Making Easter treats just a little bit healthier

Traditionally Easter has always been a time of feasting, after the prolonged fasting period during Lent which precedes it.  The modern-day take on Easter has turned it into an entirely sweet affair with chocolate eggs, simnel cake and hot cross buns leading the charge, and with these foods being mass produced by food manufacturers they are likely packed with even more sugars.

So this year I decided to turn Easter into a home-made affair and make my own versions of Easter treats and attempt to put a slightly healthier twist on them.

First up are my hot cross buns. I adapted a classic recipe into a gluten free (gf) alternative and used wholegrain gf flours rather than white flours. I switched caster sugar for coconut sugar and halved the amount and to keep the sweetness I added in extra raisins and mixed peel. The end result is surprisingly close to the classic bun, perhaps a little more crumbly due to the gf grains, however they taste identical!

Next up are some chocolate crispies for the children which I made using bran flakes in place of corn flake, and fondent chocolate 70% instead of milk chocolate. I mixed the chocolate with coconut oil in place of butter and used a small amount of agave syrup to help bind the mix. These substitutes are simple to make and they help turn a sweet treat into a slightly healthier version of itself. My girls don’t know any different and a taste test by one of their friends proved that they were just as well liked as other traditional sweets. I did make one concession and put milk chocolate mini eggs on top for decoration. 80/20 rule! There needs to be some room for little indulgences.

Happy Easter to you and your families!