Plum Crumble Squares

Stone fruit season is in full swing now - the markets are pouring over with apricots, peaches, nectarines, cherries aaaaand PLUMS!! There's a long tradition of gorgeous plum streusel or crumb cakes in my family: just a nice crust, some juicy plums and a buttery crumble on top is all it takes for summer weekend perfection.

I almost ran into a box of  perfectly ripe plums this week and as I cycled them home a combination of oats and honey to pair up with the sweet fruits came into my mind. It was mid-week so an indulgent crumble cake was out of the question, not only because I like to save it for the more 'special' weekend coffee time yet also because a trip was scheduled for the weekend and a whole cake would have been difficult to enjoy during the drive ;-).

In the end I settled for an all-honey-sweetend bar with the addition of some crunchy oats for a more complex, crunchy texture. The tiny squares consist of a crunchy crust, a juicy cinnamon plum centre and a proper crumble on top - you won't miss the butter, the sugar and neither the additional dollop of whipped cream that would usually accompany the cake. Healthy indulgence - that's my kind of mid-week-cake!

Plum Crumble Squares
- makes 24 squares, about 5x5 cm in size
- 6 plums
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- 3/4 cup honey
- 5 dried dates, pitted
- hot water
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 50g Almond Butter, unsweetened
- 170g ground oats
- 1 tsp salt
- 50g oats
- 200g whole wheat flour
- 2 Tbsp whole almonds

1. Wash, halve and pit the plums, then cut them into slices (about 3 mm thick).
Preheat the oven to 160 °C/320 °F. Now mix the plums with two tablespoons of the honey, one tablespoon of the flour and the cinnamon. Set aside.
2. Put the dates into a small bowl (~10cm in diameter) and pour boiled water on top until just covered. Set aside.
3. Now prepare the dough: Mix the whole wheat flour with the ground oats and the salt. Now add in the melted coconut oil, the almond butter, the remaining honey and the beaten eggs. Work the dough with a fork until it comes together. Divide into three parts. Use two thirds to form the crust: roll the dough out, on a parchment lined baking sheet, into a rectangle, about 30x30cm in size and about 3-5mm thick. Top the crust with the prepared plum filling.
4. Roughly mix the remaining dough with the oats and almonds and distribute it into pieces to be sprinkled on top of the plum filling.
5. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the crumb topping is slightly browned and the plum filling is cooked through. Take out and let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes before cutting it into squares. Serve or allow for further cooling before storing it wrapped in aluminium foil or in a box. Enjoy!

Baked Beetroot Chips

Hey guys, it's SNACK time :-D yaaah, in capital letters, cause nothing's really better than snacking isn't it? :) Here a little crumb, there a little piece and oh, what's with this small slice of fruit, ahh, I'll take it all.

To be precise these lovely little beetroot-chips can make an appearance in more than just a simple, quick snack!




Serve them with herbed cream cheese for a nice appetizer or

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Muffins

I'm back in my beloved home after an awesome one week holiday in sunny egypt (have got a detailed post on that up soon)and the only thing I've really done since returning is: SLEEP!
Not that I haven't got enough during long hours spent on the lounger at the pool, but the rainy weather and the small jetlag (to be true it's only an hour, yes, you may laugh about it but I'll respect it either way because that's the longest jetlag I've ever got :D) have done the rest and I spent yesterday doing nearly nothing.

As sad as I am about not having a sunny, 24 °C day here, I'm happy to finally have my home kitchen around: the stovetop and oven just waiting to be all heated up again and help creating wonderful foods.



To get back in the swing of whirling around between fruit, veggies, flour, and spices I've opted for some simple Chocolate Chip Muffins, healthified with whole wheat flour, apples and yoghurt, evolving into bakery style high domed tops: perfect for the coming relaxed holiday mornings, with a good cuppa coffee and a magazine at the side. I just love homemade muffins as an indulgent yet easily lightened up indulgent breakfast treat. We're not talking cupcakes but real MUFFINS here.

Almond Stuffed Chocolate Dipped Dates

Dates are one of nature's miracles: packed with nutrients, involving a heaping amount of fruity carbs for athletes and they're totally delicious and sweet! Win, win and win right here!



I love to include them soaked and blended in all kinds of baking adventures as a sugar "substitute" or, as a little pick-me-up, on my oatmeal in the morning. The supermarkets here only sell dried dates, if you've ever tasted the fresh ones (I luckily did so during a past vacation), you might know they're even more to die for!

Now think of these little sweeties at a date with some almonds and dark chocolate! Where would we end up? .....