)
1 cup SR flour (don't have, so used std, with tsp bp)

Melt butter in...
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Nothing like a steaming hot date pudding with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream!

Recipe from Toast: http://www.toast-nz.com/2010/09/supper-club-4.html

Sticky Ginger Date Pudding with Caramel Sauce
200g dates, chopped
1 1/4 cups boiling water
60g butter
3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup golden syrup
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 1/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
50g crystallised ginger, finely chopped (I added powde...

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