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This Salted Caramel Cookie Twix Smoothie recipe transforms chocolate bar into healthy bowl for a vegan and naturally sweet banana-free blender treat!
Remind me again why all smoothie bowls don’t come drizzled with melted chocolate?
Or smoothies in general regardless of vessel, because I can eat candy-inspired beverages out of cups, bowls, jars, plates with high rims, coconuts, anything!
When I came up with the recipes for this triple banana-free smoothie post, I made a conscious decision to keep chocolate out of the picture. Not to say I haven’t made the blueberry one with cacao powder added in a few times since then, but I kept those recipes colorful and cacao-free with the intention of saving the more milkshake-esque flavors for a later date. Obviously I didn’t last very long because here we are banana-free blending with all the chocolate-drizzled decadent vibes already.
What can I say, banana-free smoothies are a big part of my simple summer eating style right now, so my mind is bound to wander in sweet-salty dessert directions.
Instead of pursuing the first chocolate overloaded idea that popped into my mind, I wanted to create a bowl that highlighted what might be an even more versatile fruit: Medjool dates! Because they are not bananas and they make for an awesome smoothie base. Plus you don’t have to wait for the perfect brown-speckled moment to make it, dates can hang out in the fridge ready to be smoothie-d at any moment.
So honoring the natural caramel flavor of Medjool dates, I created a Twix inspired smoothie bowl complete with cookie base, caramel middle, and a chocolate coating on top.
Cookie crust. For a truly crunchy cookie crust, feel free to bake a batch of your favorite cookies and crumble them in the bottom of the bowl. But baking AND blending sounded like a lot of work, so I went with a no-bake shortbread-ish cookie crumble made with coconut flour and sweetened with date paste. If oats are more your style, rawnola would be a delicious base for this bowl too.
Salted caramel smoothie. This recipe has a completely different ingredient base then any of my previous banana-free smoothie bowl recipes. I used Medjool dates for sweetness and frozen cauliflower (cooked before freezing) for a thick and frosty texture without any frozen fruit. I stuck with the chia seed addition because I love the fact that they counter the melting process, making my smoothie thicker with time instead of thinner. And non-dairy milk of some kind is an obvious must for blending–the richer the milk the more dessert-like the smoothie.
To amp up the naturally caramel flavor, I added a few fun additions. Maca powder for it’s earthy butterscotch malt flavor. Vanilla bean powder because caramel anything should always involve vanilla. And most importantly sea salt because everything sweet is better with a little sprinkle of the stuff, but it compliments caramel especially well.
Chocolate drizzle. Even though it is made with all sorts of healthy things, this smoothie still qualifies as dessert in my mind. So melting chocolate chips and drizzling that silky goodness on top to make a magic spiderweb of chocolate shell is my personal preference.
But if you wanted a healthier option, nut butter is the way to go. You can buy all sorts of chocolate almond/peanut/hazelnut butters pretty easily these days. Or make your own with a mix of nut butter (the thinner/more runny the better) + cacao powder + non-dairy milk to thin it out if necessary. It won’t harden the same way, but it may feel more appropriate if you are blending this up for breakfast.
This recipe is also the perfect sweet celebratory occasion to tell you that I am partnering with Natural Delights as a brand ambassador to bring you even more deliciously date-filled recipes. I couldn’t be more excited because not only do I love Medjool dates with every single one of my fruit-loving tastebuds, but Natural Delights is a brand that I have loved and trusted for years now to stock my kitchen with always the best squishysweet Medjools for baking, blending, snacking, and everything in between!
Salted Caramel Cookie “Twix” Smoothie Bowl
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
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Description
This salted caramel cookie Twix Smoothie Bowl recipe transforms chocolate bar into healthy snack for a vegan and naturally sweet banana-free blender treat!
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie crust
- 1/4 cup date paste
- 3 tbsp coconut flour
Caramel Smoothie
- 3/4 cup non-dairy milk
- 3–4 pitted Medjool dates
- 1–2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder ((or vanilla extract))
- 1 tsp maca powder ((optional))
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup frozen cauliflower ((steamed or blanched before freezing))
Chocolate Drizzle
- 2 tbsp chocolate chips ((see post above for a healthier option))
OR Nut Butter Chocolate Drizzle
- 2 tbsp nut butter of choice ((the thinner the better))
- 1 tsp cacao powder
- Non-dairy milk ((to thin out if necessary))
- Optional: 1 tsp maple syrup
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients for the cookie crust. Mix with a fork until crumbly.
- Press into the bottom of the bowl. There may be extra, you can save it for another smoothie another day.
- Blend the non-dairy milk, Medjool dates, maca powder, vanilla, chia seeds, and salt until smooth.
- Add the frozen cauliflower. Blend until thick and creamy.
- Pour on top of the cookie crust.
- Melt the chocolate chips. Drizzle on top of the smoothie and let it harden.
- Enjoy!
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This post is sponsored by Natural Delights, but all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that make Feasting on Fruit possible!
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