Recently, I have been experimenting my energy bars with an array of different flavors just for fun. I love coffee and so, I thought it would be great to incorporate some espresso into the bars. A little caffeine zing would go down well with these energy bars, right? Well, it worked, and I am loving it! These Espresso Chocolate Bars are my favorite pre-workout snacks now. The bars consist of Medjool dates, dried cranberries, tart cherries, hazelnuts, almonds, cocoa powder, coconut, sea salt, vanilla, and finely ground espresso. If you like coffee, do try this recipe!
Raw Energy Bars~Chocolate Espresso
Ingredients
2 Cups (280g) Raw Hazelnuts
½ Cup (60g) Raw Almond (without skin)
1 Cup (150g) Moist Medjool Dates, pitted and chopped
1 Cup (140g) Unsweetened Dried Cranberries
1 Cup (160g) Tart Cherries
1 Cup (100g) Cocoa Powder
1 Tbsp Ground Espresso
¼ tsp Sea Salt
½ Cup (40g) Unsweetened Shredded Coconuts
1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
1 to 2 Tbsp Cold Water
Equipment: Food Processor 11 ½ x 4 ½ inches (29 x 12 cm) Loaf pan, lined with aluminum foil
Method
Combine hazelnuts and almonds in a food processor and process until the nuts are finely ground.
Add chopped dates, cranberries, tart cherries, cocoa powder, ground espresso, and sea salt, pulse and process all the ingredients together until the texture is coarse. Then add the shredded coconut, a quick pulse, and add the vanilla extract, a little water at a time until it reaches a dry but moist dough consistency. Scrape the dough mixture into the lined pan, press evenly with a rubber spatula, and chill for about an hour before serving.
ilove them!delicious!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds super yummy. Love this idea!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great recipe! My husband is going to love these. So much better than cliff bars! And I have almost all of the ingredients on hand - seriously every single one except hazelnuts. Do you think I could sub walnuts? Thank you!
ReplyDelete@Katherine Martinelli: I think walnut would be a good substitute for hazelnut. Go for it!
ReplyDeleteOoh yummy!! I'm assuming the cherries you mention are dried?
ReplyDelete@Sarah Reid, RHNC: Yes, those are dried cherries. Thanks for the comment.
ReplyDeleteOh my, I HAVE to try this!
ReplyDeleteI made these yesterday! I had everything on hand (I know!) except hazelnuts so used a mix of walnuts and pepitas - came out amazing! These are seriously delicious, way better than any sort of commercial energy bar I've had. My husband likes them too. The flavors are super balanced. I'm not even *that* huge a chocolate fan but in this context it's perfect. Thanks for a great recipe!!
ReplyDeleteI tried to make these yesterday and the only thing I changed was using dried raspberries instead of cranberries. The flavor is wonderful. My consistency however seems too dry and brittle. Am not able to cut it without crumbling... How do I fix that??
ReplyDelete@Anonymous: You can either add a couple of extra dates or tablespoons of water.
ReplyDeleteHow many bars does this make?
ReplyDeleteWe've just starting out eating primarily (it's a gradual process, but baby steps, eh?) I am LOVING these energy bar recipes, easy to make, tasty and nutritious! I told my kids that they were chocolate truffles and they Snaffles them down
ReplyDelete