Easter Chocolate Cream Eggs with a Salted Caramel Tahini Middle

Serves 8

Does anyone else get so ridiculously excited to have an actual real life excuse to eat copious amounts of chocolate? It’s not me, it’s Easter! Darn it, it’s practically the LAW at this time of year. These guys not only look impressive, but they were so easy to make, are vegan, gluten free, refined sugar free and oh so very delicious! The outer shell is simply made from melting my favourite raw chocolate (I used Ombar), the creamy salted caramel tahini middle only has 4 ingredients and the “yolk” just has a little turmeric added as a natural colouring.

Since, in our house, preparing for Easter consists of one chocolate making activity after the other, I feel like perhaps it would be the perfect time to talk about the benefits of chocolate — yes, you read that right — it has actual benefits! But not just any chocolate, more specifically dark chocolate and cacao. As with most things, there are very minimal (if any) health benefits from consuming the highly processed, highly sweetened version. On the other hand, the benefits of dark chocolate are pretty impressive, mainly due to its high antioxidant content. Antioxidants are the compounds that are believed to neutralize free radicals and protect the body from their damage. Dark chocolate has actually been shown to have the highest content of antioxidants called polyphenols and flavonoids, which is why it is being studied in relation to its role in cancer prevention. So the higher the cacao/cocoa percentage the better.

And that’s not all! It is packed with beneficial minerals, has been linked to a reduction in cholesterol and has also long been known for its mood boosting qualities, and it’s not just down to the fact that it’s delicious! It actually encourages the production of endorphins, which is a chemical in the brain that creates feelings of pleasure. It also contains serotonin, which acts as a mild, natural anti-depressant.

So in a nutshell, we should let go of the post-chocolate-guilt and embrace all of it’s good health boosting qualities! Wishing everyone a very happy Easter!

INGREDIENTS

· 140g Good Quality Dark Chocolate
· 55g Light Tahini
· 65g Maple Syrup
· 35g Melted Coconut Oil
· ¼ tsp Himalayan Salt
· ½ tsp Turmeric for the yellow centre

METHOD

· Heat the chocolate on a low setting in the microwave in 30-second intervals until fully melted.
· Let it cool slightly so that it is not so fluid and runny.
· Pour into silicone moulds and swirl around the sides so that it doesn’t just pool at the bottom.
· Put into the fridge or freezer to set while you make the middle.
· Melt the coconut oil and add the tahini, maple syrup and salt.
· Mix well to combine.
· Pour ¾ of this mixture into the hardened chocolate shells.
· Add the turmeric to the remaining mixture.
· Spoon this yellow mixture into the middle of the tahini caramel to simulate the yolk.
· Put back into the fridge to set for a couple of hours.
· Store any leftovers in the freezer.

TIP — I used my kids old Calpol Syringe to carefully squeeze the turmeric mixture into the middle to make it neater, but it’s not necessary!