My husband’s Austrian relatives would probably have a good old chuckle at the idea of a frozen dessert for Christmas.

But here in Australia where it’s all about warmth, swims, sunshine and another shrimp on the barbie at Christmas time, this frozen yoghurt bark is the perfect way to dial the heat right down.

The beauty of this recipe is that once Christmas is done you can experiment with lots of fun toppings and enjoy a delicious and cooling snack right through the summer.

Combinations like mango, macadamia and coconut, or dark chocolate chip and banana, or you could swirl some homemade chia jam or St Dalfour’s raspberry jam through the yogurt and top with mixed frozen berries.

Clearly the possibilities are endlessly delicious.

WHITE CHRISTMAS YOGHURT BARK

Ingredients

2 cups natural Greek yogurt

2-4 tablespoons maple syrup or raw, or Multifloral Manuka honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 kiwifruit, chopped into small, bite sized pieces

5 x strawberries, hulled and chopped into small, bite-sized pieces

2 tablespoons dried cranberries

1/4 cup pistachios (option but the colour helps make it Christmas-y)

1 tablespoon shredded coconut, optional

1 tablespoon buckinis, optional, but add extra texture

Preparation

Line a rimmed baking tray with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.

Pour the yogurt into the centre of the tray and spread evenly.

Gently press some of the pistachios and cranberries into the yoghurt. Make sure you save some to decorate the top.

Sprinkle the buckinis over the top of the yoghurt if using.

Place kiwi fruit and strawberries onto the yogurt.

Sprinkle with shredded coconut if using.

Freeze until completely solid (2-4 hours, until firm)

Cut into sections and serve straight from the freezer as melts quickly

Store in the freezer.

I had an early Easter with my mum, brother, sister and our kids on the weekend.

One of my family members is dairy- free, so I wanted to make something suitable that was delicious, Easter-y and easy.

My theory is that anything made with peanut butter is going to taste sensational and make life better so off I went with my jar of Peanut Butter.

And now say hello to this Peanut Butter Slice!

You guys! YOU HAVE NO IDEA!!!

Similar to a caramel slice, but with a next level taste.

I have to give credit for the peanut butter filling to my friend, Wholesome Cook, and her recipe for Peanut Butter and Buckwheat Fudge Bites from her amazing cookbook, The Wholesome Cook, and which she allowed me to blog some time ago.

The slice is quite rich, so a little goes a long way. They are also quite filling, due to the good fats from the coconut oil, and protein from the peanut butter and nuts and oats.

I hope you love them.

Print

Peanut Butter Slice

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• BASE
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup almonds or pecans or cashews or nuts of choice
• 125 grams Medjool dates
• 1/4 cup desiccated coconut
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• FILLING
• 1 cup peanut butter I used Mayvers Dark Roasted Smooth Peanut Butter
• 2 tablespoons of rice malt syrup or raw honey or maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons buckinis optional, but adds a crunch that is just soooo good! You could try rice or quinoa puffs too
• TOPPING
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup or rice malt syrup
• 1/4 cup cacao powder

Instructions

• Line a slice tin with baking paper overhanging the sides so you can easily pull it out of the tin once it's set.
• BASE
• Pop all the ingredients in food processor and process until finely chopped and well combined and sticks together when pressed.
• Pour into the slice tin and press down evenly to form the base.
• Pop into the freezer to set for 10 minutes
• FILLING
• Mix all ingredients together in a bowl
• Spread the peanut butter mixture over the base and pop back into the freezer for 5-10 minutes. )I use a wet knife to help spread the mixture if it's too sticky)
• TOPPING
• Stir ingredients in a small saucepan on very gentle heat for a minute or two until combined
• Spread the chocolate sauce over the peanut butter filling
• Pop back into the freezer to set for minimum half an hour
• Once set, pull out of tin and immediately slice to your desired shape.
• Store in an a container in the freezer

Notes

I recommend storing and eating these straight from the freezer.
I don't have an accurate yield for this recipe because it depends on how you cut it up.

If you know someone who could use some healthy treat inspo, please share this recipe with them!

And please take photos and send them to me, or if you share them on instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek

You might also like these Orange Poppyseed Bars or this Ginger Molasses Cardamon Cookie Hearts. Both also make great lunch box additions plus I have stacks more wonderful lunchbox recipes in my Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes ebook. 

Bren x

I personally adore dates which make up the base of most bliss ball recipes, but I am often asked if I have a recipe with a replacement for dates and which are nut-free and I always send across this Raw Cacao Ball recipe which uses desicatted coconut instead of dates.

With 5 simple pantry ingredients these make a quick, delicious, portable snack perfect for the school lunchbox, to throw in the gym bag, or as an afternoon snack.

Many of the ingredients in this recipe can be sourced from my one-stop-favourite, organic wholefoods online store, The Wholefood Collective. They go to great lengths to ensure everything they source is amazing quality, they stock all my favorite products and I don’t even have to leave the house! Oh and the cherry on the cake is they donate profits to improve food security for vulnerable Aussies.

Here are some of the ingredients you’ll need:

Desiccated Coconut – full of fibre and good saturated fats (the medium-chain kind) which make you feel nice and full, and coconut has anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties.

Cacao powder – a raw and unprocessed superfood that contains iron, fibre, zinc, potassium, calcium. The anti-oxidants can help your body decrease inflammation and slow cortisol (stress hormone) production, stimulating feelings of wellbeing and euphoria. Cacao is known to lower blood pressure, adding to a feeling of calm. NB: Cacao contains theobromine which is a mood enhancer so I don’t recommend it for kids under 2yrs of age.

Coconut oil – boosts HDL cholesterol (our good cholesterol), high in anti-oxidants also, antimicrobial. Balances blood sugar and detoxifying. The fatty acids in coconut oil help the hormones get to where they want and need to go in the body, and so support the creation, processing and elimination of estrogen and progesterone, leading to hormonal balance.

Raw honey – contains beneficial compounds such as pollens, enzymes and anti-oxidants, full of vitamins and minerals.

Maple syrup – contains lots of zinc plus other vitamins and minerals which have cardiac benefits.

Vanilla powder– contains anti-oxidants, calms the nervous system, fights infections.

If you’re looking for more recipe inspiration, take a look at my recipe ebook, Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes.

It’s packed with 40 delicious nut-free, refined sugar-free sweet and savoury recipes which have all been kid-tested and approved!

Print

Raw Cacao Balls

Gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free

Total Time 15 minutes

Author Brenda Janschek

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups desiccated coconut
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup of raw honey or pure maple syrup or rice malt syrup add up to 1/3 cup of sweetener if needed
• ½ cup cacao powder
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla powder

Instructions

• Put all the ingredients into a food processor and whiz them together well (If you don’t have a food processor try mixing all by hand)
• Mixture should be wet but not soaked. If you find it too wet just add extra coconut and mix; too dry, add more oil
• Roll the mixture into tablespoons size balls with your hands then roll the ball into shredded coconut and place them on a cookie tray
• Pop them in the freezer for approx 20 mins or until they set (doesn’t take long)
• Either store in the freezer (where they become firm, but not frozen) or the fridge

Notes

If popping into lunchbox, ensure you do so with an ice-brick otherwise they will 'melt' due to the coconut oil

If you make this recipe please do take photos and send them to me.

If you share them on instagram, remember to tag me @brendajanschek. Otherwise feel free to pm me your photos via Facebook. I get a total kick out of seeing you bring my recipes to life. 

And remember, if you haven’t already, grab your copy of Easy Wholefood Lunchboxes here.

Other similar recipes you might like are Chocolate Orange Truffles and Brenda’s Breaky Balls. 

Bren x