Healthy date snack bars

 

I have gotten a lot of request for healthy snacks lately so I thought I would share this easy recipe with you. These little nutty date bars are perfect to bring as a healthy snack to school/uni/work or wherever really and a big plus is that they are not only healthy and nutritious, but also super tasty - almost brownie like! Another big plus is that you can easily substitute most of the ingredients (except the dates) with whatever you have available, I think these would also taste great with coconut filling or maybe dried berries? I will definitely have to experiment with different flavors next time, let me know if you have some good ideas for the filling :)

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup dates, packed

2 tablespoons raw cacao powder

1 cup mixed almonds and hazelnuts

2 tablespoons chia seeds

Directions:

1. Place the dates in a food processor and pulse until you get a gooey paste. Empty the food processor into a mixing bowl.
2. Place the nuts in the food processor and pulse until they’re chopped into little pieces, but be careful or it will turn into flour.
3. Add the chopped nuts, the cacao powder and the chia seeds into the mixing bowl with the date paste. Knead the ingredients together until everything is well mixed and you have a cohesive dough.
4. Line a pan, plastic container or whatever you have available with baking paper and add the dough - make sure you press it in real tight and leave it in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.
5. Now, all there is left to do is to slice the dough into your desired size (I got 6 bars from this) and they’re ready to eat, enjoy!

Inspired by Use Real Butter        

Raw chocolate cake

Cake:

1/3 cup raw almonds

1 tbsp. chia seeds

1 tbsp. flax seeds

1/4 cup oats

1/2 cup chopped dates, packed

1 tbsp. coconut oil

4 tbsp. raw cacao powder

2 tbsp. shredded coconut

1 tbsp. honey (or sweetener of choice, agave stevia etc.)

4 tbsp. water

Chocolate sauce: 

2 tbsp. melted coconut oil

1 tbsp. honey (or sweetener of choice, agave stevia etc.)

2 tbsp. raw cacao powder

The recipe is inspired by My Happy Place – check out her amazing blog for lots of inspiration!

Directions: 

1. Place all the cake ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until everything is well mixed.
2. If the mixture is too dry, simply add more water and if it’s too wet, add more oats or shredded coconut
3. Place the mixture into your container of choice lined with baking paper and pack it in tight and flat and place in the freezer for 1/2 hour or so
4. While the cake sits in the freezer you can prepare the chocolate sauce. On very low heat, place the coconut oil in a bowl over a pan of water and melt slowly. 
Once melted add raw cacao powder and mix well. Add the sweetener of choice, taste, and add more if you prefer a sweeter taste. Drizzle the chocolate sauce over the cake and add your toppings of choice, I added some chopped almonds and hazelnuts.
5. And you are done, enjoy! I served the cake with fresh strawberries and skyr mixed with a little honey (similar to quark or Greek yoghurt). 

Store the cake in the fridge or freezer until serving.

Homemade raw heart chocolates

Here we go, a recipe for homemade heart shaped chocolates just in time for Valentine´s Day! I'm single (whatever, who needs men when you have chocolate;)) so I will be sharing these with my girlfriends, but if you're spending Valentines with a special someone this could be a good idea for a healthy dessert/treat.

Ingredients:

For the chocolate

100 g. raw cacao butter

7 tblsp. raw cacao powder

1 tblsp. coconut oil

A little sea salt - optional

Sweetener of choice, agave, honey, coconut sugar etc.

Ideas for the filling - optional :

Hazelnuts

Almonds

Goji berries

Dates
Chia seeds

Shredded coconut

Directions:

1. First of remember that all utensils must be dry or the chocolate will separate.
2. On very low heat, place the cacao butter and coconut oil in a bowl over a pan of hot water and melt slowly. 

3. Once melted, add raw cacao powder (the chocolate should be runny and easy to pour, so add the cacao slowly to make sure it doesn’t get too thick) and sea salt and mix well – I’ve found that using a metal whisk gives the best result. 
4. Add the sweetener of choice, taste, and add more if you prefer a sweeter taste.
5. When the mixture suits your taste, add your fillings of choice into the silicone mould (can be left out) and pour the chocolate into the mould using a spoon and place in the fridge or freezer for 1 hour or so.
6. Enjoy! 

Store the chocolate in the fridge; it will melt a bit if you store it at room temperature