TAHINI CARAMEL CHOC CUPS

MAKES 12 PREP 25 MINS + SOAKING + FREEZING COOK 5 MINS

1 cup raw cashews 3 cups water, plus ¼ cup extra 220g dried dates, coarsely chopped ⅓ cup coconut butter ¼ cup unhulled tahini ⅓ cup pure maple syrup 1 tsp salt flakes

BASE 220g dried dates, coarsely chopped 1 cup macadamias, coarsely chopped 2 tbsp cacao nibs

CHOC LAYER

½ cup coconut butter ½ cup pure maple syrup ½ cup cacao powder 1 vanilla bean, split lengthways, seeds scraped 2 tbsp hot water

1 Place cashews in a medium bowl. Cover with water. Stand 2 hours.

2 BASE Grease a 12-hole ⅓-cup muffin pan. Line each hole with two 1cm x 12cm strips baking paper crossed over one another. Process dates to a coarse paste. Add macadamias and cacao nibs. Pulse until coarsely chopped. Press rounded tbsps mixture firmly into each hole. Refrigerate.

3 To make caramel, drain cashews well. Process cashews, dates, coconut butter, tahini, maple syrup, salt and extra water until smooth.

4 Spoon rounded tbsps caramel equally over bases. Using wet fingers, level the mixture.

5 CHOC LAYER Place coconut butter and maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until melted. Remove from heat. Add cacao, vanilla bean seeds and hot water. Whisk to combine. 6 Spoon rounded tsps choc layer over caramel. Using a hot wet spoon, spread chocolate evenly. Freeze 40 mins or until firm. 7 Loosen cups from pan holes with a hot knife. Remove cups by lifting baking paper strips.