Somewhere in-between last weekend’s hangover and this week’s flu I managed to bake these beauties. Of course if there was one thing that I would fit into the only day this week when I wasn’t bedridden, it would be baking. Thankfully I’m all better now and I’m avoiding any drinks above the 0% alcohol level so there should be PLENTY more time for food in my life (and so plenty more time for these babes).
As I have an insatiable sweet-tooth, I’m always on the lookout for sweet, snacky desserts I can make. I optimistically aim for two requirements though: (1) that they require minimal effort (2) that they have some inkling of nutritional value. I’m not talking about faddy ‘antioxidants’ or ‘superfoods’. I just mean gimme a bit of fibre, some good fats and a bit of protein maybe. The type of thing where it’s still a cake with fat, starch, frosting and nutrients….not a cake-shaped-object made of blended beans and applesauce.
I’ve made a ‘healthy’ variation on banoffee pie before in the form of a breakfast parfait with a delish stove-top granola, to boot! You see, thanks to date caramel, it’s an easy task. One change I made to the caramel this time was opting for medjool dates instead of deglet. I’ve always read that they taste a lot more like caramel and less…datey…I never really trusted that advice though until I tried them for myself. I’ve got to say that it’s true, medjool dates taste like straight up molasses making them perfect for a quick, plant-based caramel. If you can’t get hold of medjool dates, deglet will work just fine though!
Notes:
– Vegan option: replace the ricotta topping with either…
a) cashew cream: 1/2 cup (60 g) cashews (soaked for 8h and drained) blended with 3 tbsp water, 1 tsp vanilla extract and a pinch of salt
or b) Coconut cream: chill a can of coconut milk overnight, open and scoop off the top cream layer to a bowl. Whisk the cream until fluffy with 1 tsp of vanilla extract.
– I added a pinch of ground vanilla bean to my ricotta mixture for the speckly effect 
– Make sure you use gluten-free oats if you can’t tolerate gluten.
Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F).
Mix the chia seeds in a small bowl with 2 tbsp of water and set aside.
In a food processor, combine the almonds, buckwheat flour, oats and salt. Blend until the almonds and oats have broken down into flour.
Add in the chia mixture and olive oil then pulse in until combined.
Drizzle in the remaining water a tablespoon at a time while pulsing the mixture until a dough forms (you might not need all of the water). Roll the pastry out on a piece of baking paper until it's only a few mm thick. Cut into 9 cm (~3.5 inch) diameter circles and push each one into the well of a tartlet pan. Bake for 12 minutes until dry. Leave to cool.
Pit the soaked dates and place into a blender with the coconut butter, boiling water, salt and vanilla extract. Blend until completely smooth.
Stir together the ricotta. yogurt and vanilla in a small bowl.
Smear some caramel into the base of each pastry cup. Top with a few slices of banana, then the ricotta mixture, then some grated chocolate and bee pollen (if you want). Finish with a slice of banana to decorate.
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