Maple Baked Pears with Granola Crumb

Sponsored by Lizi’s Granola

Do you need an idea for a super quick and easy dessert for when anything more involved sends you running from the kitchen? Well today I have just that recipe. The prep time is super quick, you can be curled up on the sofa with in a couple minutes with dessert taking care of itself in the kitchen. 

If you had a childhood at all similar to me, then baked apples were a regular dessert, served hot from the oven with lots of thick custard. Cored apples were filled with dried fruit and baked until squishy, almost to the point of collapsing. At the time I found the dessert boring but now something simple like this is pure comfort for me. For this version I have opted for pears and I don’t roast them for so long that they are devoid of texture, I like them tender but not so soft they could be baby food. And talking of texture, to add an extra layer of crunch and an extra layer of flavour, I like to serve these pears with a scattering of Lizi’s High Protein Nuts and Seeds Granola. The granola adds a ton of interest to a very simple dessert and makes it something a little fancier. This particular granola is made with pumpkin seeds, walnuts and almonds and sweetened with a mix of apple juice and black treacle for a wonderful flavour that goes brilliant on this dessert. To roast the pears I like to use maple syrup and butter plus a little spice in the form of cardamom, cinnamon and orange zest. Whilst these flavours are a little autumnal you can adapt them to suit whatever you are fancying in the moment. You can also make similar desserts with summer fruits like peaches and plums, serving it with a little drizzle of double cream or a dollop of creme fraiche.

Maple Baked Pears with Granola Crumb
Serves 4

4 large pears, ripe but a little firm
100ml maple syrup
50g unsalted butter, diced
4 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
3 strips orange zest
50g Lizi’s High Protein Nuts and Seeds Granola

Preheat the oven to 190C (170C fan).

Peel the pears, cut in half and then scoop out the cores. Into a rimmed baking tray pour the maple syrup and place the pears, cut side down, into the tray. Add the diced butter to the tray and scatter over the cardamom pods, the cinnamon stick and orange zest. 

Bake the pears in the oven for about 25 minutes or until tender, turning the pears halfway through cooking. To test the pears are cooked, pierce with a knife, they should present almost no resistance. By the time the pears are cooked the maple syrup and butter should have formed a syrupy sauce. 

To serve place two pear halves into a bowl scatter over a couple tbsp of the granola and a generous drizzle of the sauce. Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream

No Bake Chocolate Tarts

This post is sponsored by Lizi’s Granola

A well made chocolate tart is a thing of beauty, elegant and perfect for a valentines day treat. Made with a silky smooth chocolate filling and a thin crisp pastry base, it’s a delicious classic dessert. But what if you don’t have the time to make pastry or a baked chocolate filling? You make these no bake chocolate tarts, of course. In the place of the pastry a no-bake tart crust is made, with Lizi’s Granola, which adds both ease and speed but also a whole load of texture which is just fabulous to eat. For this particular recipe I chose the Lizi’s Original Nuts and Seeds Granola as the texture it provides made for a great tart base and most importantly a delicious flavour. The filling is a simple ganache made with almond milk and brown sugar for a warm toasty note that goes great with the chocolate and granola.

As you’ll see from the ingredients the recipe is vegan and whilst you could make swaps and switch in dairy if you’re not vegan I would encourage you to try it as written anyway. For the crust I like to use virgin coconut oil which has the flavour of coconut and adds a great layer of flavour to the whole dish. For the ganache I use an almond milk that has a hint of bitter almonds that adds to the nutty complexion of the dish. Dairy has stronger flavours so using a something more subtle like almond milk allows the full flavour of the chocolate shine through in the ganache.

When making the ganache it is important that the chocolate mixture ends up incredibly smooth and silky and to that end there a couple of guidelines to follow to ensure the perfect end result. Chop your chocolate nice and fine, this way the milk doesn’t need to be as hot to melt big chunks of chocolate. Bring the milk to a steam or just to a simmer but do not let it boil. Firstly some plant based milks do not like being boiled and they can split if they become too hot but most importantly the chocolate wont appreciate the milk being too hot. Ganache is an emulsion and the heat from the milk can cause the cocoa butter to separate leading to a split ganache. Once you have properly heated the milk you want to pour to over the chocolate and set aside for a few minutes before stirring together. This pause allows the chocolate to melt and the milk to cool down slightly so that when stirred together it forms a silky emulsified texture and you get the best possible texture for your tarts filling.

