So last week Ireland was blessed with some glorious weather and everyone from office workers to college students seemed to be soaking it up. I love when the weather is so nice in Ireland, there always seems to be a much more relaxed, happier vibe about the place. It also made me realise that summer is right around the corner (woohoo!) and I am now dying for a holiday so I decided to create this recipe as it is probably the closest thing I will get to a holiday right now!
Banana splits are my all time favourite holiday dessert but they are typically laden with sugar and very thick, heavy, processed ingredients, well not this one! This banana split has no refined sugar, no cream just simple, natural, wholesome ingredients. What I love most about this recipe is how the different flavours and textures complement each other so well.
Serving Size: 2 people (WARNING: It tastes so good you may end up eating it all yourself!)
There are three simple steps to this recipe; the whipped cream, the chocolate sauce and then the actual banana split. This does not take long to make but it does involve waiting overnight in order to get a really light and fluffy whipped coconut cream.
Step 1: Whipped Coconut Cream
Ingredients:
- 1 can of Full Fat Coconut Milk – you will need the solid parts of the milk not the liquid. I find that Thai Gold’s organic full fat coconut milk is really good for this.
Method:
The night before you plan on making the split put the can of coconut milk upside down in the fridge. Leave it in the fridge for at least 8 hours.
About half an hour before you actually make the cream put your whisk into the fridge along with the bowl that you plan on whisking the milk in. If you’re using an electrical whisk just put the metal beaters in – I’d recommend using an electrical whisk for this.
Once the half hour is up take out the coconut milk, whisk and bowl out of the fridge and pour the coconut milk into the bowl (making sure you only get the solid part of the milk). Whisk the milk until forms a thick, fluffy cream.
Step 2: Hazelnut Chocolate Sauce
Ingredients:
- 100g Hazelnuts – preferably skinless
- 3 tbsps Coconut Oil, melted
- 4 tbsps Raw Cacao Powder
Method:
Blitz all of the ingredients in a high power food processor/blender until all of the ingredients have combined to form a liquid. The flavour is quite rich on its own but works perfectly with the rest of the banana split. However, if you want that extra sweetness just add around 2-4 tbsps of coconut sugar, depending on how sweet you want it.
Step 3: Creating the split
Ingredients:
- 2 Bananas
- 3 Nobó flavours – 1 scoop of each (I used Vanilla and Coconut, Irish Salted Caramel, and Chocolate and Toasted Almond)
Method:
Cut down the centre of each banana and place them on the edge and/or centre of a dish or bowl then add a scoop of each of your chosen Nobó flavours. Put a dollop of the coconut cream on top of each of the scoops of frozen goodness and then drizzle the chocolate sauce over.
Finally, add toppings of your choice. I broke about 5 squares of 92% Dark Chocolate into small pieces to add a bit of a crunch and then added 5 strawberries, cut in half, for that extra freshness.
And voilà! A dairy free banana split with absolutely no refined sugar. The perfect treat that will put you in the holiday mood!
We are very lucky that Tara has recently joined our content creation team. Tara is a marketing student with the ultimate sweet tooth. In 2014 she decided to swap chocolate for cacao and has never looked back. Check out her blog for some nutritious, delicious and indulgent ‘clean candy’ recipes that will help curb your sugar cravings using completely natural ingredients. Check out Tara’s own blog Neutrals + Nutrition to find out more about her!