Love chocolate? Love peanut butter? Please allow us to introduce these Chocolate Peanut Bars! #mindblown
extracted from The Happy Balance by Meghan Hallet & Nicole Jardim
I wish I could tell you that I’ve got my peanut butter addiction under control, but in all honesty, life is too short to be weighing out your PB, so eat up! Luckily, peanut butter can be a fabulous hormone-healthy ingredient. It’s healthy fat packed and high in plant-based protein. Add dollops to smoothies, spread it thickly on warm homemade bread and blend generous amounts into chocolate coated raw treats. I love these Chocolate Peanut Bars because each individual bar is ridiculously gooey, with whole roasted peanuts adding the most amazing crunch.
INGREDIENTS – Makes: 6 bars or 12 bite-sized squares
12 medjool dates,
stoned (soaked for
1 hour in warm water)
4 generous tbsp peanut
butter, crunchy or smooth
2 tbsp maca powder (optional)
150 g (5 1⁄2 oz)
roasted peanuts
150 g (5 1⁄2 oz) good-quality
85% solids dark chocolate
sea salt and a handful of crushed peanuts, to top
METHOD
Place the dates, peanut butter and maca powder into a food processor or blender and blend until completely smooth, gradually adding in a touch of the date soaking water as needed to help blend. It should be thick with no lumps.
Add half the roasted peanuts, pulsing for a couple of seconds until slightly broken up, before folding in the rest with a spoon.
Line a loaf tin with baking parchment and pour in the mix. Smooth it down using the back of a spoon, making sure the mix is level and spread equally. Transfer to the freezer for at least 2 hours to set.
Once set, remove from the tin and slice into roughly 5 cm (2 in) thick bars, or smaller bite-sized squares if preferred.
Melt the dark chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Completely submerge the frozen bars in the melted chocolate – I find using two forks helps.
Place on a board lined with fresh baking parchment, sprinkle over a few extra crushed peanuts and sea salt before placing the fridge to further set for 30 minutes.
Recipe extracted from The Happy Balance by Megan Hallett and Nicole Jardim. £20 White Lion Publishing
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