Description
If you compare these chocolate energy bars to similar fruit/nut bars sold at the store, I think they taste better, are nutritionally superior, and probably cheaper to make at home. The only problem is they look so good it takes your brain a millisecond to process that they’re not going to taste like the fudge brownies they resemble.
Ingredients
- 2 cups pitted Medjool dates, roughly chopped
- 2 cups raw cashews
- 1 cup raw or roasted unsalted almonds
- ¾ cup high-quality unsweetened cocoa powder (such as Guittard® Cocoa Rouge)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cold espresso, or more as needed (or water)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ pinch cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Place cashews
- almonds
- coconut
- dates
- cocoa
- coconut oil
- vanilla
- cold coffee
- cayenne and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse on and off to start. Process about 1 minute; check to ensure mixture is sticky and moist enough to stick together. Add more coffee if needed. Continue to process until mixture becomes a chunky mass.
- Line a baking pan with plastic wrap. Scoop mixture into pan. Press down with a spatula until mixture is even. Place a layer of plastic wrap on the surface and smooth again with your hands.
- Refrigerate until cold and firm
- 2 or 3 hours.
- Remove from the pan and unwrap. Cut into bars of your preferred size. Store in a zip top back in the refrigerator.
Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 3 hrs
Servings: 12