First posted: Feb 1, 2018
Power Bars
These are good. These are packed full of all kinds of natural, nutritious, healthy, delicious amazingness; they are no-bake and take about 10 minutes to make; and they are the perfect afternoon pick-me-up.
A few caveats before I continue – I make just palm-sized ones, because they’re so nutrient-dense and quite sweet, that’s all you need. Also, they have dates in them, and they are very high in natural sugars (fructose) – in fact, I always explain them to Sophie as ‘nature’s caramels’, so tread lightly, just one at a time will do. This is why I balance out the bulk of the recipe with lower-sugar dried fruits like apricots or cranberries. On the flip side, there are lots of slow energy releasing ingredients like dried apricots and ground almonds and mixed seeds; and food superheroes like cacao, baobab powder, chia seeds and coconut oil.
*Recipe from my book Wholesome
Ingredients
Cooks in: Serves:Makes about 20
- 1 cup pitted dates
- ½ cup dried apricots
- 1 cup dried cranberries (with no added sugar)
- 1 cup ground almonds (or cashews)
- ½ cup whole almonds
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- ¼ cup mixed seeds (I use a mix of pumpkin, sunflower and linseeds)
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup nut butter
- 2 Tbsp baobab powder (optional)
- 2 Tbsp raw cacao powder
- 1 Tbsp hemp seed powder (optional)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- pinch of salt
- You could also add 1/2 cup oats (certified gluten-free if necessary) and/or ½ cup desiccated coconut to make them go further.
- You might need to add up to ¼ cup extra liquid if you do.
- You will also need a food processor, and a 20 cm square baking tin lined with nonstick baking paper.
What to do
1. Place the dates and apricots in a large heatproof bowl or glass jug and cover with hot water. Leave to soak for 5–10 minutes while you add the remaining ingredients to a food processor. 2. Drain the dried fruit (reserving the liquid) and add to the food processor. Blitz well for about 2 minutes, until everything comes together in a sticky paste, although I prefer it still a little chunky and not absolutely smooth. Add a little of the reserved fruit-soaking water as you blend if you need to. You don’t want the mixture to be too wet though as then you won’t get nice solid bars. 3. Tip the mixture into your lined baking tin, and spread and smooth out using the back of a tablespoon (dipped in water from time to time so it doesn’t stick to the mixture). 4. Place the baking tin in the freezer for up to 1 hour, remove and cut into squares or bars. Wrap the individual bars in baking paper and store in the fridge for up to two weeks, or in the freezer for up to a month. Espresso Bliss BallsI love these! Take the same ingredients, along with 1 tsp instant espresso powder and instead of pressing the mixture into a baking dish and cutting into squares, take the blended mixture and roll it into small truffle-sized balls. Roll gently in a little raw cacao powder or finely chopped nuts if you like, and refrigerate in an airtight container. You can also add in a handful of rolled oats to make the mixture go further. Photo Credit @Curtis Gallon
Food Superheroes
Gluten Free
Kids Favourites
Refined-sugar Free
Snacks and Sides
Wholesome Cookbook
