Valentines hot chocolate cream cups

I love this recipe!

It worked perfectly, maybe even more perfectly than I had hoped when I dreamed it up in my mind... the gooey banana and thick creamy chocolate sauce make for the perfect Valentines breakfast decadence....or simply any breakfast decadence or dessert. Yes indeed this is another 'breakfast does dessert’ recipe.

Oh, and did I mention that it only take 5 minutes?

I originally tried this recipe without warming the sauce, more in keeping with this original recipe that inspired this creation and has proved immensely popular on the blog. It was ok this way, kind of like a chocolatey custard but a little bit thin and not indulgent enough for my liking (although you could always increase the nut butter/reduce water if necessary). So then in the second testing I fully assembled the cups and then warmed them! Amazing, the banana at the bottom of the cup cooks and goes all gooey and the nut butter and banana in the sauce thicken like a rich creamy mousse. It’s hard to explain....so instead I won’t keep trying to. Instead you should just go and make it!  

You could use a mild nut butter like almond or cashew for a subtle creaminess or go all out with peanut butter for a choco-peanutty-banana hit! Alternatively if you aren't a fan of banana, you could maybe use avocado or increase the nut butter content to achieve the same thickness- note I have not tried it this way!

P.S I loved the pretty white flowers in the photos. I ran round my house trying to find something pink or red that was feminine and Valentines-y, but nothing came to hand...then I remembered i'd bought some flowers last weekend.... not pink, but elegantly romantic- the perfect prop :-)  Now if i just had my very own romantic to present me with the flowers.....hmmmm?

Recipe: Hot chocolate cream cups

Makes 2 cupcake sized cups

Ingredients- cups

1/3 cup oats

1 heaped tbs cocoa powder

2 tsp ground flax

Vanilla extract to taste (approx. ½ tsp each)

1 tbs agave

2-3 tbs vegan yoghurt

Ingredients - Filling:

1 medium banana mashed (slice and reserve ¼ of the banana)

1 tbs nut butter (I used almond)

1 tbs cocoa

2 tbs water

A few mini dark chocolate drops

Method

Mix and mash all the 'cup' ingredients together well to form a thick sticky ball of dough. Divide into two equal pieces and press firmly into two cupcake ‘cups’ (I used silicone cups).

Cook on full powder in the microwave for 1 min or bake at 180C in the oven for approx. 10 minutes until just cooked and not sticky to touch

Meanwhile blend the filing ingredients together in a small blender, reserving a few slices of banana. If you are struggling with blending a small quantity, double the mixture and save some in the fridge for later. This makes a little more than needed for the cups anyway.

To fill the cups, place a couple of slices of banana at the bottom of each cup, fill with sauce and decorate with remaining banana and chocolate chips as desired. Microwave both cups at the same time on 70% power for 30 seconds. IMPORTANT: do not allow the mixture to bubble- watch closely and as you see it begin to want to bubble stop the microwave- you are done! For me, this happened at 30 seconds. (otherwise the mixture will boil over the edge of the cup and the texture will be impaired).

These are the cups served cold (not a huge visual difference but definitely better served hot!)

gooey...melty....gooey....melty...double chocolate....banana....

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.
For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.