| ALMOND CHOCOLATE DATE BARS |
These epic snack bars are the perfect whole food dessert or afternoon pick me up. Naturally sweetened with brown rice syrup and chunks of dates, you'll hit all the sweet notes with none of the sugar crashes.
Picking the kind of chocolate you use is important. You want it to be rich and creamy, made with actual cacao, and in an ideal world, sweetened naturally. Zazubean hits ALL these notes. They also have a huge list of different flavours and sweeteners for you to choose from. I was inspired by the Almond Crunch Bar for today's recipe but check out their website for a bar that inspires you!
Recipe makes 6 bars
Macros per bar:
294 cals - 14g fat - 36g carbs - 6g protein
Ingredients:
1 cup raw almonds
4 large dates, pitted and chopped
1 cup rice puff cereal
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp brown rice syrup
1 Zazubean Almond Hazelnut Crunch Chocolate Bar
Sea salt
Recipe:
Preheat the oven to 300 F and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
To a mixing bowl add: almonds, chopped dates, rice cereal, brown rice syrup, and a pinch of salt. Using an oiled spatula or oiled hands, mix everything together really well.
Add the mixture to the prepared loaf pan.
Using an oiled spatula or simply wet your hands with water, press down on the bars so they're tightly fitting the loaf pan.
Bake at 300 F for 22-25 minutes.
Check the bars around 18 minutes to ensure they're not burning. They shouldn't get too browned even at 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before removing it from the pan.
Flip the bar - the bottom of the bar tends to look glossier as some of the syrup will have melted to the bottom and caramelized - and slice into 6 individual bars.
Melt the Zazubean Almond Hazelnut bar and pour onto a small plate.
Lay a piece of parchment down on the counter or on a flat plate.
Dip the bottom of the bars into the melted chocolate coating the bottoms.
Add to a parchment lined sheet.
If you have any chocolate left, use a spoon to drizzle over the tops of the bars.
Top with more sea salt.