If you love ice cream, you’ll really enjoy “Guilt-Free Nice Cream,” a new recipe book by Margie Broadhead featuring more than 70 delicious desserts that will have you astounded that no actual ice cream is involved. Broadhead, well known for her popular food blog “Made by Margie,” is a professional chef and owner of a catering company. In her book, she shows readers how to create recipes that not only resemble the traditional dessert, but also taste amazing. And you can feel good about eating them!
The hardcover book is beautifully laid out with stunning photographs of nice cream desserts and dairy-free pairings for the ultimate dessert experience. The book is divided into sections that show the versatility of Broadhead’s recipes – from breakfast treats such as Banoffee Overnight Oats with Soft-Serve Cinnamon Nice Cream, to a Banana Split Bake with Candied Pecans, the opportunities for exploration of dairy free desserts are endless.
Click here for more information or to purchase the book.
Banana Split Nice-Cream Sundae with Salted Caramel Chocolate Biscuits
All the best parts of a banana split whipped up into a sundae. To top it all off, try this with Salted Caramel Chocolate Biscuits for extra indulgence.
Serves 1
1 banana, peeled and frozen
2 pitted dates
½ teaspoon unsweetened cacao powder or cocoa powder
½ teaspoon carob powder or cocoa powder
8-12 ounces almond milk
Topping:
Whipped Coconut Cream (see below)
Salted Caramel Chocolate Biscuit (see below)
Put the bananas, dates, cacao and carob powders in a food processor and blend until thick and creamy, scraping down the sides every 30 seconds. Process until the mixture becomes completely smooth and the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. Add the almond milk and blend again. You want it pouring consistency, so add a little more almond milk or water if needed to loosen it.
To serve, pour into a tall glass and top with a spoon or two of Whipped Coconut Cream. Stick in a straw and serve with a biscuit!
Top Tip: If you forget to freeze your bananas in advance, don’t worry! You can cheat by using an ordinary banana and some ice cubes.
Salted Caramel Chocolate Biscuits
Makes 16 cookies
225 g (8 ounces) buckwheat flour, plus extra to dust
100 g (3 ½ ounces) ground almonds (almond meal)
a tiny pinch of sea salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons almond butter
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon almond milk
2 large eggs
10 pitted Medjool dates
2 tablespoons almond butter
tiny pinch of sea salt
200 g (7 oz) dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa), melted
To make the recipe vegan you can substitute the eggs with flax ‘egg’, an excellent vegan alternative. Just mix 2 tablespoons flaxseeds and 6 tablespoons water in a bowl and let sit for 5 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Put the buckwheat flour, ground almonds, salt and baking powder in a bowl and stir. Add the maple syrup, almond butter, coconut oil, almond milk and eggs, giving it all a good stir – you may want to use your hands. It will be a sticky dough.
Dust a work surface with a little buckwheat flour and then tip the dough out. Gently, using your hands or a rolling pin, smooth the dough out until it is 3–4 mm (1/8 in) thick. You can add more flour if it’s still too sticky, but don’t be too liberal or you will end up with a tough cookie.
Use a round 7 cm (3 in) cookie cutter to cut out the dough and use a palette knife to carefully pop onto the prepared tray. Bake for about 10 minutes, until lovely and golden. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, for the caramel layer, simply blend the dates, almond butter, 1 tablespoon of water and sea salt together in a food processor, until smooth-ish and creamy.
Once the biscuits are cooled, spread them with a layer of caramel. These then need to set in the fridge for 30 minutes. Then either dip the biscuits in the melted chocolate, or spoon the chocolate over and then leave to set. They will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Whipped Coconut Cream
Makes 240 ml (8 fl oz)
250 ml (8 ½ fl oz) coconut cream, chilled (thick part only)
a drop of vanilla extract
a drizzle of maple syrup
Whipped coconut cream is a wonder. Once made, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it. It’s dreamy atop sundaes, or spooned over tarts. And try it with a little cacao powder for an instant chocolate mousse. This is one of those lovely recipes where a recipe isn’t strictly necessary once you grasp the concept.
Scoop the thick coconut cream into a bowl and then whisk well. Add a splash of vanilla extract and a squeeze of maple syrup. Whisk for another couple of seconds until it is creamy and smooth. Store in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for four to five days.
