Healthy Dark Chocolate Energy Bars {Gluten & Nut Free!}

Snack bars are one of the easiest things to make rather than buy and if you're looking for a gluten and nut free one for lunchboxes then this is the perfect recipe for you. A recipe developed by chef Shakti Grace of Nourished & Nurtured it is the perfect balance of healthy and the deliciousness of dark chocolate!

These bars are fabulous for when you need an energy boost plus as Shakti pointed out, they're great for school lunchboxes because they are nut and gluten free. I gave them to Mr NQN in his lunchbox and he loved the flavour with rose and mint. I really loved the smaller ones robed in dark chocolate because well, more chocolate is always better.

I needed these when I went on a shoot recently. I was a guest on a food tv show and the only time we could find to shoot was a Sunday. Not wanting to make it too early the call time for makeup was 10am and by 11am I was ravenous because I had not eaten breakfast. I wish I had packed one of these bars in my bag and before long I was staring at the measured out ingredients in a most lascivious way. "I want you!!" was my look.

I may have been slightly crazed. In fact one of the camera operators suddenly yelled "Cut! Can we start from the beginning? Lorraine was looking down the barrel of the camera in a really creepy way," he said. From then on I avoided looking at the camera but all I could think of was food.

Don't be like me Dear Reader and have one of these bars on hand. And please don't be scared off by the ingredients list. Pretty much most of it can be found at those scoopable stores and Shakti has put a note at the end of the recipe about each ingredient. They do keep for a while in an airtight container if you don't end up nibbling at it all and they help ward off "creepiness+".

So tell me Dear Reader, do you always eat breakfast? And more chocolate or less? And what is your favourite healthy snack?

+Well this I can't always guarantee ;)

Healthy Dark Chocolate Energy Bars {Gluten & Nut Free!}

An original recipe by Shakti Grace, Nourished + Nurtured

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

• 70g/2.5ozs. Alchemy Cacao Elixir Powder or Cacao Powder
• 60g/2ozs. Coconut syrup
• 120g/4ozs. Coconut Oil, Virgin or Purified
• 15g/0.5ozs. Mesquite powder
• 1 tsp Ceylon Cinnamon powder
• 2 Drops high grade Peppermint Oil optional or fresh mint
• 125g/4.4ozs. Medjool dates pitted
• 75g/2.7ozs. Tahini paste, hulled
• 100g/3.5ozs. Coconut, unsweetened desiccated
• 70g/2.5ozs Pumpkin seeds
• 100g/3.5ozs. Amaranth popped

For chocolate dip or drizzle

• 100g/3.5ozs. dark chocolate
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon of rose powder
• Pinch of salt

Step 1 - Line a square baking dish. Melt cacao elixir powder, coconut syrup, coconut oil, mesquite, cinnamon together over double boiler, add essential oil stir through and leave to infuse.

Step 2 - Add above ingredients to blender or thermomix with dates and tahini and puree up well to a paste/caramel consistency.

Step 3 - Mix coconut, pumpkin seeds and amaranth together in another bowl. Add caramel paste to dry ingredients and mix by hand in bowl until well melded. Press into a baking paper lined square pan and even out with a spatula. Mark them at this stage for easier cutting. Freeze to set well.

Step 4 - Melt chocolate in microwave or over double boiler and add coconut oil, rose powder (or rose water) and salt. Cut marked bars then drizzle with melted chocolate or even dip 1/2 of each bar in chocolate.

Notes:

Amaranth is a seed not a grain and is well utilised in Mexico and South America. It has a high protein content, calcium and is considered an anti inflammatory.

Mesquite is a pod traditionally from North America and also Peru. With butterscoth overtones it has a good protein profile, a great ration of magnesium to calcium and is also slightly sweet so perfect for raw morsels and desserts.

Alchemy Cacao Elixir is a pure, clean blend of Cacao, Reishi (an adaptogenic medicinal mushroom) with Rose, Cinnamon, Maca, Mesquite + Coconut Nectar. The Cacao Elixir is great added to coffee as a mocha, or as a replacement for coffee as the Reishi tonifies the system. It is also great as treats, cakes, chocolates, anywhere that cacao or cocoa would be used, and tastes like Milo added to your milk of choice.

Rose Powder is the fine ground red rose petals. While also pretty delicious, it is medicinal also. Rose is great for the heart and for moving the circulation + purifying the blood. Rose also has a gorgeous scent and aroma.