Chocolate Almond Butter Bars

Just like a lot of you, I’ve been self isolating for the past week or so which means I’ve had all the time in the world to brainstorm recipes! I’ve been wanting to creat something like this for a while, and naturally I opted for using my fave flavour, Lucuma Turmeric. I feel like Spirulina Coconut would be really good in this recipe too, OR our new seasonal flavour, Hemp Hibiscus… but I’ll leave that up to you!

You’ll notice this recipe uses 1 cup of almond butter, which is a full jar of Spreads by Cede almond butter… so if you don’t want to use the entire thing right off the bat, you can easily just cut this in half (that’s what I’ve been doing). Just use a loaf pan instead of an 8x8 and you’re good to go.

What you need:

For the bottom layer:

-1 ½ cup sunflower seeds

-1/4 cup cocoa powder

-dash sea salt

-1 cup dates, packed

-1 cup Lucuma Turmeric Almond Butter

-1 tbsp maple syrup

For the top layer:

-1 ¼ cup vegan chocolate chunks/chips

-7 tbsp coconut milk

-1 tbsp coconut oil

What to do:

1.       Start by preparing the bottom layer by adding the sunflower seeds, cocoa powder, and sea salt to a food processor and pulse into a meal. Remove from the bowl and set aside.

2.       Add the dates to the food processor and pulse until small bits remain (you may have to soak the dates in hot water for a few minutes before hand in order for them to break up into bits).

3.       Add the sunflower seed and cocoa mixture back in and blend until a loose dough is formed.

4.       Add the almond butter and maple syrup and blend again until it’s all combined.

5.       Transfer the dough to a greased 8x8 baking dish and spread evenly. You may have to press it down with your hands or a spatula to get an even, flat spread. Then set it aside.

6.       Add the chocolate to a medium mixing bowl.

7.       Add the coconut milk and coconut oil to a separate glass mixing bowl and microwave until hot but not boiling. Pour the coconut milk directly over the chocolate and stir vigorously to encourage it to melt. If the chocolate doesn’t fully melt, put it in the microwave for 30 second increments, stirring in between, until it’s all melted.

8.       Pour the chocolate over the dough mixture that you have added to the baking pan and make sure it is evenly coating the bottom layer. Add it back to the freezer to set until it’s firm enough to cut.

9.       Cut into desired sizes of bars and store in the freezer until they are ready to be eaten.

10.   Enjoy!