Chocolate Hazelnuts Einkorn Steamed Bites !
My kids love these little chocolate hazelnut bites, even the ones that are not at all into chocolate! I usually make them with them and freeze, so we can grab a few to the park. They are sweet enough not to need frosting, but flavorful enough to be yummy on their own. They have nuts so they are reasonably filling, although a version adding some rolled oats may be more filling if you want to rely on that to fill growing kid’s tummies, especially if you plan only on cupcakes for snack. What is so special about them ? They are made with and baked in a steam cooker !
My kids love these little chocolate hazelnut bites, even the ones that are not at all into chocolate! I usually make them with them and freeze, so we can grab a few to the park. They are sweet enough not to need frosting, but flavorful enough to be yummy on their own. They have nuts so they are reasonably filling, although a version adding some rolled oats may be more filling if you want to rely on that to fill growing kid’s tummies, especially if you plan only on cupcakes for snack. What is so special about them ? They are made with and baked in a steam cooker !
My park snacks always include fruit and nuts, sometimes some homemade bites.
Can I Bake With A Steam Cooker?
Yes you can! I have been baking with my steam cooker for decades ! I make cakes, breads, crustless quiche other dishes.
Don’t I Need A Steam Oven To Bake In A Steam Cooker?
And no, you don’t necessarily need to take the expensive step of buying a steam oven. Why not try it with a great steam cooker first, and see if you enjoy the result first? (NB: Please look below at the purchase link information!)
The short answer is no. But I will tell you : I never felt like I needed to take that step, because I am not sure I would bake everything in a steam oven, but I know I need my normal convection oven for other things. And I can’t have it all ! Besides, I am happy cooking with my steam cooker just like I am now. Now if I ever need to upgrade my double oven, I may buy one of each, but for now, no need.
Why Even Bake In a Steam Cooker?
Why do I feel I need to make my kids home made sweet bites? Well first, I feel I can make better stuff than even the organic gluten free bites for cheaper, and even with expensive ingredients like olive oil and einkorn. Also, it’s a cooking class with my kids, they learn, they are busy, and they get to enjoy the results. WIN!
Also, like every mom with kids that is health minded, I often think of ideas to feed kids filling and yummy treats that do not get them too addicted to sugar. It’s hard enough I find, to live in a culture where our kids are given sweet at any moment for no reason… My kids are not immune even as homeschoolers !
Help, my kids get too much candy!
My kids do not have a very sweet tooth when it comes to food I cook. Only rather recently did they start having a sweet tooth for sweets and for CRAP ( sorry, not sorry) processed candy. That saddens me. How?
Well let’s count all the occasions they get candy from someone other that family: birthday parties, Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s day, Easter, July 4th, teachers, friends, church … Only perhaps half the months of the year do they not have a huge stack of candy somewhere. I only succeed at spreading their consumption of it.
However, if I was trying to manage chemical content, I may have to just take it all away from them. May be I’d have to bribe them to take it away or replace with hundred dollars worth of “healthy” options so I don’t traumatize their childhood altogether. Believe me, it may sound like a broken record and you’ve heard it many places, but it is truly easier to live healthy in Europe.
Mitigating measures Anyone?
I keep thinking of measures I could take to keep the processed candy under control without making it a taboo. My method is to make meals with them. The joys of homeschooling is that we have more time than most and get to take the time to cut ingredients together, wether it’s for a normal meal or for a treat!
One thing reassures me : they do eat vegetables. And meat. And real fish-looking fish. And stinky cheese. And strong intense tasting stuff, because I fed them that since they could eat solid, and before while I was pregnant and nursing. To this extent, introducing only very simple, diverse, home made foods from the start and at every meal, and plenty of fruit was a success. They are healthy kids! I just don’t like the possibility that the chemicals could wreck havoc on their system in the long run.
My Strategy against the culture of sweets for any or no reason
To fight this trend while not overprotecting them from sweets, I have two strategies.
Eat fresh fruit
First, I always make them eat fruit ( for vitamins and fibers) and nuts (for fibers, fats and trace minerals) for snacks. They NEVER turn that kind of sweetness down. It’s a natural sweet taste , so it’s a good check against chemical kinds of sweets.
Although many nutrition experts would tell me “its still sugar”, it is at least a natural sweet taste. A sweet taste that is easy to differentiate from chemical candy, combined with vitamins and fibers. God willing, they get the nutrients they need keep healthy !
Easy Home Made Bites
My second strategy : I sometimes indulge them and make sweet treats that are easy to make home, preferably with them.
Chocolate hazelnut cupcakes are a winner: they have enough fats from olive oil to keep our blood sugar in check. Did you know? Fats satisfy your stomach better than sugar. Having enough (healthy) fats and fibers will keep your blood sugar lower, especially if you don’t add too much sugar to your recipes.
Bottomline: they love fresh fruit so much they don’t ask for cake often, they don’t even like when I cook fruit! Baking a cake is always a feast and a school experiment before it becomes a snack.
Steamed Bites
Why So I Steam My Little Cakes?
Now you know, I am an enthusiastic advocate of the steam cooker. So I am biased. But why be an advocate to the point of baking even my cakes in there? What is wrong with my oven?
Well, let’s see: it’s about taste, texture, time to cook and the amount of dishes I am willing to do! And let’s not underestimate the health factor either:
Time Reason:
It cooks it the same amount of time or less than the oven. Besides, the steam cooker is hot faster than my oven.
