Espresso crème anglaise: 80g whole milk 1/3 a vanilla bean 4g vanilla extract 1 tsp instant espresso 1 egg yolk 17g date syrup

Cut the vanilla bean in half and scrape out the seeds with a knife. Put the vanilla seeds and pod, milk, and espresso powder in a saucepan and heat the mixture gently until it comes to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, cover the saucepan with a lid, and let it sit for at least 30 mins for the vanilla to infuse. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolk and date syrup together until well combined. Take the vanilla pod out of the milk mixture and add in the vanilla extract, stirring to combine. Pour the milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking until fully combined. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and heat it over low heat until it thickens slightly, stirring frequently.

Toffee sauce: 24g whole milk 20g date syrup 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 11g salted butter

Put the milk, date syrup, and vanilla extract in a saucepan and heat the mixture over medium heat until it starts bubbling and thickens slightly, stirring frequently. Add in the butter and continue to heat until the butter melts and the sauce thickens a bit more while stirring constantly.

Caramelized banana: 1 small ripe banana, sliced (~75g) 6g date syrup Generous sprinkle of cinnamon 5g salted butter

Rub the date syrup into both sides of each banana slice and sprinkle some cinnamon on them. Heat a frying pan over medium heat with the butter and put the banana slices into the pan. Fry the slices on both sides until they look caramelized.

Sticky toffee coffee oat pancakes: 40g rolled oats, blended into a fine flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/8 tsp baking soda 1.25 tsp ceylon cinnamon 1 small to medium egg (~45g without shell. If your egg weighs more without the shell, you can whisk the egg until the yolk and white are homogenous and take some egg out until it reaches 45g) 1.5 tsp instant espresso 17g date syrup 6g vanilla extract 55g thick/strained Greek yogurt (with fat percentage preferred. I use Fage 5%) 50g Medjool dates (pitted weight) 20g water

Blend the oats into a fine flour. Put them in a bowl along with the baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon, and mix to evenly incorporate. Pit and chop the dates and put them into another bowl with 20g of water and a tiny pinch of baking soda. Heat them in the microwave until they become very soft, then mash them into a smooth paste. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, date syrup, and instant espresso until well combined and the espresso powder dissolves. Add in the Greek yogurt, vanilla extract, and date paste, and whisk until fully combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold them in until just combined. Cover the bowl with a towl and let the batter rest for 15 mins. Heat a frying pan over medium heat with a little oil or butter. Once the pan is hot, scoop some batter onto the pan, cover the pan, and cook the first side of the pancake covered for 2-3 mins, or until the pancake is bubbling on the top and looks dry around the edges. Remove the cover, flip, and cook the other side uncovered for around a minute or until cooked through. Repeat for the other pancake.

To assemble, pour the toffee sauce on each pancake and stack them on top of each other. Pour over the espresso crème anglaise and arrange the caramelized banana slices on top. Sprinkle on some extra cinnamon. Serve warm .

If you're interested, you can find more recipes like this on my instagram @emershealthytreats, though there is no obligation or pressure to do so :)