What to make this Sunday: Raw vegan chocolate cannolis

This is a simple healthy alternative to the Italian classic.

A raw, vegan take on the Italian patisserie classic, cannolis make a lovely treat for afternoon tea. Our version teams a crispy buckwheat biscuit dipped in Pana Chocolate and nuts, with a smooth, creamy centre. Bellissimo!

Chocolate Cannolis
Makes 20-30

Ingredients

For the cannolis

• 85g raw buckwheat
• 60ml filtered water, plus extra for soaking
• 1 banana
• 2 medjool dates, pitted
• 45g bar of Pana Chocolate of your choice
• activated nuts of your choice, finely chopped

For the chocolate mousse filling

• 2 x 45g bars of Pana Chocolate Raw Cacao
  
• 160ml coconut oil
  
• 400ml coconut cream
  
• 90g cashews, soaked
  
• 80ml coconut nectar
  
• 2 pinches of Himalayan pink salt

Method

1  Soak the buckwheat in filtered water for at least 6 hours. Strain and rinse thoroughly, then blend with the banana, dates and 60ml of water until smooth. Weigh 10g of the mixture and place onto a non-stick sheet.?Using a palette knife, form the mixture into a circle approximately 6cm in diameter. Dehydrate for 1 1/2 hours. When dehydrated correctly, the circles should be flexible and easy to shape. If not, leave to dry a little longer in the dehydrator.

2  Shape the cannoli over a cylindrical object, such as a rolling pin, and stick the ends together with a little of the remaining mix. Allow to dry overnight until crispy. Slowly melt the chocolate over a bain-marie, then dip the ends of the cannoli tube in the melted chocolate. Dip the chocolate-covered ends into the chopped activated nuts and allow to set.

3  To make the filling, melt the chocolate and coconut oil together over a bain-marie. Blend all the other ingredients together until the mixture is very smooth. Add the melted chocolate and oil mixture and blend until well incorporated, then set aside for assembly.

4  Pipe filling into cannoli tubes just before serving.

Tip: Raw buckwheat will swell once soaked.

Extracted from Pana Chocolate: The Recipes by Pana Barbounis (Hardie Grant, approx €20). Photography – Armelle Habib.