Almond Chocolate Coconut Bars (Vegan)

I’m going to get straight to the point. Peanut butter. Chocolate. Caramel.

Not only is this the most delicious vegan, healthy dessert. Ohhhh no no no, this is much better than that.

This is one of the best, delicious desserts I have ever made in all my years of cooking. “The best”. I know it’s a bit of a statement but creamy, crunchy and the perfect combination of salty and sweet this recipe deserves the every superlative in the book.

 So let me take a moment and break it down for you.

One perfectly proportioned slab of base formed from a mixture of warm earthy oats, crushed almonds bound together with dates soaked in coconut milk so sweet it would make your heart sing.

Next the filling, creamy peanut butter sprinkled with crispy rice cereal and softened to perfection with a touch of coconut oil. Possibly one of the reasons I was tempted to re-name this recipe “Dessert Slab of the Gods”.

Finally, because salty sweet peanut butter and a moist caramel date base is not nearly decadent enough for me, we are going to seal the deal with a layer of dark chocolate so soft and bittersweet it would make a grown man cry pure tears of joy. 

So now that you are appropriately drooling and attempting to lick your screen I’ll reveal the recipe, which is from the amazing healthy blogger none other than “Oh She Glows” with link here.

I made these for my brother and sister’s friends while they went to the beach house for the weekend and it was gone within the first 2 hours. Even better, not a one of them realized it was vegan and free of any refined sugars or saturated fats! 

Toasted Granola (Vegan)

Breakfast. It’s considered the most important meal of the day, and is only challenged as my personal favorite by dessert. Lets be honest chocolate basically trumps any other food. Interesting enough my great appreciation for all things breakfast-y started about a year ago, while before I saw it as a meal that wasn’t really necessary.

 When going vegan for a week I suddenly found myself interested in making my own food and one of the most successful discoveries over this time was home-made  toasted granola. It is so ridiculously simple, cheap and delicious that I’m surprised more people don’t have it as a staple in their home.

It seems silly to include a recipe, as you can basically add anything to personalize the granola to your liking from coconut milk, honey, dates, macadamias or chia seeds! Also this recipe is not only flexible in ingredients but quantity as well, so if you are unsure how a batch may turn out try making a bowlful or two before making it in bulk.

Here is the basic recipe;

4 Cups of whole oats (the larger the oats the healthier and crunchier it is!)

1 Cup of Buckwheat

2 cups of nuts/seeds

½ Cup dried apricot

1 T Cinnamon

1 Cup of dates soaked and drained in boiling water

¼ Cup Water

2tsp Vanilla Essence

Method;

1. In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients apart from the cinnamon spice.


2. Using a blender, blend the dates, water, vanilla essence and cinnamon spice into a smooth, thick sauce

3. Pour the sauce into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until all the dry ingredients are well coated.

4. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. Transfer the mixture to a baking tray lined with parchment paper and spread into a thin, even layer. Bake for 25-35 minutes, gently stirring every 10 minutes to ensure even browning. 

Allow to cool completely before storing in an air-tight container in the fridge or at room temperature. Will last for up to 3 weeks

Again this is so flexible so add in whatever flavour you love like almonds, cacao powder, pistachio nuts or cranberries! Also feel free to swap the dates for another sweetener like maple syrup or honey for the non-vegans out there.

So if you are as busy as I am whip a large batch of this in the weekend and add yoghurt bananas and milk for a quick breakfast on the go!