Raw cacoa energy bars

Post by Jo @ Including Cake

There have been lots of ‘bar’ tests going on in recent days and weeks in light of a few new events on the horizon…

You will have no doubt noticed that the website has been totally re-designed! 

Changes are taking shape…and it’s very exciting!

The Real Food Source and Including Cake have pooled ideas and skills to offer something a little different. Soon we hope to bring you a range of products as well as the raw ingredients already offered. More on all that very soon, but for now as little bar that came about during part of my development process and very worth of a post in its own right.

This bar is a little bit special as it uses raw cacoa nibs. Most cocoa products regardless of whether or not  they claim to be raw are not actually so, since the beans need to be roasted to bring out the intensity of the chocolate flavour. These bars on the other hand work with the subtle cocoa undertones and along with real vanilla beans it creates a more mellow bar. The ingredients are simply blended together and packed down firmly before slicing.  The other clever thing about this recipe is that is uses very few ingredients but uses them in different ways i.e whole oats plus oat flour, whole cocoa nibs plus ground cacao powder, whole dates plus date paste. Go ahead and blend the everything if you prefer to omit the  chunks, I tried it both ways and it works that way too!

You can add other nuts, seeds and spices into the mix if you fancy, making sure you retain roughly the same ratio of ‘wet’ to dry ingredients….go ahead and create you very own little experiment. 

Enjoy!

Recipe: Raw cacoa energy bars

Makes approx 10-12 squares

Ingredients

150g dates (made into paste)

20g chia mixed with 50ml water (to form a gel)

50g dates (chunks)

60g gluten free oats (oat flour)

60g gluten free oats (whole)

½ tsp real vanilla powder

15g raw cacoa nibs (ground)

Handful of cacoa nibs pressed into top- optional

Method

In a food processor whizz half of the oats and cacoa nibs to form a ‘flour’. Set aside.

Add the dates and chia mix to the processor and blend for a few seconds until a sticky paste forms. 

Add the flour along with the vanilla and remaining dates, pulse to combine and breakup the dates so that they are small chunks.

Add the remaining oats and lightly pulse to combine so that the oats remain mostly whole, if the mixture is a little too sticky to handle add a few more oats or cacao.

Press into a smallish tin, lined with parchment for easy removal adding a handful of extra cacao nibs to the surface if desired.

Chill for an hour or so before slicing.