One of my favourite desserts is banoffee pie, purely because it combines banana and caramel, two things made for each other. Here this favourite gets a healthier makeover, doing away with the piles of whipped cream and buttery pastry. Whats good: oats and nuts have replaced the traditional butter pastry here to provide more fibre and some healthier (monounsaturated) fats. Tahini is a good source of calcium as well as protein. This recipe can’t be described as sugar free as it uses quite a few dates which contain lots of natural sugars (equivalent to 3-4 tsp per date so this recipe is definitely still a treat food!) however unlike white sugar they also provide a good source of fibre and potassium. Proper dark chocolate (>70% cocoa) is actually good for you as it is high in a plant chemical called polyphenols which can help reduce the risk of heart disease as well as antioxidants which protect our bodies from daily damage.
- Base:
- 1⅓ cups oats
- ½ cup nuts/seeds
- 2 tbsp coconut
- 2 tbsp honey/maple syrup or molasses
- 1 heaped tbsp tahini
- pinch cinnamon
- 1-2 tbsp milk of choice (i used soy) to moisten.
- Banana Caramel
- 1 banana
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 9 fresh medjool dates, pitted
- pinch salt (optional)
- 1 tsp chia seed or psyllium husk (helps to thicken)
- Extra:
- 1 banana, sliced
- 50g dark chocolate, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- For the base: place oats and nuts/seeds and coconut in a food processor and blend until flour like. Add honey/maple, tahini, cinnamon, vanilla and blend again until it starts to come together. Add the milk if needed to get it to start sticking together (should not be too wet, more like a dough).
- Press this into the base of a tray lined with baking paper, keeping it nice and even, compressing it hard. Place in the fridge or freezer while you do the next step.
- For the filling: place all ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. Spread evenly over your base. place in the fridge until cold.
- Place sliced bananas over your caramel layer and drizzle with melted chocolate. Allow chocolate to set then cut into squares. Enjoy.
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