BANANA, SALTED CARAMEL, & MACADAMIA CHOC-ICES- GUEST BLOGGER JOSEPHINE O’HARE
Guest Blogger: Josephine O’Hare
We have our second recipe from Josephine O’hare, which we have been so excited about posting! It literally is AMAZINGGGGG and 100% refined sugar free! It’s also dairy and gluten free and is suitable for people following a vegan, paleo, and plantbased diet. Enjoy….
About Joey
Joey cooks delicious, seasonal food with a healthier vibe. She trained at the Ballymaloe Cookery School and Westminster Kingsway College, and has travelled widely working as a private chef. She recently had a blast on Masterchef the Professionals, making it down to the final twelve, and wowing the critics along the way – Jay Rayner in particular! She currently works as a private chef here in London, hosts supper clubs in Brixton, and is launching a pop-up in Clapham in March.
www.josephinescooking.com (@joeyscooking for twitter and Instagram). To see Joey’s previous guest blog recipe that she created for us (paleo chocolate fondant) click here
Banana, Salted Caramel, & Macadamia Choc-Ices
This is current favourite summer recipe! The process seems a little lengthy but I promise it isn’t, that’s just my description (!), and the ‘cooking’ involved couldn’t be easier. This is a truly indulgent and yet relatively virtuous chocolate treat, winning fans amongst puddingists, and healthy eaters alike!
A note on the salted caramel: maple syrup yields a lighter, easier caramel flavour (akin to a worthers original!), whereas date syrup yields a darker, more grown-up caramel, more of a burnt sugar flavour similar to that of a crème caramel pudding.
If you don’t have cacao butter drops, coconut oil works perfectly too. The caramel sauce here will yield a little more than you need perhaps. It will keep in the fridge for yonks; try drizzling it on top of avocado & banana vanilla ice cream…
INGREDIENTS
For the chocolate:
- 1/2 cup (or 80g) cacao butter drops/coconut oil
- 1/3 cup (or 40g) of raw cacao powder
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- a few drops of vanilla extract
- a pinch of sea salt
For the salted caramel:
- 4 tbsp date syrup or maple syrup
- 4 tbsp coconut cream
- pinch of sea salt
- vanilla extract
And:
- 2 ripe bananas
- 8 cup cake cases
- small handful of whole macadamia nuts
Method
1) First, toast the macadamia nuts in preheated oven until golden. I find 4 to 5 minutes at 180 degrees perfect.
2) Put all the ingredients for the chocolate in a clean mixing bowl (ideally glass or metal) over a pan of simmering water. Don’t allow the base of the bowl to touch the top of the water. Melt this gently and stir from time to time.
3) Meanwhile, put the ingredients for the salted caramel in a small saucepan over a medium heat and simmer. Allow the caramel to reduce by half, till it looks thick and syrupy in consistency, and then let it cool.
4) Peel and finely slice the bananas. If you are a perfectionist, halve the slices into ‘half-moons’…
5) Line a cupcake baking tray with the cases. Put a tablespoon or so of chocolate mix into each case. Now place the banana slices around the outside of each case (if you’ve made half-moon shapes, keep the curves facing outwards, and lie one slice on top of another all the way around). There should be a little hollow in the center.
6) Pop this in the freezer for five minutes.
7) Now spoon a teaspoon or so of the salted caramel into the center of each choc-ice, as well as a toasted macadamia nut or two, and pop back in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to firm again. If you’re a peanut butter fan, try a teaspoon of peanut butter instead!
8) Finally, spoon over another tablespoon of chocolate mix to seal the choc-ices. Freeze for at least two hours.
NB. They will last in the freezer for a month at least (maybe more, never had any left beyond this!). Enjoy straight from the freezer and into the sunshine!
