Last winter around this time I was nursing an infant, and therefore, sleeping sporadically through the night.  Isabelle was waking up multiple times throughout the night, Jack was up once or twice a night to use the potty… and when they had both started sleeping a little more soundly – my husband got pneumonia (and tore his Achilles), the kids were both on antibiotics for their own never-ending colds, and I was plain old exhausted.  Exhausted.  The sleep deprivation combined with a bit of stress made we want to snack at all hours of the day and night. Can someone say, “comfort food”?!

I reached a breaking point where I just couldn’t keep eating chocolate at all hours.  Don’t get me wrong, I could eat chocolate at every meal – but it was getting too much.   And while I love snacking on nuts, it just wasn’t satisfying enough during this time in my life.  I needed something that was both satisfying and filling.  Therefore, when I saw this recipe in Gwyneth Paltrow’s book It’s All Good, I knew I had to try them.  They turned out to be amazing during those months!  Even now, I’ve been making these pretty regularly.  We keep them in the fridge for up to 10 days, although they typically get eaten long before 10 days have passed!  They’re perfect for a mid morning snack, an on-the-go lunch, or something to nibble at until dinner is ready.  Plus, my husband and kids love them too!!  Okay, maybe Jack doesn’t like them that much (my sweet little picky eater) – but Isabelle rips them out of my hands!

INGREDIENTS:

Not going to lie, I had to go to the store and especially buy some of this stuff. But it was SO. WORTH. IT! Seriously, coconut flour?? Shredded coconuts?? Almond extract (which I now loooove)

• 1 1/2 cups raw cashews
• 1 1/2 cups dates (take out the pit and give them a rough chop)
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (the recipe actually calls for almond butter, but I’ve never made them with almond butter. PB all the way!)
• 1/2 cup high quality maple syrup
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate (66%)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a food processor, grind the cashews until they look like sand.  Add the dates, peanut butter, maple syrup, coconut flour, shredded coconut, and almond extract.  Pulse it until you have a sticky ball of dough.  Similar to the picture below.
2. Line an 8×8 inch baking dish with parchment paper.  Press the “dough mixture”into the dish.  Once all spread out, it should be about an inch thick.  The dough mixture will be very sticky, so it often helps to put a little water on your hands to help spread it out into the pan.  Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, until firm.
3. Once 6 hours have passed, and you’re about ready to make the chocolate mixture take out your double boiler.  If you don’t have a double boiler, put a little water in a pot and place a heat proof bowl on top of it.  Bring the water to a simmer, and add the chocolate and coconut oil.  Stir until the chocolate has almost entirely melted and remove from heat.  Take the dish out of the refrigerator and pour the melted chocolate mixture all over the cold dough.  Place the dish back into the refrigerator 1-2 hours until it’s set.
4. Use the parchment paper to lift the entire bar out of the dish.  Cut the bar into rectangles.  Sometimes, if I have enough time (ahem, nap times), I tie the bars up individually in parchment paper.  Lastly, put them in a ziplock or airtight container and store in the fridge.

Cheers!