SALTEDCARAMEL – KATIE MORGAN

This would have to be my signature and most successful to date raw sugarfree dessert. Firstly if you know me well you will know that I am … how shall i put this… a HUGE fan of (some might say obsessed with) peanut butter. Not only does it taste amazing but it also has amazing health benefits. Peanut butter, and I am talking the natural no added sugar or vegetable oil ones, is chock-full of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat which reduces belly fat, decrease your risk of diabetes, heart disease and other chronic health conditions. The combination of fibre and protein fills you up and keeps you fuller for longer, so you eat less overall. One study published in the Journal of the Medical Association found that consuming about 2 tablespoons a day at least 5 days a week can lower the risk of developing diabetes and belly fat by almost 30%. Hell yes!!!

So get your spooning on!!!

CHOC PEANUT BUTTER SALTED CARAMEL SLICE GF SF DF V* P*

CHOC BROWNIE BASE

1 1/4 C rolled oats

1 C pitted dates (soaked overnight in water)

½ C cacao powder

½ coconut oil / olive oil

2/3 C honey or pure maple syrup

PEANUT BUTTER CARAMEL CENTRE

1.5 C natural peanut butter

1 C pitted dates soaked overnight in water

2/3 C honey or pure maple syrup

4T coconut cream Note: don’t shake the tin – use the thick cream from the top

1tsp sea salt

CHOC GANASH TOPPING

Block of dark chocolate or homemade raw chocolate (see alternative recipe at bottom)

¼ C natural peanut butter

1-2T coconut cream

1tsp sea salt

* Salted crushed peanuts for topping

METHOD

The best part about this recipe is that although it has so many nutritious amazing ingredients- it’s really simple!! It’s a whizz layer freeze style of baking.

It is 100% vital to have a food processor (blenders have been known to break in our house in the attempt of blending dates and peanut butter)

and you will need to soak the dates overnight AND it takes atleast 4 hours or overnight for the final product to set!!!! These times cannot be compromised or substituted. I say this now because there is nothing worse than getting to the end of a recipe and planning to plate up in 5 mins and then reading “set in fridge overnight’ Trust me – been there done that and it is totally worth the wait!

1. Blend the oats in the food processor (FP). Drain the soaked dates and blend with oats until combined – about 30 seconds. Add the oil, honey and cocoa. This should form a thick doughy base. Depending on your FP you might need to add more oats if it’s too soft. You want to have to ‘press’ the base into the tin not pour it.

2. Press into a large brownie tin lined with baking paper and refridgerate. If it looks like you have quite a lot (even once the taste testing is perfected) then press some into small patty pans to make little cupcake size peanut butter treats. I use these cute heart shape mini tart tins which make for a super special sweet treat!

3. Now the caramel centre – get those finger licking skills ready. Place the drained dates into the food processor and blitz until a smooth caramel consistency. Add peanut butter, coconut cream, salt and honey and blend for 1 minute until creamy and lump free. Pour over the chocolate brownie base and refrigerate. Now get those fingers into the food processor and lick the thing clean – once the blades are removed of course! This high protein, good fat and fibre rich layer is to die for… and it means less elbow grease in the kitchen sink cleaning!

4. Melt the dark chocolate in a bowl either over the stove or slowly in a microwave. Once smooth (and not burnt) add the peanut butter, coconut cream and sea salt and stir until it is well combined. Pour over chilled peanutbutter caramel layer and top with crushed peanuts. Place in freezer for 3-4 hours minimum or overnight for best results.

5. When ready to serve simply take out of tin and let it thaw on the bench for 10-15 minutes. Cut into slices and enjoy! You can freeze ready to grab slices for up to 8 weeks. Little tip when slicing – if the chocolate ganash is really hard and proving difficult to chop, cut long ways and then turn the slice on its side and cut the fingers/pieces that way. It is easier to cut on a small ‘edge’ side rather than flat chocolate. Little bit of architecture model making knowledge there :)

Goodluck, have fun, taste/sample regularly and let me know how it goes! Put your photo up on instagram and tag me @katie_kale_kettlebell or hashtag #kaleandthekettlebell nom nom nom

*ALTERNATIVE RECIPE OPTIONS

RAW CHOCOLATE

1/3 C coconut oil

1/3 C cacao powder

2-3Tbs honey or maple syrup

Melt coconut oil and combine with honey and cacao powder until smooth. Add in place of the melted dark chocolate for the ganash topping.

PALEO: To make this recipe paleo you can simple replace the 1 1/4 C rolled oats with nuts of choice. Almonds or a mix of ABC – Almond Brazil and Cashew would work perfectly.

VEGAN: To ensure the recipe is totally vegan use Maple syrup in place of the honey

A couple of weeks ago it was my turn to make something sweet for girls night! I asked the host what her ultimate dessert would be that I could recreate a sugar-free healthy version of. After an almost instant reply of “ummm sticky date pudding??” I was a little stumped because sticky date puddings are usually made of butter and brown sugar – big No No’s! BUT it didn’t take long before I was completely mind blown from the healthy versions of sticky date desserts all over the internet. I decided to go with the amaaaaazing looking Loving Earth recipe because I practically drooled on my screen as soon as I read it. And let me just tell you it blew everyone’s mind and you couldn’t tell that there wasn’t a single grain of refined sugars in sight!!!! This is the real deal minus the nasties. The cake itself didn’t take too long to make either. I chose to make 1 single large cake but 4-6 mini individual loafs would also have been a treat. Dates are packed with fiber and have so many nutritional benefits for you body. They are one of the very best sweet and versatile foods that can regulate the digestive process and are great natural unrefined sweetener whilst also offering a rich dose of several vitamins and minerals. Some health specialists have suggested eating 2-3 dates a day is necessary for a healthy and balanced diet and digestive system. This dessert is the perfect combination of natural sugars, proteins, carbohydrates and essential fats to give you the energy boost you need without the ugly sugar high and crash. Kids will also love it ! and salted caramel sauce?? need I say more!!!

STICKY DATE PUDDING WITH SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE

serves 6 – GF P V SF DF – 50 minutes

CAKE

4 teaspoons Coconut Oil (for greasing)

200g Salted Caramel L.E Chocolate >> SHOP HERE

3 tbsp Coconut Oil

80ml almond mylk

1 cup buckwheat flour or almond meal

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ cup Coconut Sugar

1 cup medjool dates, pitted

½ cup boiling hot water

250ml almond mylk

80–120g coconut cream

SAUCE

1 cup coconut cream

1 cup medjool dates, pitted

100g Salted Caramel Chocolate >> SHOP HERE

2 tbsp Lucuma or Maca Powder (optional)

2 tbsp coconut sugar

½ tsp salt

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease the loaf pan, mini loaf pans or large cake tin with the coconut oil.

Put the chocolate, coconut oil and 80ml almond milk in a double boiler. Gently heat until the chocolate has melted. Stir until smooth, remove from the heat and set aside. (you could do this in the microwave if you wanted to)

In another bowl, put the flour, baking powder, salt and coconut sugar. Stir together.

In a blender or small food processor, blitz together the medjool dates and water until the dates are just broken up. Add 205ml of almond milk and mix until combined. Gently fold in the through the caramel chocolate mixture.

Divide the mixture into the prepared mini loaf tins or large cake tin and place into the oven.

MINI LOAFS: Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until the edges and top are just cooked – you still want the middle to be slightly gooey as it will keep cooking once removed from the oven.

LARGE CAKE: Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until the edges and top are just cooked – you still want the middle to be slightly gooey as it will keep cooking once removed from the oven.

FOR THE SAUCE

Whilst the puddings are baking simply blend in a blender the dates and coconut cream until smooth. Place into a saucepan over a low heat with the caramel chocolate, Lucuma/maca, coconut sugar and salt. Keep mixing until the chocolate has melted and everything is combined before removing from the heat.

Remove cake from oven and gently poke/stab cake with a knife to create holes. Pour 1/2 of the sauce over the cake and let it seep into the holes. This is where the moist ‘pudding’ factor takes place. You want it to be nice and moist.

Place back in oven for 5-10 minutes. (Note: You do not need to place the mini cakes back in the oven)

When ready to serve, gently run a knife around the edge of the pans to loosen the small puddings or cake. Place on serving plates and serve with hot caramel sauce. Enjoy immediately! A blob of vanilla bean or coconut ice cream would be an absolute match made in heaven here. I also shaved some extra caramel chocolate on top.

Thanks Loving Earth for this incredible recipe!!!

ENJOY !