Elixir Eats: Raw Christmas Puddings.

Tis the season to be jolly! Even more so when there are plenty of treats to offer around! We are huge fans of the traditional Christmas Pud. It is spicy, warming, boozy and sweet, what's not to like?

We can all agree that we have sat there after the Christmas day feasts, feeling like we have over induldged, knowing how much refined sugar you've just consumed and feeling bloated from a gluten overdose? Fear not, because after nibbling on our Mini raw versions of a Christmas Pudding, you certainly will not feel guilty or sluggish!

This is a really simple recipe to whip up, especially if you are flat out preparing meals for the masses! You can make these ahead and pop in the freezer, ready to enjoy when you are.

Ingredients

PUDDING

250g ground almonds

3/4 cup mixed nuts

6 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp carob powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp cinnamon

2 tbsp mixed spice (nutmeg, ginger, cloves...)

3/4 cup mixed fruits (sultanas, raisins, currents...)

16 medjool dates

Burberries or goji berries for decoration

CASHEW CREAM

1/2 cup cashews

1-2 tbsp maple syrup

3 tbsp nut milk (we used Rude health almond milk)

squeeze of 1/2 fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp coconut oil

makes 30 mini pud puds.

Prep

Soak cashews for a minimum 4 hours in filter water. Cover in a bowl in the fridge preferably overnight.

You need a good food processor and blender.

How we did it

1. Blend all dry ingredients in a food processor so all the nuts, carob and spices are mixed together well.

2. Add coconut oil, mixed fruit, dates and vanilla extract until it forms a nice sticky mixture.

3. Roll into little festive puddings and set aside in the freezer.

4. Now to make the cream while they are firming up! Drain and rinse the cashews and pop into a blender. We used a nutri bullet for this as they are really powerful for making liquids.

5. Add the coconut oil, nut milk, maple syrup and lemon juice and whiz away until smooth and pour straight into a small bowl and pop in the freezer for 15 minutes to help it firm up a bit.

6. Take out the puddings for decoration! You might find it helpful to put them into small cupcake cases to stop them from having a mind of their own and rolling around!

7. Take out the cashew cream and dollop small amounts onto each pudding, smoothing the cream over to create your desired icing look!

8. Finally decorate with berries and enjoy!! If you havn't devoured them already, you can keep them fresher for longer in the freezer.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE TEAM AT ELIXIR!

ELIXIR TIP: Enjoy with a steaming mug of mulled wine!