These salted tahini caramel cups are the perfect treat to bring to dinner parties, or to lay out when having friends over for coffee. They are made with superfood raw cacao and protein-rich tahini, only take 25 minutes to make (and about 20 minutes to fully set) and will surely be a hit with any crowd. I have been in such a weird mood these past few days, and comfort food like chocolate has been ALL I’ve wanted! Did you guys know that there was a Supermoon on Monday? I woke up an hour before sunrise on Monday morning to run and see it (it was the largest since 1948 and the closest that the Moon will be for another 18 years).
During the last Full Moon, I took time to reflect on what’s important to me in my life. This being a Supermoon, I was hoping to take advantage of this time to listen to my body and my heart, and harness this energy to facilitate more positive changes. Instead, the Moon seemed to bring with it feelings from below the line that I didn’t know were there. I have been feeling lost the last few days, with my mind telling me “You’re not good enough, you’re not good enough, you’re not good enough” at every turn. This type of thinking is certainly very human, but rarely am I not uplifted by stimulae such as pleasant encounters with other people, of which this week I have had many. As humans we tend to store things in the subconscious mind and when certain triggers occur, these feelings can be brought up and we aren’t always sure what to do with them. It’s important when these kinds of feelings arise in us, to acknowledge them and accept them, choosing not to fight them but allowing them to exist and be with us. This reminds me of a quote that I’m beginning to understand more and more:
“This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they are a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still treat each guest honourably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.”
– Rumi
I am making sure to be especially kind to myself during this time, holding space for myself to feel this unease and discomfort. To me that looks like sleeping more than usual, eating comforting foods like chocolate and vegan ice cream (the Nada Moo mint chocolate chip is my favourite), taking long baths and lowering my expectations for myself. Making these salted tahini caramel cups was a great call the other night as they’ve made the last two days a whole lot easier to get through (thanks past me!) and I’m sure they’ll have a positive impact on you too 🙂
In addition to the ingredients listed in the recipe, you will need about 20 mini-muffin liners. The recipe yields 10-12 cups so feel free to double or triple the recipe (a great idea especially around the holidays). Even outside of the festive months, these won’t go bad if kept in the fridge or freezer so my two cents is why not make extra for a rainy day! 🙂
PrintSalted Tahini-Caramel Cups
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 8-10 1x
Ingredients
- Raw chocolate
- 1 cup grated or finely chopped raw cacao butter
- 1/2 cup raw cacao powder
- 2 tbsp almond butter
- 3 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Tahini caramel
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- Garnish
- 1/4 tsp pink himalayan salt crystals (or if you prefer to have no garnish, add 1/4 tsp salt into the caramel instead)
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Allow the cacao butter to melt by placing it in a large bowl and setting it over the pot of hot water.
- Once the cacao butter is melted, add the cacao powder, almond butter, coconut sugar and vanilla extract. Mix with a spoon until smooth.
- Apply the first layer of chocolate to the inside of the mini-muffin liners using a spoon. Cover the inside completely to the top. Place in freezer to set.
- Make the tahini caramel by mixing the tahini and maple syrup together. If you prefer to add the salt to the caramel (as opposed to using the salt as a garnish) then feel free to add the 1/4 tsp of salt here too.
- Remove the cups from the freezer, add about 2-3 tsp of tahini caramel into each cup. Place in freezer to set.
- Remove the cups from the freezer and add the top layer of chocolate The melted chocolate should have started to cool down a little by now, which should make it thicker and allow you to create a swirling motion when you add the top layer. If it isn’t and you want that effect, just wait a couple of minutes until it starts to harden some more.
- Top the cups with himalayan salt crystals and then place in the fridge to set. I recommend 2-3 salt crystals per cup at maximum, or break them into smaller granules first. Give the cups about 20 minutes to fully set once refrigerated.
Make sure to only use 2-3 salt crystals at maximum when topping the cups. I let some fall off before eating, as the taste is super strong. Not everyone is a fan of tahini or tahini caramel, so if you want to make these into salted almond butter caramel cups then just stick to the exact same recipe and just sub the tahini for almond butter (or do half a batch of each so you have a variety).
I hope that you were able to harness some of this Moon energy to make some changes (we can all afford to make changes in our lives) or learn something about yourself. I’m so used to always being in a good mood and feeling truly in awe at how magical this world is, but this week has served as an important reminder that it is of course okay to not feel on top of the world all the time. In fact, opening ourselves to negative emotions is truly a blessing that allows us, if we are willing to accept and dig deeper, to identify the root of our suffering and make decisions moving forward from a more informed sense of self. I am thankful that I am in the habit of reminding myself that things will ALWAYS get better (and there are no exceptions to that rule – that’s the beautiful world we live in you guys!) 🙂
Sat Nam,
Emilía
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