Sunday 25 September 2011

Chocolate orange 'Smoosh' bar (aka- Nakd bar/Larabar)

‘Nakd’ bars were something I was introduced to (by the boy) very early on, when veganism was still largely an intriguing curiosity to me.  Well, it could be said that if these bars were anything to go by then I’m in!!  I could barely believe I wasn’t eating chocolate, let alone raw fruit and nuts!

Nakd bars are, in effect, the UK version of the American Larabar. Soooo expensive to buy in the shops I noticed plenty of people were making their own versions and I wasn’t going to be left out. The Nakd bars make it even more straight forward in that they list the percentages of each ingredient on the packet itself so making it super simple to copy. However, in typical ‘me’ directly fashion I like to tweak things a little to lay my own mark. Also, I’m absolutely hopeless at following a recipe and prefer to play it by instinct and whatever takes my fancy (this works most of the time but I would be lying if I said all of the time- it comes back to bite me at times!)

The chocolate orange bar was my first taste and still my favourite to this day. To me, in the early days of my new appreciation of food and nutrition, the choc orange Nakd bar seemed the epitome of healthy decadence! 



Recipe: chocolate orange 'Smoosh' bar

Ingredients (use all organic if possible):

100g pitted dates
60g cashew nuts
47g raisins
25g coconut flour
15g cocoa powder
3g chia seeds (optional)
1 tsp orange rind
1 tsp orange extract

The ingredients add up to 250g and will make 5 x 50g bars. I often double or triple the recipe as these bars will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks (plus i'm usually making more to give to family members).

Method:

Put everything into a food processor and smoosh together until chopped up into tiny pieces and the bowl is filled with a fine sticky powder (and the air is filled with the heady smell of chocolate orange). If you prefer a smoother bar with less chunky nuts (the cashews in the pics are fairly chunky) then process these for a bit on their own first before adding all the other ingredients in with them.

To form into bars I press the mixture into a tin lined with baking parchment or cling film and use the flat end of a rolling pin to firmly pack the mixture down. You could also form into balls or rolls with your hands (although I haven’t tried this). Chill for a while before lifting out if the tin and cutting into bars. Store in the fridge or cupboard if eating within a few days.

The perfect mid-morning pick-me-up!  ……. Or for that matter mid-afternoon, mid-evening, lunch, dinner….


12 comments:

  1. i live on the hertfordshire border - where do you get your chia seeds from?

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  2. Hi Jenny, I've recently come across a great little company online whose prices are the best i've found- have a look at realfoodsource.co.uk I haven't had much luck in regular health food stores.

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  3. Thank you, exactly what I was looking for. Will try and make these tomorrow!

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    1. Hi Jeanette, That's good to hear! These are still one of my favourite ever treats- the addition of orange takes them to another level! Hope they turned out well for you.

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  4. This looks so yummy! Love the combination!

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    1. Thank you! Yes, these are amazing...iImake them most weeks to keep a little nibble on hand whenever I need one!

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  5. Can I make these without the coconut flour? Will they still come out ok?

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  6. Hi Emoire, yes you can make these without the coconut flour, I just found coconut flour enhanced the flavour. You may want to increase the nut content or add another 'flour' so that they aren't too sticky. i'd suggest just leaving the coconut flour out and then seeing if you need to add anything else.

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  7. Great, thank you. Will have a go at making them tonight and let you know how I get on!

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  8. They were lovely (all gone now!) - will definitely be making these again, thanks so much for posting the recipe.

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  9. Hi Emoire, so glad you liked them, if you like ginger you'd love these ones too! http://www.includingcake.com/2011/12/twelve-days-day-2-christmas-in-cube.html

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  10. I made these and they were lovely thanks for the recipe!

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