Nithya Sunil
Nithya Sunil, CEO of Smart Cookie Foods, a Bangalore-based baking company on a mission to reinvent healthy snacking using whole food, plant-based ingredients, shares three recipes that use unprocessed healthy ingredients to bake delectable cakes
Guilt-free brownie
(4 servings)
Ingredients
- 30 gm ground flaxseed
- 50 ml water
- 130 gm plant-based sugar (truvia/ trucrose)
- 150 gm dark chocolate
- 80 gm vegan butter
- 50 gm gluten free flour blend
- 50 gm almond flou
- 30 gm cocoa powder
Preparation guide
- Preheat oven to 160oC.
- Line a 7 inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
- Blend flaxseed with water. Set aside for ten minutes.
- Grind sugar into fine powder.
- Heat butter in a medium-sized saucepan. Cool for five minutes.
- Chop chocolate into small pieces. Set aside 30 gm.
- Melt remaining chocolate in microwave. To ensure chocolate doesn’t get clumpy, don’t microwave for more than 20 seconds at a time.
- Remove bowl from microwave and mix chocolate at every heating interval.
- Use a balloon whisk to blend sugar, flour, cocoa powder and flaxseed paste into a smooth paste. You can also use a hand blender.
- Fold in melted chocolate using a rubber spatula.
- Transfer brownie batter into prepared baking pan. Top with chopped chocolate (30 gm).
- Bake at 160oC for 30 minutes.
- Check if brownie forms a dry crust on top and is slightly moist inside. Remove from oven and cool.
- Cut into 16 square slices.
Health benefits
Ground flaxseeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids which promote heart health; almond flour provides fibre and protein, and dark chocolate supplies antioxidants. This gluten-free vegan brownie is good for digestion and overall well-being.
Apple Cinnamon Muffins with Coconut Crumble
(3 servings)
Ingredients
Muffin mix
- 150 gm oat flour
- 50 gm coconut flour
- 100 gm plant based sugar (truvia/ trucrose)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 180 gm apples
- 150 ml coconut milk
- ½ tsp vinegar
Crumble
- 30 gm coconut flour
- 30 gm oat flour
- 23 gm tapioca flour
- 15 ml coconut oil
- 15 ml honey
- ½ tsp vanilla essence
Preparation guide
- Preheat oven to 180oC.
- Place muffin cups on a baking tray. Alternatively, line a cupcake tray with paper liners (about 12)
Muffin batter
- Grind sugar into a fine powder.
- Add oat flour, coconut flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in a bowl.
- Whisk lightly. Add coconut milk and vinegar and bring to a batter consistency.
- Peel and chop apple into small pieces. Fold in the chopped apples.
- If batter is thick, add a little water to reach scooping consistency.
- Fill liners upto 3/4th of its total height.
Crumble
- Mix all crumble ingredients in a bowl. Blend with your hand to reach a crumble consistency. Sprinkle generously on top of muffin batter.
- Bake for 30 minutes until crumble turns brown and a skewer/ butter knife inserted into centre of the muffin comes out clean.
- Cool.
Health benefits
Oat flour provides fibre and essential nutrients, while coconut flour a dose of healthy fats. Chopped red apples contribute vitamins and minerals, and cinnamon antioxidants. Additionally, use of plant-based sugar promotes overall health.
Vegan Mango Cheesecake
(3 servings)
Ingredients
Base
- 30 gm coconut flour
- 30 gm oat flour
- 23 gm tapioca flour
- 15 ml coconut oil
- 15 ml honey
- ½ tsp vanilla essence
- Cheesecake filling
- 200 gm whole cashews
- 120 ml coconut milk
- 1 full mango puree
- 70 gm plant-based sugar (truvia/ trucrose)
- ¼ tsp lemon juice
Garnish
- Ripe alphonso mangoes (1 cubed and 1 thinly sliced)
Preparation guide
- Mix crumble ingredients in a bowl. Pour into dessert cups. Press down and even it out with a spoon (use transparent glass cups of 2 inch diameter)
- Soak cashews for 4-6 hours. Discard soaking water. Blend cashews, coconut milk and mango puree into a thick, smooth batter.
- Add sugar and blend again.
- Place cubed mangoes over crumble.
- Pour cheesecake batter over mangoes — upto top of the cup, leaving only 4-5 mm.
- Arrange sliced mangoes atop of cheesecake batter.
- Refrigerate and serve cold.
Health benefits
Coconut flour and oats provide fibre and essential nutrients, cashews healthy fats and protein that aid weight management and heart health, while mangoes provide natural sweetness and vitamins.
Also read: Coping with food allergies
