Easy no-bake dessert ready in fifteen minutes. It's positively delicious and packed with rich chocolate-rum flavours, a perfect weekend indulgence alongside a cup of tea or to show off at a dinner party.

Vegan Chocolate Salami! I've waited for so long to share this recipe here on my blog. This is the one dessert that my paternal grandmother made for me all the time. I made this dessert after her classic recipe but adapted the ingredients to a plant-based lifestyle and added a few more to enhance the chocolate flavour.

I can't believe I waited for over ten years to remake this delicious dessert that it's truly irresistible.

Now, there are many versions of chocolate “salami" out there, but I kept mine simple. You can surely add nuts, raisins or anything else your heart desires and make it even more decadent. I'm not a fan of using butter in my desserts since I'm trying to stick as closely as possible to a whole food plant-based lifestyle. But, I did make a few exceptions to recreate some of the traditional desserts I grew up with. Check out my Traditional Walnut Sweet Bread.

Star Ingredients:

- Dark Chocolate 75% and up. With nutty notes, reduced sugar, bittersweet, a powerful antioxidant source, healthy snack and known to lower blood pressure.

- Vegan butter. A plant-based alternative to dairy butter, lower in saturated fats and higher in monounsaturated fats. Recommended choosing a non-GMO and organic plant-based butter that contains quality ingredients (excluding palm oil if possible).

Flavour-Boosting Tips:

- Dark Chocolate is enhanced by spices such as cinnamon, allspice, ginger, lemongrass, nutmeg.

- Best ingredient affinities with chocolate are caramel-coffee, cherries-nuts, coffee-orange, pistachios-orange.

Alternative Ingredients:

- Dark Chocolate. Raw cocoa or carob powder. If using powdered alternatives, increase the wet ingredients to reach the dessert's right consistency.

- Vegan butter. Traditional dairy butter (vegetarian option) or raw coconut oil (recipe not tested with coconut oil).

Serving Suggestions:

- Add crushed nuts for a crunchy texture (pistachios, walnuts, pecans), and coat with cocoa powder, icing sugar, finely crushed nuts.

- Serve alongside a cup of coffee, tea, or cold milk.

This recipe's so easy to make, my friends, entry-level easy. No-bake desserts are, by far, my favourite. This recipe's success lies in the resting time and allowing the flavours to combine at cold temperatures. The big plus is that it will keep in the fridge for longer than any of the desserts I know. But trust me, it won't last because it's too tasty and hard to keep away. :)

Cheers!

T

Vegan

Refined Sugar-Free

Gluten-Free

Nut-Free

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 5 min.

Chill time: 6 hours minimum (overnight recommended)

Serves: 10-12 (two small "salami")

RECIPE

Vegan Chocolate Salami

Ingredients:

250 g – biscuits (vegan, GF or preferred type)

90 g – dark Chocolate 75% and up (vegan, GF)

½ cup (one stick) – organic vegan butter

½ cup (95 g) – organic coconut sugar

½ cup (125 g) – plant-based milk

3 tsp (13 g) – organic rum extract

2 tsp (4 g) – instant coffee powder (optional)

½ tsp (2 g) – Himalayan salt

¼ tsp (1.42 g) – org cinnamon powder

Directions:

Step 1

Add dark chocolate pieces and butter to a medium-sized pot to melt on the stove on low. Whisk until the chocolate has melted completely. Mix in the coconut sugar, salt, cinnamon powder and instant coffee (optional). Stir continuously for sugar to dissolve. Lastly, add in the milk, rum essence. Whisk for another minute until all ingredients are fully incorporated, place a lid on and set aside on the warmer.

Step 2

Add all biscuits to a large bowl and break them into small pieces using your hands.

Step 3

Pour dark chocolate mixture over the biscuit pieces, and fold in ingredients using a silicon spatula. Fold ingredients until Chocolate covers all biscuits.

*Note: if the biscuit mixture is too dry, add in one or two tablespoons of warm milk. The consistency of the mix can vary depending on the type of biscuits you choose to use.

Step 4

Spread a large food plastic wrap on your workstation, place half of the chocolate biscuit mix on one end, spread it along close to the edge, start rolling, and shape the salami into a log, keeping a tight roll all the way. Wrap the ends closed. Repeat the step to make up the second salami log. Refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours (overnight recommended).

The prolonged refrigeration improves the flavour of the dessert.

Step 5

When ready to serve, remove the plastic wrap carefully (cutting each end first), and dust with sifted coconut flour (for a healthier version) or icing sugar if preferred.

Enjoy cold along with a cup of tea!

Keep the leftover logs refrigerated and consume them within one week.

It can be refrigerated (packed in containers) for up to a month or kept in the freezer for up to six months or more.