Thursday 24 January 2013

Cocoa Almond Yummies



Some people call them Larabars or energy bars. I call them Cocoa Almond Yummies and I don’t eat them for workout fuel although I’m sure you could.  These puppies are dairy free, gluten free, soy free and delicious.  Whenever I make a batch of these in this house they are gone, gone, gone.  I love that they are a ‘treat’ but have no junk in them.  Plus they are as about as easy to make as you can imagine.  Four simple ingredients go in the blender and then in the fridge.  That’s it.






 Cocoa Almond Yummies

Ingredients
  • 1 cup raw almonds
  • 1/4 cup cocoa
  • 10-12 pitted dates
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil

Directions
1. Place all the nuts in a food processor.  Blend until they are well chopped, not too fine but not too chunky either.

2.  Add the dates, coconut oil and cocoa.  Continue to process until they are well blended.

3.  Scoop the whole thing into a pan lined with parchment paper and use a spoon or wet hands to press into place.


4.  Pop it into the fridge for a few hours and then cut into desired size.

5. Serve chilled. 

Be sure to serve them chilled because they will fall apart if the coconut oil gets too warm.  My husband calls them Revenge Bars because they are "a dish best served cold".

Next time I think I’m going to try adding some coconut or maybe some cinnamon.  I’ll let you know how they turn out.  Be sure to share any variations that you have come up with below, I love hearing what other people have tried.  Thanks and enjoy!

 

5 comments:

  1. I make a similar baked cookie that is nut free, so my daughter can take it to school with her as a special treat. I absolutely love almonds, so I'll have to try these soon!
    -Laura

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    Replies
    1. Great idea to go nut free so you can send them to school. What do you use instead of the nuts?

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    2. I see other recipes call for seeds- sunflower, pumpkin- instead of a nut. I also wonder about using roasted chickpeas for a nutfree version, but maybe that's a little wierd!!!

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    3. I use a modified version of this recipe:
      http://carrotsncake.com/2008/05/coconut-date-cookies-to-die-for.html

      I add about 2 tbs of cocoa powder, substitute coconut oil for the canola, add less sugar (and us a different type), and use unsweetened coconut.
      They are really yummy!

      I bet you could oats and/or coconut in your recipe to make it nut-free.
      Laura

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  2. Chick peas are not that weird to use. The grocery store I shop at sells sugared chick peas- they are good.
    So I'm sure it would work, or else roasted soy beans and rice crisps.

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