(Almost) Guilt Free Brownies

Since the time between Christmas and New Year's is the time to stuff your face with turkey, chocolate and whatever, I thought I would do a little post about a healthier treat.

I like to try baking sugar free things (I think try is the correct word here). Some of you have been victimized by my not so successful experiments of sugar free goodies, maybe even traumatized to the point of not wanting to eat anything I make. Well, I will let you in on a little success story (there are a few, believe it or not!) that I whipped up for Christmas; sugar AND flour free brownies!

I bet that right now you're thinking; a success story, yeah right, there's no way those can be any good. Well, I would suggest to give them a try before judging! I first made these for my friends on my birthday. Due to my not so successful baking in the past, I had also bought a mud cake that I hid in the freezer but I'm very proud to say that I didn't have to break it out! Or my friends were lying when they said the brownies were good. I guess we'll never know.

The reason I like this recipe is that it's natural ingredients and no artificial sugar or other bs. Oh and they are also raw.




(Almost Guilt-Free) Raw Brownies

1 dl pecans/walnuts
> 1 dl fresh dates (remove stones)
2-3 Tbsp of raw cocoa powder
1 Tbsp liquid coconut oil
a dash of salt

Frosting

0,5 dl dates 
1 Tbsp raw cocoa powder
1 Tbsp coconut oil 
~ 2 Tbsp water 


Blend the nuts into small pieces using e.g. a blender. Mix the nuts, dates, cocoa powder and coconut oil together and blend it into a smooth mass. If you want it to be sweeter, you can add honey or stevia but note, the dates make it quite sweet already. Spread the mass into a dish (rectangular if you want squares) and press to make it compact.

Make the frosting by mixing all the ingredients together with e.g. a blender. Spread the frosting over the brownie and place the dish in the freezer for about an hour to let it set.

Enjoy!

--

We definitely did NOT have an entirely guilt-free Christmas since Lindt chocolates belong to the Swiss Christmas (I'm guessing).


Any other sugar-free baking enthusiasts out there? :D

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas

Hyvää Joulua

God Jul

Frohe Weihnachten

Feliz Navidad

Buon Natale

Joyeux Noël

From the Land of a Thousand Lakes to a Land of (half) a Million Cows

Before heading out to Berlin, I arrived to Bern, Switzerland to spend Christmas here with my family. And holy cow is this the place to be during Christmas time!

Hiking in Grindelwald during my Eurotrip earlier this year

Firstly, let me say a few words about the weather; the Finnish summer is not always this nice. I don't even remember when was the last time that I saw the sun! We took a long walk in the morning by the river and I discovered something very unexpected about the Swiss people. As you probably know, Finnish people are widely considered as, oh well... different? There's a saying in German; "Die spinnen, die Finnen", which loosely translates to "the crazy, the Finnish". Mostly because of our peculiar habits such as ice swimming, which is basically going down to a frozen lake, drilling a hole in the ice and taking a dip. But what I discovered today made me question whether the saying is rightfully earned. Because as we were walking by the river which, from what I hear is not even warm in the summer, I noticed a woman stripping down to her bikini. A bikini. In the middle of December. And going in the river. And she just sat there at least for five minutes, in the freezing river?! I guess now I know why some Finns really take a liking to Switzerland, feels like home, huh?

Walk by the Aare river

The city of Bern

Besides the weather and the people who make us Finns feel like home, there are the Christmas markets that make Switzerland a desirable destination this time a year. The markets are so adorable with handmade clothing, soaps and crafts of all kind. As it got a bit chillier, sipping on some Glühwein (mulled wine) was the obvious solution. Which also made me feel close to home as it tasted somewhat similar to the Finnish glögi traditionally drunk at Christmas time.

Christmas decorations in Old Town

Berner Weihnachtsmarkt in the center

The weather called for some Glühwein.

Also, as the land of so many cows, the cheese and the chocolate you might ask? Oh so good and OH so many options. Can't wait until Christmas Eve! ;)






Bis bald!