I love Nakd bars, don't get me wrong - I've even written a post about them. Cocoa Crunch? I'm there. Cocoa Delight? Yes please. Do I want to try every single flavour they've ever made? Most definitely. However, as much as I love Nakd bars, I don't think my wallet is liking my obsession as much. So, when it's not willing to part with money for these bars I've been giving these homemade treats as an alternative. I won't be giving up Nakd bars anytime soon but when I'm want a fresh bar and I've got the ingredients in the house...these get are swiftly made.
To make these super easy and tasty snack bars you'll need :
- 200g pitted dates
- 100g cashew nuts
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- Begin by blitzing the nuts and cocoa powder in a food processor before slowly adding the dates. Add the dates slowly to avoid putting too much pressure on blade. This mixture may bind fairly quickly and soon begin to congregate around the blade so just make sure to keep an eye on it. You're looking for a mixture almost like a good cookie dough. I like leaving some chunks in the mixture to give it more of a chew and crunch.
- Once you've blended it all together, use a slightly wet hand to press the mixture down into a grease proof paper lined dish (I used a shallow rectangular pyrex dish). The thickness you should aim for is about an inch/inch & 1/2, although you can definitely make these as thick or as thin as you like. Then, place the dish into the fridge for it to harden up. Once it's set you can cut it all up into bars and tuck in. I keep mine in the fridge to make sure they keep their shape, as well as the fact they taste super good straight from the freezer! I'd recommend wrapping them individually in the freezer as you may end up struggling to get one bar away from another, like I quickly found out.
It's a simple as that! Three ingredients and about 30 mins later, you've got tasty bars ready to eat that are a lot better for you than something like a Mars bar. Depending on the size of your dish and thickness etc. this can make around 8-10 quite generous snack bars.
I'd love to know what you think of this recipe and if you give it a go, tweet me @afloralcrown.
I'm posting everyday as part of my 24 days of Christmas Fitness. Make sure to check back each day for a new post all the way up until Christmas Day!