Taste Reason:
the cakes don’t get hard and crusty on top which may please some and not otherse. Besides, they raise better. The cakes are softer and their flavor is more striking to the palate. I say this in all honesty. I have been cooking some in the oven, and the steam cooker on birthdays. Then the steam cooker frankly didn’t have enough space to accommodate enough cupcakes at once. The steamed cupcakes tasted MUCH better than the oven cooked ones.
Clean up:
The cupcake molds are way easier to clean up ! The Vitaliseur does not need any clean up since I use it for the next meal.
Health Reason:
The Vitaliseur steam cooker never overheats the foods. Its temperature does not go above 95°C/202°F, which preserves more nutrients. In the case of cakes, it may not matter much, since it is a sweet treat. Sweet treats aren’t typically nutrient dense and health positive.
Another factor also blew my mind: one family member with diabetes realized his sugar levels would DROP after a steamed meal at my parent’s house even after eating cake. Now, nothing is proven here, and everyone is different, but I found it very interested that steamed meals would have an overall positive impact on him, even with cake!
How Long Will My Steam Bites Keep in the Fridge
They will keep about a week.
If you freeze them, keep them up to a month. But I’m sure they won’t last this long.
Other Recipes with Einkorn
If you want to learn more about the Einkorn ancient grain, look at my post before my recipe of Tomato Mustard Tarte : go to Pause the Pizza, Try a Tomato Tarte!
Wants some recipes with einkorn? Try the Tomato and Mustard Einkorn Tarte or the Deep Dish Einkorn Quiche.
Want to try it out and know where to purchase Einkorn or other tools and types of ingredients? Check my page What I Use and where to Purchase it
Other Kids Favorites
Besides the ones I cited with einkorn, here are a few of my kid’s favorite meals and snacks you can find on this website:
- Mediterranean Rice and Tuna Salad
- Parsley Apple Olive oil Veggie dip
- Pineapple Chicken over Basmati Rice
- Fried Rice, Steamed Cuisine Style
Chocolate Hazelnut & Olive Oil Steamed Bites
Want something sweet and home made to take to the park, that won't raise kids blood sugar too much ? Chose Melty mini cakes, that will be very soft airy and easy to pack and enjoy. Steaming a cake makes it very soft and only makes its taste more delectable. Everyone knows of the chocolate and hazelnuts pair very well. Trying this version will only confirm it!
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 90g sugar ( organic sugar or coconut sugar both work);
- 2 egg whites, beaten stiff;
- 140g de ground hazelnuts OR 100g hazelnuts and 40 g nut butter;
- 1/2 cup / 120 ml olive oil;
- 150g 72 % cocoa chocolate Trader Joes has soy free Gluten Free chocolate and chocolate chips)
- 80 g whole einkorn flour
- 1 pinch grey salt
- 1 tsp baking soda ( aluminum free)
- A handful of hazelnuts bits for decoration
- Optional ; one pear or one apple, pealed and diced
Instructions
- Prepare the steam cooker: Fill up the steam cooker tank with 1/3 of its volume in water. Turn on the fire to heat it. (check out with my code steamedcuisine )
- Blend hazelnuts with a dry blender ( coffee blender or Vitamix dry bowl blender) . It's okay if the hazelnuts are not thoroughly blended. If anything it gives it a crunch!
- Mix dried ingredients into a bowl: Blended hazelnuts, einkorn flour, baking soda, salt, set aside.
- Take a stainless steel bowl, add the olive oil and chocolate. Place the bowl into the steam basket, put on the lid and let it melt for about 10 minutes. This is the steamed version of Bain marie.
- While the chocolate and oil are melting, beat the eggs and sugar together until it doubles volume ( with an egg beater). Take out the chocolate and oil bowl out of the steam cooker and mix them. Then add the melted chocolate mix to the egg and sugar bowl.
- Now add the dried ingredients to the mix.
- Beat two egg white stiff. then slowly incorporate them to the dough.
- Get some muffin or cupcake molds (silicone works great in the steam cooker). Fill up the molds all the way, as these bites don't rise a lot.
- Option: add one peeled and diced pear or apple ( I love the chocolate, nuts and and pear mix) before transferring into the molds.
- Once the dough has been transferred into the mold, sprinkle some hazelnut pieces on top for decorations.
- Cook in a hot steam cooker for 15 minutes. Check that it is thoroughly cooked with a tooth pick. Let the cupcakes cool down a few minutes before taking the bites out.
Notes
Want it gluten Free? Make it with King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour. It will make more dense bites, but they are still delicious.
Allergies to Hazelnuts? Try with almond meal or blend your own almonds - But do not use blanched almond flour, it does not taste like almonds, and does not taste as good!
Blend the hazelnuts with Vitamix or with spice grinder.
Want another cake? Sign up to my newsletter and get three steamed cakes recipes! You will receive bimonthly updates on what I post and get new recipes ideas and tricks to help your kids like healthy foods!
New to Einkorn? Check my Tomato And Old Style Mustard Einkorn Tarte post and learn more about this amazing ancient grain !
Want to purchase Einkorn? First timer can try from this Amazon link. Otherwise check my What I Use and Where to Buy It page !
Want to purchase bulk hazelnuts or almonds ? Go to Azure Standard and use my link for 10% off on your first purchase!
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