I've slightly adapted a recipe from the minimalist baker for these breakfast bars - their recipe is delicious and I've just tweaked to my own taste and to what I have in the cupboard (as my mum put it - every day seems like an episode of Ready Steady Cook at the moment!). These bars are sticky and messy, like all the best food. They're also super easy to adapt based on what you have in the house - if you prefer peanut butter to almond butter, go for it! If you don't have honey or maple syrup, you can sub in any sort of syrup or agave. If not almonds, then you can add another sort of nut or seed. And the chocolate is totally optional, but definitely worth it! The mixture is still warm when you add the chocolate, so it melts slightly as you stir, which means you end up with gorgeous chocolatey-ness throughout. What's great about these is they're naturally sweet, without any refined sugar. I'm really not averse to sugar - I think it's important to have treats in a balanced diet, but I like to avoid anything too unhealthy for breakfast / snacks. I've also had that lockdown snacking reflex in full swing this past week, so I needed something that would satisfy the cravings and keep me full for longer.
Ingredients
300g dates
50g honey
50g maple syrup
50g almond butter
40g almonds, chopped
50g ground almonds
135g rolled oats
100g dark chocolate (optional - although trust me, it's worth it)
Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Toast the oats, almonds and ground almonds for 10 minutes.
2. In a food processor blend the dates until they form into a ball.
3. In a saucepan gently heat the almond butter, honey and maple syrup until melted together. Add to the dates and blend until you have a thick puree. Tip this into a large mixing bowl, then add the oats, chopped almonds and ground almonds. Mix until combined - this will be sticky and a bit of hard work, but persevere!
4. Roughly chop the chocolate into small pieces and stir through the mixture.
5. Line a square or rectangular tray (approx. 20cm) with cling film and tip the mixture into the tray. Press down firmly until flat then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes until set. You can then slice into bars.
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