(image by Lily Underwood Burns)
I have a thing for bars. Not the kind you step up to an order a drink from but the kind you eat. I know that a lot of them are crap. They are full of sugar and stuff you cannot really pronounce, but I still am on a search to find the perfect bar. I guess the closest bar to perfection might be a Lara Bar due to the minimalist approach in ingredients an pure taste. But the flavor of the original bars is a bit flat for me. It is sweet piled upon sweet, and there is little layering of flavors. Don't me wrong - I think the bars are great, but they are missing something for me. I also want a bar with a bit more protein than the Lara Bar has. I am a huge fan of a sweet/salty combination, so in search for a perfect bar I thought I might throw something together in the depths of our kitchen. I had the read the ingredients on the Lara Bar wrapper several times, and I was incredibly inspired by the recipe to recreate the bar. This happens to be quite easy here in Abu Dhabi due to the variety and quantity of dates and nuts.
I am sorry to say that I do not really measure this recipe out when making it. I make it to taste, and I fully recognize that my tastes might not be the same as yours. There is a great deal of freedom here, and you should take full liberty to change/edit/play with your own recipe. Change the nuts, the chocolate, the ratio of ingredients to your own liking, and you might and probably will come up with something even better! ADVISORY: these are completely addictive... it is very hard to only have one piece...
Dark Chocolate Dark Bars
Makes 2 dozen
Need: 1 8x8 brownie or square cake pan
2 cups of pitted dates (I used segai or khidri dates - try not to use mejdool as they are too soft)
1/3 C dark cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp pink sea salt
1/3 C almond butter
2 C raw unsalted almonds
2 scoops Spiru-tein Chocolate protein powder (substitute another kind of protein powder if you have one on hand you prefer or if you want to make this vegan)
50 grams dark chocolate (65-72%)
Place the dates in a food processor and blend until they form a ball. Add in the nut butter and cocoa powder. Blend again for a few minutes. You might need to turn the food processor off and pull the date mixture apart as it tends to clump into pieces quite easily. Add in the protein powder and almonds. Mix again until it turns into a sand-like consistency. Add in the chocolate and salt and pulse a few times until everything is combined.
Take the mixture and press it into the 8x8 pan. Cover the top with plastic wrap and place in fridge to set for a few hours or overnight. Cut into 2 inch squares (or more depending on your mood).
ENJOY!
