Chocolate Ricemellow Creme Panini

Next up in our set of guest posts for the week is brought to you from Kim Garr of C’est la Vegan. She is the talented baker behind C’est la V Bakeshop, here in Los Angeles. She comes up with some really great recipes, especially some of her treats for entertaining. My mother enlisted her to do make scones and biscuits for my bridal tea. Kim is sweet woman and I’m so pleased to be able to share one of her recipes here.

I’m such a huge fan of Cute and Delicious, and I’m so excited to be doing a guest post while Alix and Shawn enjoy their honeymoon!

I actually used the idea of a honeymoon as my inspiration for this dish, hoping to come up with something that would make for a really decadent breakfast in bed.  I think this Chocolate Ricemellow Creme Panini with Raspberry Dipping Sauce fits the bill nicely, though I would gladly eat this any time of day – honeymoon or not!

This is actually very simple to make, and if you don’t have access to vegan ricemellow or marshmallows, you could substitute peanut butter instead, or just do a plain chocolate panini sandwich, which would still be really delicious.  The Raspberry Dipping Sauce is easy to make, and the tartness of the raspberries really helps to cut the sweetness of the sandwich.

This ooey, gooey treat is so incredible, and I’ll definitely make it again.  It kinds of feels like a special occasion sandwich to me, but let’s be honest, I could easily count a movie night as a special occasion!  I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

Chocolate Ricemellow Creme Panini with Raspberry Dipping Sauce

serves 2

• 1 pint raspberries
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar
• 4 slices good quality bread
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup ricemellow creme (or a few vegan marshmallows, halved if large so they lay flatter)
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, or chopped dark chocolate (you could also use dairy-free semi-sweet)
• 1-2 tablespoons Earth Balance non-hydrogenated margarine

Wash the raspberries and place them in a small saucepan over medium heat with the agave nectar (you can start with less agave and add more, depending on the sweetness of your berries).  Once you start to hear sizzling, stir the berries and start to break them up with a fork.  Turn the heat down, and simmer the mixture for a few minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat.

Heat your panini press or a large skillet.  Spread the margarine on the outsides of the slices of bread, or melt it in the pan if you don’t have a panini press.  Turn the bread over, and on the inside of each slice, spread 1-2 tablespoons of the ricemellow creme evenly over the bread.  Spread the chocolate chips over the ricemellow creme, and press the two sides together with the Earth Balance on the outside.  Place the sandwich in the panini press, and cook until the chocolate is melted.

Serve with the warm raspberry dipping sauce.  Enjoy!