Delicious homemade chocolate bars made healthier with nuts, dates and coconut oil.
Cookbooks… scattered in little piles all over my kitchen. I’m a little addicted to buying them. It might seem odd from someone who blogs recipes and works almost exclusively online but there’s something about turning the crisp pages of a cookbook that will always feel a bit special to me. So when the lovely Dannii from Hungry Healthy Happy recently brought out a cookbook of the same name I was really excited to get my hands on a copy.
I have been following Dannii’s blog for over a year now and I really love the whole ethos behind her recipes. Having lost almost 100lbs over the last few years, you’d be forgiven for thinking that her blog would very much be focused on diets and “diet food”. But rather surprisingly Dannii’s recipes instead concentrate on making small changes to otherwise normal food and maximising fruits and veggies. So regardless of whether you are trying to lose weight or just looking for new and healthy ideas to feed your family, her blog and now her brand new cookbook are a must read.
One recipe in particular which stood out to me in the cookbook was these Healthier Chocolate Bars. Packed full of nuts, dates and coconut oil, these little squares of delight make a really delicious and nutritious treat and are a great alternative to chocolate bars loaded with refined sugar. I’m actually eating one right now as I’m trying out this post… I can’t get enough!
Dannii has very kindly agreed to let me share her recipe for these chocolate bars with you. I halved her recipe as I wanted to make smaller kid-sized bites rather than the large chocolate bars, but for her full recipe check out her blog and of course her cookbook too (US Cookbook and UK Cookbook).
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Healthier Chocolate Bars from Hungry Healthy Happy
Prep Time: 3 hours 15 mins- Total Time: 3 hours 15 mins
Yield: 8 1x
Cuisine: European
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Delicious homemade chocolate bars made healthier with nuts, dates and coconut oil.
Ingredients
- Recipe by Dannii Martin from Hungry Healthy Happy
- For the base:
- 250g mixed nuts
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, warmed to a liquid
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 220g pitted dates, softened in boiling water for 10 mins and then drained
- For the topping:
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, warmed to a liquid
Instructions
- Line an 8x8in dish with plastic wrap or parchment paper.
- To make the base put the nuts into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the melted coconut oil and cocoa powder and process again to combine.
- Finally, add the dates and process until smooth.
- Put the mixture into the dish and pack it down evenly. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
- When the base is ready, make the topping. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and stir until combined. Pour the mixture over the base and use a spoon or spatula to spread it out evenly. Refrigerate again for another hour until the chocolate has set.
- Cut into 16 pieces and serve. The bars melt quickly so are best kept in the fridge.
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Viv says
So moorish! Really love these.
★★★★★
Jo says
Can I replace mixed nuts with something else which is of the healthier options?
Ciara Attwell says
Sorry I don’t think there are any substitutions given that nuts make up such a massive part of the ingredients. I have seen similar kinds of chocolate bars that use just dates though, so worth googling to see if you can find something like that!
Helen at Casa Costello says
I’ve just inhaled a very unappetising chocolate bar and very much wish it was one of these instead. Really looking forward to getting my copy of Dannii’s book -I’ve heard so much about it.
★★★★★
Ciara Attwell says
You’re going to love it, so many great recipes!
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
I’m glad you enjoyed them. To be honest, I can’t make these very often as I just eat them all. They are my favourite recipe from the book.
★★★★★
Ciara Attwell says
Ha ha! I’m exactly the same. Had to give some to my friend today as I was literally eating about 4 a day!!!
Helen @ family-friends-food.com says
Those look fabulous. Mind you, I have Dannii’s book and everything in it looks delicious – hard to choose what to make first!!
★★★★★
Ciara Attwell says
I know, right!! So many tasty recipes. Can’t wait to try some more!