If you asked me what the buzz word of January 2017 was I’d most certainly say ‘Veganary’ and whilst I’m not a vegan, I do enjoy a good vegan meal and a challenge.
“Huh, a challenge?” you might ask, well we had good friends coming over for dinner and they had recently converted to a vegan lifestyle. I knew they had a sweet tooth, I wanted to create something seriously rich and indulgent for dessert. I initially considered sweet potato brownies, but it felt like a lot of preparation when I was time poor and I wanted to make an impact.
I started opening our cupboards and saw trusty coconut milk, I knew if I bought some 80% cocoa dark chocolate, I could make something delectable.
In terms of decoration, I added some simple chocolate bark which is just melted chocolate, decorated with nuts and seeds, and left to set in the fridge for an hour. As a matter of fact, this is ideal if you’re feeling peckish for something sweet, but only have plain chocolate in the cupboard which can be uninspiring at times.
One thing I do want to mention, just because this is vegan is most certainly doesn’t mean it’s ‘refined sugar-free’ and super healthy. Quite the opposite actually, however, this isn’t something you’d eat every day and if you’re very conscious then I’d suggest experimenting with alternative sweeteners.
- 2 Cans Coconut Milk
- 30g Cocoa powder
- 180g 80%+ or vegan chocolate
- 40g Icing sugar
- Start by leaving the coconut milk (in the can) in the fridge overnight or for a few hours.
- Then, melt the chocolate, and my personal method is by slowly heating the chocolate on defrost in the microwave, stopping to stir every few minutes.
- Once the chocolate is melted, moving quickly you need to empty the now set coconut milk into a large mixing bowl and place into a large mixing bowl. Using an electric hand held mixer, pulse until a smooth mix forms and now add in the chocolate, cocoa powder and icing sugar.
- Just a warming, this will be a very thick mix and you’ll need to mix right away before the chocolate starts setting.
- Now, spoon the chocolate into pots and leave in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.
Do you entertain often? What is your favourite dessert?
Katie
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