Raw Snickers Bars

These gooey treats are absolutely delicious and contain nothing but healthy ingredients. They do still contain natural sugars and calories, so if you are going for weight loss, you may want to hold back on this recipe until after the 28 days are up! For those who are craving something sweet, these should hit the spot. Maca is a south American superfood prized for its health properties. Originally maca was given to livestock to increase their fertility and is believed to help with their energy and hormone balance and libido!

Ingredients – Makes 16 bars

350g Medjool dates

3 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter

60g porridge oats (can be gluten-free)

a few drops vanilla extract

1 teaspoon maca (optional)

50g whole peanuts

200g dark chocolate

Method

1. Grind the oats to a flour in a mini blender or food processor and set aside in a dish.
2. Remove the stones from the Medjool dates and cover with boiling water. Leave for at least ten minutes to soften completely.
3. Drain the dates so that they are moist, but not dripping with water. Add to the food processor with the vanilla, maca and peanut butter. The maca is optional, but gives the Snickers bars a malty taste. Process together until smooth and free from lumps. Stir in some whole peanuts at the end.
4. Stir two tablespoons of this mixture into the oats to bring the mixture together. Press the mixture into a small tin or use a silicone tray.
5. Top with the gooey caramel mixture. I add a few more whole peanuts at this stage! Flatten the mixture with a spoon and pop into the freezer for two hours to freeze (Warning! This might be the longest two hours of your life!).
6. Melt the chocolate gently in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.
7. If you used a tin, cut the set mixture into eight bars with a knife. If you used a silicone tray simply pop them out! SO easy. Coat with melted chocolate and lay them on non-stick baking paper. Pop into the fridge to set.

To avoid disappointment, do put them on the non-stick paper to set as they can stick to a plate. Because they are already frozen the chocolate will set almost immediately. This means that the chocolate layer will be thicker and there will be no need to double-dip them.