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Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Mint Cocoa Bars with Chia seeds


I'm usually not a big fan of most protein/snack bars.  I just don't like the way they taste.  Most of the time they taste too sweet and too artificial with the exception of a few (Cy & I both like Kind Bars).  So when I saw the recipe for this Cocoa Bar in my CSA Box I was very curious to see how they would turn out with such few ingredients. And you know what? They were delicious!  It was just the right amount of sweetness with the flavor of natural mint chocolate chip - one of my favorites {for ice cream ;)} It's a perfect bite for when you just need a little pick me up.

Now that I know you can make your own tasty snack bars with no refined sugars, the possibilities are endless! My head is swimming with thoughts of coconut shreds, dried cherries, all different kinds of nuts, and on and on...
What flavors would you make?






{Minty Cocoa Bars}
adapted from fooddoodles.com

Ingredients:
makes 8 small bars

3/4 cup pitted medjool dates
3/4 cup of nuts (I used almonds and walnuts)
pinch of salt
2-3tbsp chia seeds
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4-1/3cup loosely packed mint leaves

Directions:

1. In a food processor, grind nuts until pieces are small (or you can even go finely ground), take out the nuts and keep in a bowl.
2.  Add the dates to the food processor and pulse until there are no large pieces.  Add all of the ingredients, including the previously pulsed nuts, and pulse until everything is incorporated.
3.  Place the batter onto a parchment lined baking sheet or loaf pan.  Even if it seems dry, you can press firmly down until it sticks.  Create an evenly flat sheet. (Note: it will prob only cover a portion of the pan, which is fine)
4.  Cut into even pieces.  (You can leave it in the fridge or freezer for a bit if it makes it easier to cut)





10 comments:

  1. Love how easy this recipe looks. Having a healthy snack won´t be difficult now

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I was surprised at how good this was myself ;)

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  2. I agree, the protein bars are not my favorite. These look like an awesome alternative, will be giving them a try soon. Wonder if they would work as balls instead, hmmm.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jacky, what a great idea! You could even dip the balls in chocolate or cover them in cinnamon and nuts or something if you wanted to make them more dessert-ish - the possibilities are endless :) You'll have to let me know how it turns out.

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  3. I have tons of mint growing like crazy in my garden. Will give these bars a try and use some up. I even have chocolate mint, and it really does smell like chocolate.
    Thanks for sharing, wish me luck.

    ReplyDelete
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    ReplyDelete
  5. Great chocolate bar...
    refreshing even more with mint, i would love to add some rice puff too

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A very late reply I know - but just wanted to say rice puffs are a great idea!

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  6. This looks AMAZING, but I am breastfeeding - therefore I try to REALLY limit my mint consumption (sad face - I LOVE mint!). Any ideas on a substitute?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is a really late reply - but I'm wondering if peppermint extract is an option? Or you can always try a different route with ginger, or cinammon :)

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Thanks for stopping by this post. Your comments inspire and motivate me so please feel free to share your thoughts :)

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