Whilst these tarts are incredibly easy to make they do need a little refrigeration time to get everything set so they are perfect made for a dinner party, or half the recipe to make a date night dessert perfect for you valentine. 

Note: to get 15% off your next order of Lizi’s Granola use the code theboywhobakes15 on lizs.co.uk 

No Bake Granola Chocolate Tarts
Makes 4

Tart Crust 
175g Lizi’s Original Nuts and Seeds Granola
80g coconut oil, room temperature
Pinch of fine sea salt

Vegan Ganache
265g dark chocolate, finely chopped
50g light brown sugar
115ml almond milk* 

To make the crust place the about 2/3 of the granola into a food processor, with the blade attached, and process until fine and crumbly. Add in the remaining granola, the oil and salt and process until everything is evenly combined and the mixture is clumped together. Divide this mixture equally between four loose bottomed 10cm tart tins and press firmly into the base and up the sides of the tin. 

Place the tart cases in the fridge whilst you work on the ganache. 

Ganache is most commonly made with chocolate and cream but for a vegan ganache I typically turn to a water ganache, a simple mixture of water and chocolate. Because the water has no flavour of its own the flavour of the chocolate is pure and unadulterated so with this style ganache its best to use a chocolate you absolutely love. For this particular recipe I am using a kind of hallway house between cream and water, almond milk which (depending on the brand you use) can add a subtle almond flavour to the ganache.

Place the chocolate into a bowl and set aside. Add the almond milk and sugar to the pan and gently heat until just steaming then pour over the chocolate and set aside for a couple minutes before stirring with a whisk until a silky smooth ganache is formed.

Pour the ganache into the chilled tart cases and place into the fridge until the ganache has set, a couple hours. 

Serve with a little vegan whipped cream or sour cream if you're not vegan.

Kept refrigerated these will keep for 3-4 days.

*you can you use any plant based milk for this recipe but I like using an almond or coconut version as both have flavours that can compliment chocolate.

Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins with Lizi's Granola

Lizi’s Granola Cornbread Muffins
This post is sponsored by Lizi’s Granola / @lizis_official 

It’s cold outside, its pouring down with rain and you want to stay inside where its warm and cosy, what do you make for dinner? For me, one of the most warming and comforting dishes is a big bowl of chilli, cooked slowly with plenty of deep earthy spices. To serve with it you could always go with a crusty loaf of bread, but when cornbread exists why would you choose anything else. For my cornbread recipe I like to make it as a muffin as they bake quicker which means you get to eat them sooner. I also like to add cheddar and jalapeños which both make it the perfect match for a big bowl of chilli. 

To give the muffins a little added crunch I like to sprinkle them with some Lizi’s Low Sugar Granola. I made these twice both using two different types of the Low Sugar granola.  The first was the low sugar variety because whilst I like a little sweetness in the muffins (which comes from honey) I want to keep the balance on the right side of savoury . The second time was with Low Sugar Maple & Pecan – this did give the muffins a slightly sweeter taste and crunch. Both just as good as each other! 

Whilst you can make and serve the muffins immediately if you want to make them ahead of time you can either reheat them in the oven or, my personal preference, you can split them in half and place them under the grill until lightly browned and then spread them generously with salted butter. 

Cheddar and Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins
Makes 6

75g fine cornmeal
125g plain flour
1 tsp fine sea salt
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
100ml unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp honey
2 large eggs
75g cheddar, grated plus extra for topping
50g pickled jalapeños, plus extra for topping
6 tbsp Lizi’s Low Sugar Granola

Preheat the oven to 180C (160C Fan) and place 6 tulip muffin cases into a muffin pan. 

Add the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder and paprika to a large bowl and whisk together to combine. In a jug whisk together the butter, honey and eggs. Make a well in the dry goods and pour in the butter mixture, the cheddar and jalapeños. Use a spatula to fold together just until a thick uniform batter is formed. Scoop the batter into the prepared tulip cases and top with another jalapeño, a little extra grated cheddar and a tablespoon of granola. 

Bake the muffins in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until the muffins are lightly browned and spring back to a light touch. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly before serving. 

Cornbread Muffins are best served warm on the day they are made. Leftovers can be split in half, toasted under the grill and served with a little salted butter.