Homemade No-Cook Preservative-Free Toppings To Transform Regular Desserts

Sometimes turning on the gas is a task and you want something gooey or fluffy on your cake, muffin or pie. For those instances, we bring you some no-cook desserts that are tried and tested and are delicious when spread on top of baked desserts like pies, cakes and cookies. You don’t even need a well-stocked pantry and require only minimal effort to dress up plain yogurt, ice cream, or fruit with homemade sauces, butter, and crunchy mix-ins. Not only are these toppings healthier than processed varieties, but they allow you to get creative in the kitchen without any baking required.

1. Chocolate Syrup

Ingredients:

• 60 gm Cadbury Cocoa powder
• 200 gm granulated sugar
• A pinch of salt
• 120 ml cold water
• 7.5 ml vanilla essence

Instructions:

1. In a bowl combine the cocoa powder and sugar properly.
2. Transfer to a saucepan, add the water and salt to it and bring to a boil over medium heat.
3. Stir until the lumps dissolve then lower the heat to bring it to a simmer. This should take around 30 seconds to a minute.
4. Then remove from heat, let it cool and stir in the vanilla essence.

2. Mango Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe mangoes
• 30 ml fresh lime juice
• 15 gm refined sugar

Instructions:

1. Wash the mangoes thoroughly, remove the peels and scoop out the flesh, discarding the seed and peels.
2. You need to puree the mango, so throw in the mango pup, lime juice and the sugar, in a blender or mixer grinder. Pulse it for a while checking to see if the mango puree is smooth.
3. Take a sieve and strain the puree using your fingers or a spoon to force the thick mixture through the sieve.
4. Throw away any fibres in the sieve and keep the strained mixture in the fridge.

3. Almond Butter

Ingredients:

• 500 gm raw almonds
• 60 ml almond oil or vegetable oil
• 60 ml honey
• ½ tsp cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Add almonds to a mixer grinder and blend for 8-10 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides.
2. The butter is ready when it is smooth and holds its shape on a spoon.
3. If the oil used was less stream in the oil in batches between the mixing. Run for 2 more minutes.
4. Add honey and cinnamon during the last minute of pureeing. Transfer to an airtight container.

Tips to get a smooth almond butter:

• If you want your almond butter ultra smooth, add the oil gradually and not in one go at the beginning.
• Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving, to soften them up.

4. Toasted Coconut

Ingredients:

• 1 whole coconut
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp coconut oil

Instructions:

1. Grate the coconut to extract fresh coconut flakes and clean out the meat from the hardened nut.
2. Add sugar and give it a mix so it mixes with the flakes well.
3. In a non-stick pan, heat the coconut oil over medium heat and add the sugary coconut flakes. Note: the sugar is optional, and you can do away with it if your coconut meat is already sweet.
4. Stir the coconut, letting its juices release and evaporate as they toast and start to brown. Make sure to constantly stir to avoid burning and even browning.
5. It should take around 10 minutes for the aroma to release and the coconut flakes to brown evenly all over.

5. Seasoned Nuts

Ingredients:

• 450 gm mixed raw nuts (preferably chopped)
• 15 ml olive oil
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp chilli powder
• A pinch of cayenne pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C, then line a baking sheet with parchment paper, leaving ample paper hanging on the sides.
2. In a bowl add the nuts and the other ingredients - olive oil, sea salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika, chilli powder and cayenne pepper.
3. Use a spoon or spatula to mix until the spices and peppers coat the nuts.
4. Scoop out the nuts and arrange them neatly on the lined baking sheet.
5. Set the oven to 30 minutes and bake the nuts, since the nuts are chopped, it might even take less time, so try out for 20 minutes.
6. Once done, remove from the oven and leave the nuts on the baking tray outside to cool.
7. Store in an airtight jar once they cool. down.