These chocolate hazelnut cookies are grain free, gluten free and refined sugar free. Easy to make and a great one to put all the excess holiday baking ingredients to good use.

Grain-free, Sugar-free Hazelnut Cookies

adapted from here

120 g 70% Dark chocolate, chopped 10 drop Liquid chocolate flavoured stevia 10 g NuNaturals white stevia powder 1 pinch of Cinnamon 1 pinch of Cloves 250 g Finely ground hazelnuts 2 Extra large egg whites 1 pinch of Salt 1 tbsp Rum 200 g Milk couverture, chopped Sprinkles, optional

1. Place the chopped dark chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until chocolate is just melted, turn the heat off and stir in chocolate flavoured liquid stevia.
2. Combine the white stevia powder, spices, and finely ground hazelnuts. Set aside.
3. Beat the egg whites and salt until stiff. Gradually add in hazelnut mixture and fold to combine. Now add in melted chocolate and rum. Form into a ball and wrap in a plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of 1-cm. Cut out the cookies with your favourite cookie cutters. Place the cookies on two parchment-lined baking sheets. Leave them on the kitchen counter to dry overnight.
5. Next day preheat the oven, with the fan on, to 180C/350F. Bake the cookies for about 7 minutes. Remove the cookies from the sheets and cool them on a wire rack.
6. Melt the chopped milk couverture in a double-boiler. Dip the cooled cookies halfway into the melted chocolate and place it on waxed paper. Garnish with sprinkles if using.

A super simple, light and refreshing Belgian endive and tuna salad with a kale avocado dressing. Great as a starter, finger food or even a light dinner. If you're not a fan of canned tuna, just replace it with roasted chicken or Feta.

Salad	Dressing
2 head Belgian endives 1 Small pomegranate, deseeded 1 handful Parsley leaves, chopped 50 g Hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped 150 g Tuna canned in water, drained	150 g Kale, chopped 1 Ripe avocado 2 tbsp White balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp Lime juice 1 clove Garlic Sea salt and black pepper 2 tbsp Water

1. Trim the bases of Belgian endives and pull the leaves from the heads. Cut and deseed the pomegranate.
2. Blend all the ingredients for the dressing in a blender until smooth.
3. Arrange the endive leaves on a platter. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds, chopped parsley leaves and chopped toasted hazelnuts over, then the drained tuna. Serve with the prepared kale -avocado dressing.

This is a tomato-less salsa made with crunchy, juicy bell peppers and tangy, sweet pomegranate. You can serve this salsa with crackers, burgers or roasted chicken.

1 Red pepper, seeded and finely diced 1 Green pepper, seeded and finely diced 1 Yellow pepper, seeded and finely diced 1 Small onion, peeled and finely diced 1 cup Pomegranate seeds 2 tbsp Chopped parsley 1 clove Garlic, minced 1 tsp Chilli flakes 1 tbsp Olive oil 2-3 tbsp Fresh lime juice Salt and pepper to taste

1. Stir together all ingredients. Let stand 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
2. Salsa will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Studded with fresh cranberries, this vegan chocolate persimmon quick bread is so delicious, full of winter flavours and very versatile. Enjoy it It can be served as breakfast or as an afternoon tea snack. If you can't find persimmon, then use mashed banana or applesauce instead.
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year! May your home be filled with cakes, candles and all the love that this festive season brings!

100 g Whole grain spelt flour 120 g Refined spelt flour 30 g Dutch-processed cocoa powder 1 tsp Baking powder 1 tsp Baking soda 1 tsp Cinnamon powder 1/2 tsp Ginger powder	1/2 tsp Salt 450 g Persimmon puree 6 tbsp Maple syrup 6 tbsp Coconut oil, melted 60 g Dark chocolate, chopped 150 g Fresh cranberries 1 tsp Icing sugar, to dust, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a standard-size loaf tin with parchment paper.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine together the flours, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon powder, ginger powder and salt.
3. Blend together the persimmon puree, maple syrup and melted coconut oil. Add it to the flour mixture and stir until just incorporated. Fold in the chopped chocolate and fresh cranberries.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake in the middle of hot oven for about an hour or until a skewer comes out clean when tested. Stand in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar.

Made with Nestle hot white chocolate mix, cream cheese, almond and spelt flour, these snowball cookies, also known as Russian tea cookies, will make a festive addition to any cookie platter or a great gift for anyone who loves cookies. Do not allow these cookies to get too brown. It's better to undercook them than to overcook them. If desired, re-roll cookies in powdered sugar for an extra sweet touch. Thank you, Kris, for sharing the recipe.

140 g Unsalted butter, softened 100 g 4% Cream cheese, softened 90 g White hot cocoa mix (I used NESTLÉ) 4 packet NuNaturals white stevia powder 5 drop Vanilla flavoured liquid stevia 120 g Refined white spelt flour 100 g Blanched almond flour 1/4 tsp salt Additional powdered sugar for rolling

1. In large mixing bowl, cream together butter, and cream cheese. Mix until smooth. Add white hot cocoa mix and stevia powder. Stir in vanilla flavoured stevia.
2. In small bowl, combine refined spelt flour, almond flour and salt, gradually add to butter mixture. Mix until flour is fully combined. Cover with a plastic film and chill for at least one hour or overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 175C/350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the cookie dough into 1-inch balls and place them on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Cookies will not brown on top.
4. Remove immediately to wire racks to cool for 5 minutes, then roll in powdered sugar. Cool completely on wire racks. If desired, reroll cookies in powdered sugar.

This delicious, heart-healthy salad brings a stunning display of vibrant colour to your holiday table. It also offers an array of anti-inflammatory benefits from nutrient-dense red beets, pomegranate, and sweet sunny persimmons. It's naturally gluten-free, and vegan.

Beetroot and Persimmon Salad

inspired by this

300 g Vacuum-packed beetroot 2 Ripe persimmons 2 tbsp Pomegranate seeds 1 clove Garlic, minced 1 tbsp Pistachios, chopped Baby greens 2 tbsp Olive oil 1 tsp Lemon juice Salt and pepper to taste

1. Thinly slice the beetroot and arrange them on a serving plate. Peel and dice the persimmons.
2. Mix the diced persimmon, pomegranate seeds, minced garlic and baby greens. Top the beetroot with the fruit mixture.
3. Stir together the olive oil and lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, and sprinkle the chopped pistachios over.

Spicy, crispy around the edges and soft in the middle ginger cookies made with 100% wholegrain spelt flour, molasses, and stevia. These gingerbread cookies have a powdered sugar coating that cracks upon baking, hence the name earthquake cookies.

Whole Spelt Gingerbread Earthquake Cookies

adapted from taste

100 g Butter, chopped 100 ml Molasses 220 g Wholegrain spelt flour 10 packet NuNaturals white stevia powder 10 drop Orange flavoured liquid stevia 2 tbsp Applesauce 1 Large egg 2 tsp Ginger powder 1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder 1/4 tsp Ground cloves 1 tsp Baking soda Sifted icing sugar or beet powder for coating

1. Combine the butter and molasses in a medium saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until butter melts and mixture is well combined. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Add the flour, stevia powder and liquid, applesauce, egg, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and baking soda and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 45 minutes or until cool and firm.
3. Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line two oven trays with baking paper. Sift the icing sugar and beet powder separately onto two small plate. Roll tablespoonful of cookie mixture into balls and roll in icing sugar or beet powder. Place on the lined trays, inch apart, allowing room for spreading. Gently press the balls to flatten slightly.
4. Bake in the preheated oven, swapping trays halfway through cooking, for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and set aside on trays to cool completely.

Sweet, juicy ripe persimmons can be sliced and added to salads, or halved and baked as the desserts, or pureed and used in this lovely quick bread gently spiced with nutmeg and refined with Cognac, chia seeds, and nuts. The persimmon puree adds a lot of sweetness and moisture to the baked goods.

Wholegrain Spelt Persimmon Bread

adapted from James Beard via David Lebovitz

280 g Freshly ground wholegrain spelt flour 55 g Ground hazelnut 1 tsp Baking powder 1 tsp Baking soda 2/3 tsp Ground nutmeg 5 packet NuNaturals white stevia powder 1 tbsp Chia seeds

50 g Pure stevia syrup 100 g Melted unsalted butter, cooled to room temperature 3 Large eggs 60 ml Cognac or whisky 300 g Very ripe hachiya persimmon, pureed 1 Small ripe banana 100 g Applesauce, unsweetened 150 g Unsalted, roasted peanuts 100 g Raisins or dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Grease and line a loaf pan with parchment paper or dust with flour and tap out any excess.
2. Whisk the spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, stevia powder and chia into a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, blend together the stevia syrup, melted butter, eggs, cognac, persimmon puree, banana, and applesauce.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then stir into the liquid mixture. Now fold in the roasted peanuts and raisins. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and then place the pans in the oven.
4. Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the bread to cool 5 minutes in the pan. Turn out the bread from the pan and cool completely on the rack.

These chewy oatmeal cookies have a distinctive anise flavour and slight nutty taste. They are glazed with milk chocolate, topped with toasted chopped almonds, and low in sugar. We love these cookies, but if you aren't a fan of anise flavour, then these cookies are not for you.

Cookies	Topping
175 g Old fashioned rolled oats 3 tbsp Einkorn, ground into flour 1/2 tsp Baking powder 1 tsp Anise powder 100 g Marzipan, finely diced 100 g Butter, softened 1 Egg 5 packet NuNaturals white stevia powder 1 tbsp Raw brown sugar 1 tsp Vanilla extract	150 g Milk chocolate, chopped 2 tbsp Chopped almonds, toasted

1. Preheat a fan forced oven to 170C/340F. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
2. Toast rolled oats in a skillet over medium-high heat until lightly browned. Remove and cool to room temperature.
3. Combine toasted rolled oats, ground einkorn, baking powder and anise powder in a bowl. Finely dice the marzipan. Cream together the diced marzipan, softened butter, egg, stevia, raw brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Stir in the flour mixture until combined.
4. Drop tablespoonful of mixture onto prepared trays and press down slightly, allowing room for spreading. Bake for 10-12 mins until golden. Stand on trays for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Place the chopped milk chocolate in a bowl and set the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir occasionally until smooth. Coat the cookies with melted chocolate and sprinkle with some toasted almonds.