Caramelized Banana Frosting (Sugar-Free)

"Good Artists Copy, Great Artists Steal"

~Pablo Picasso

I recently re-watched Pirates of Silicon Valley in ten parts on youtube, of course. This is one of my favorite movies—for the story, not for any cinematic value. I love when Noah Wyle, playing Steve Jobs re-quotes Picasso, stating "good artists copy, great artists steal" and promptly utilizes everything that Xerox has inadvertently gifted to Apple Computers.

Similarly in cooking, I can almost never make a recipe exactly as printed but I definitely "steal" techniques and parts of the process from cookbooks and my favorite food bloggers. While watching Pirates of Silicone Valley and after months of attempts to concoct a frosting recipe that doesn't depend on large amounts of oil, is sweetened naturally but is worthy of the title "frosting," I thought about the first step in my favorite ice cream recipe, Roasted Banana Coconut Ice Cream over at Elana's Pantry. The caramelized bananas and dates had a waxy texture that I realized would be the perfect base for a frosting recipe. Who doesn't want to be a Pirate once in a while?

After adapting and "sampling" Elana's tecnique, I came up with a frosting recipe that was amazing in it's own right (not just for the gluten-free, sugar free, healthier category). Next time, I plan on doubling it so that I can pile it even higher on top of Banana Cupcakes or Coconut Flour Vanilla Cupcakes. All months ahead of Talk Like a Pirate Day— Arghhh!

Caramelized Banana Frosting

Pre-Heat Oven to 375º

2 medium bananas

3 medjool dates

1 Tbs. coconut oil, melted

1 Tbs. vanilla extract (make sure gluten-free)

1/2 C. coconut milk (light, okay)

2 Tbs. coconut oil, melted

2 Tbs. arrowroot powder (Cornstarch will work to if you're not trying to make it grain-free)

1. In a glass pyrex dish, slice the bananas and dates into 1 inch slices, toss in 1 Tbs. Melted Coconut Oil and 1 Tbs. Vanilla Extract.

2. Bake for approximately 25 minutes.

3. Puree the caramelized banana mixture with the coconut milk until smooth in blender, vita-mix or magic bullet and pour into a medium sized bowl.

4. Stir in melted coconut oil and arrowroot powder until combined well.

5. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Frosts 12 cupcakes lightly, double if you would like to pile on the frosting.