With me and my girlfriend both working from home a lot recently, I thought I’d make something a bit different that we could snack on throughout the day that was a bit healthier than the three slabs of Aero that we currently have sitting in our fridge.
These bite-sized treats are so quick, simple and really healthy too, with no added sweeteners, just the natural sugars from the dates.
I first saw these ‘cocoa nibbles’ posted by Janet on her Taste Space blog, a great source for healthy snacks and meals. As a strictly vegan blog, I was surprised to see a huge variety of desserts that you can make without butter/cream and refined sugars and flours, and really loved the array of ‘raw’ (no-baking) recipes that she has, including my favourites: raw key lime pie and raw strawberry cream tart. [I should note that she adapted this particular recipe for cocoa nibbles indirectly from Ricki of Diet, Dessert and Dogs.
I changed the recipe slightly, adding a bit more chocolate and substituted some of the almonds for some pumpkins seeds to give it a nuttier flavour.
INGREDIENTS
- 60g almonds (whole or flaked, doesn’t matter)
- 20g pumpkin seeds
- 150g dried dates
- 3 tbsp (around 30g) cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
- small handful of fresh mint leaves (optional)
This recipe couldn’t be simpler: all you need to do is throw the almonds, pumpkin seeds, dates and cocoa into a food processor and blitz until the mixture becomes a fine meal consistency. Add the vanilla paste and mint (if using) then turn the processor on again until the ingredients start to come together into a ball. This shouldn’t take very long, only about a minute I think.
Next, take the ‘dough’ out and mold into a log shape, wrap up in clingfilm and put in the fridge to firm up for a few hours (or however long you can wait without eating them). Slice into rounds and enjoy!
Alternatively, you could substitute the mint for anything you’d like, such as orange zest, fresh chilli or any ground spices like cinnamon.
mmmmm I bet an orange and cinnamon version would be good as a festive treat!
I love your addition of pumpkin seeds! i have since made these with all kinds of different nuts/seeds and they are a winner every time. How can you go wrong with chocolate, right?
Thanks for such a nice shout out. I love how you added pumpkin seeds! For another “oh my gosh, this is healthy??” dessert, this one is a definite crowd pleaser: http://tastespace.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/almost-guiltless-no-bake-chocolate-mousse-pie/
Wow that look’s like a gooden. Love tofu so going to have to give this one a try. I love your bases, so healthy and no baking needed! Thanks