Description
Deliciously sweet and salty, no-bake chocolate almond square that are easy to make with a food processor, no baking required! You’ll love this recipe for a yummy vegan dessert.
Ingredients
For the Bars:
- 1 cup rolled oats (100 g)
- 1 cup raw almonds (150 g)
- 1/2 cup almond or peanut butter (120 g)
- 1 cup packed, pitted dates (220 g)
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder (25 g)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt, optional
- 1 tsp vanilla, optional
For the Chocolate Topping:
- 2/3 cup dairy-free chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate (120 g)
- 2 tbsp almond or peanut butter (30 g, see notes)
Instructions
- If your dates are overly dry (or if you’re unsure if they’re soft enough), soak them (pitted) in hot water for 15 minutes then drain well before using in the recipe. It’s ok if they’re wet when you add them to the recipe but make sure any excess water as been drained off.
- Add 1 cup each of oats and raw almonds to a food processor and blend into a grainy flour consistency. A few larger pieces of almonds left behind are ok but it should be mostly broken down.
- Add 1 cup of packed dates, 1/2 cup nut butter of choice, 1/4 cup of cocoa powder and the optional salt and vanilla, if using.
- Blend the mixture into a thick, sticky dough you can press between your fingers. If it seems too crumbly. Add 1-2 tbsp warm water and process again.
- Line a 7 or 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper so it sticks out over the edges of the pan.
- Use your hands to firmly press the chocolate dough into the pan until flat, working it into the corners and smoothing the surface as best you can.
- Melt 2/3 cup chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate using a double boiler or stirring every 15-20 seconds in the microwave. Stir until completely smooth and creamy and no clumps remain. Mix in the 2 tbsp of nut butter.
- Spread the melted chocolate over the bars in the pan.
- Place the entire pan in the freezer until the chocolate has completely hardened, about 20-30 minutes.
- Use the edges of the parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan.
- Warm a knife under hot water then use it to score the bar into 16 squares (create lines where you plan to slice).
- Following the lines, slice into 16 squares.
Notes
Storing: Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freezer for up to 2 months.
Nut Butter: Try peanut butter for chocolate peanut butter bars, otherwise any nut or seed butter works, as long as it’s somewhat drippy and not too dry.
The 2 tbsp of nut butter added to the melted chocolate makes it softer, more like a ganache, and prevents cracking. You can omit it if you like, the chocolate topping will just be harder, which is fine, just take care and use a warm knife when you slice it.
Oats may be substituted with an additional cup of almonds.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 225
- Sugar: 15 g
- Fat: 13 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 6 g