Banana Caramel
Banana Caramels
I did some bake prepping this weekend while meal prepping. I'm working on a cookie recipe that uses banana caramel and made two batches. The one on the right has butter, and the one on the left has cocoa butter (which means it's dairy free and, if I use vegan sugar, vegan). The taste difference? Well, the butter one tastes ... buttery - the buttery caramel flavor that we're used to with traditional caramel. The banana flavor comes through as the primary flavor in the cocoa butter version. I wouldn't say it has a chocolate flavor exactly, more like the flavor of cocoa nibs without the bitterness. Both winners in my book!
Banana Caramel
-2 medium bananas - 225 grams
-150 grams (1 2/3 cups)sugar
-44 grams (about 3 tablespoons) salted butter or cocoa butter, cut into small pieces.
Mash the bananas up really well.
Put the sugar in an wide saucepan over medium heat. Make sure it’s in an even layer. Most of the recipes I read said that you should stir while heating, but when I did that I got a grainy mess that had to be cooked down to liquify. I had better luck with letting it sit without stirring for 5 to 10 minutes until the edges and some patches towards the middle started to melt. After it melted a bit I started to stir with a silicone spatula. Turn it down to medium low if you’re worried it’s cooking too fast. Cook until it’s golden brown and any sugar that’s crystalized has melted.
Add the bananas - all in one shot - and start stirring with a silicone spatula. It will foam and sputter. You may get a lump of hard caramel. Turn the heat to low and continue cooking until it’s smooth and any caramel that lumped together has melted. Cook for a minute or two longer.
When it’s all liquid and the bananas have cooked down into the caramel, add the butter or cocoa butter, a bit at a time, stirring to incorporate it. When it’s all melted in with no streaks or oily patches, take it off the stove to cool.
Yield: About 1 cup
TIPS: For a more liquid caramel you can pour like a sauce, add some cream in after the banana is mixed in.
