As you probably know by now, I’m lactose intolerant (unfortunately) and yet since I do most of the cooking in our house, so my poor boyfriend David is pretty much spared of all cheese, milk and dairy products. I know he doesn’t mind too much (and actually prefers almond milk with his porridge) but when it comes to date night, I do try and make sure there’s a treat or two that offers something more exciting for him. Because lets face it, as fab as sweet potato brownies sound (and compensate for my chocolate void), they aren’t a patch on the real thing. Sorry Deliciously Ella.
Anyway, I’ve been trying to come up with something fun for both of us to do – that’s slightly different from yet another cinema trip or yet another meal out in a fancy restaurant that I’ve scrutinised the menu of before venturing to. I wanted something fun, interactive – and more important, full of dairy goodness for David!
So taking inspiration from the Magnum Pleasure Store pop-up that we saw in passing inSouth Molton Street earlier in the year – we thought we’d create our very own ‘Design Your Own Magnum’ date – in the comfort of our own home. Aren’t we fancy, eh? It would mean that I could get creative and do some fancy flat lays for Instagram and David could eat the chocolate creations. Two birds with one stone and all that.
A trip to the local supermarket later and we were all stocked up with everything we needed to get going. While the original chocolate and caramel magnums were a tempting offer, my inner Instagrammer intercepted and we ended up taking home the white chocolate and pink versions. The latter of which is actually raspberry ice cream and raspberry sauce coated in a pearlescent pink chocolate layer. Yum! Plus of course, a variety of toppings that we thought would look both picture perfect and taste good. Priorities?
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So if you missed out on the Magnum Pleasure Store, you’re more than welcome to follow my recipe below. Take David’s word for it – they’re delicious – and he ate two!
You will need:
- Magnums of your choice. There’s four in a pack so invite a few friends round, or make them all for yourself. I won’t judge!
- Pistachios. I’m not entirely sure whether you can buy these readily smashed but if so, I’d recommend it. I made a complete mess of the kitchen smashing these with a knife – but it was fun and they taste yummy! So there’s pros and cons.
- Himalayan Rose Pink Crystal Salt. It’s not quite as hard to get hold of as it sounds and take my word for it, once you try this stuff – you probably won’t go back to normal salt.
- Melted cooking chocolate. We opted for milk, but feel free to get creative and go with whatever you fancy. The cooking chocolate aisle is best for this kind of stuff as it melts quicker, is harder to burn (we’ve all been there) and it drips better. Technical term, obviously.
- Sprinkles or pretty bits. I mean, your ice cream will probably taste just as yummy without – but for the prettiness, I’d recommend a few – or maybe hundreds and thousands. I’m. So. Hilarious…
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Method
Once you’re all stocked up and ready to go, it’s time to melt your chocolate and lay everything out on the table. There’s no real need to have a plan in place since it will taste delicious in pretty much any order. But I would recommend dripping over your chocolate first, so there’s something for all your other delights to cling onto.
Next up, smash and sprinkle your pistachios – calm in the knowledge that even if you miss the ice cream – it will make for a super pretty Instagram flat lay. Yay!
Then, lightly dust a layer of pink salt. You don’t want it too salty but a tiny, teeny layer can really bring out the flavours of the chocolate and juxtapose with the sweetness, creating a whole new level of chocolate enjoyment. Check me out!
And finally, if you really want to overload on the sweetness, sprinkle over your pretty toppings. I couldn’t decide between blue and white shimmering snowflakes or pink and white sugar pearls. I suppose depending on how festive you’re feeling, you could decide on one or the other. Or just try both!
So there you have it. A tasty treat which can be enjoyed from the comfort of your own sofa – recommended (by me) to compliment a glass of wine or bubbly!
And if you’re not totally convinced by mine, perhaps you’ll be more impressed by these Magnum creations instead, as designed by Rebecca Minkoff, Kendall Jenner, Veronica Ferraro and Lovely Pepa.
Is it something you’ll be giving a go? Which toppings would you choose?
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This post was created in collaboration with Magnum, but as always – all views, opinions and creative (or not so creative) ideas, are entirely my own.
