Why not celebrate and stay healthy for Chocolate Cake Day – January 27th!? Indulge in your favorite dessert without the guilt thanks to celebrity nutritionist, Kimberly Snyder and her recipe for Triple-Layer Raw Chocolate Mint Cream Bars.
Fun Fact: In its raw form, cacao contains many beneficial rejuvenating and antiaging elements, including antioxidants and magnesium.
Kimberly first made this recipe in lieu of a birthday cake for a close friend which she now shares in her latest book, The Beauty Detox Power. The multiple layers of these Triple-Layer Raw Chocolate Mint Cream Bars add some prep time, but it is well worth it! A little piece goes a long way, and you can store these bars in your fridge for a few weeks – plus their loaded with beauty beneficial ingredients like dates, almonds and even avocados making them the perfect guilt-free treat!
WHAT YOU NEED:
- BASE INGREDIENTS
- Parchment paper, for lining the loaf pan
- 1⁄2 cup raw almonds
- 1⁄2 cup raw pecans
- 1 cup medium Medjool dates, soaked and well drained
- 1⁄4 cup cacao powder Pinch of sea salt
- MINT CREAM FILLING INGREDIENTS
- 2 small ripe Hass avocados, peeled and pits removed
- 1⁄3 cup minced fresh mint
- 1⁄3 cup coconut nectar
- 1⁄4 teaspoon organic peppermint flavor
- 1⁄4 cup melted coconut oil
- CHOCOLATE TOPPING INGREDIENTS
- 1⁄4 cup coconut oil
- 1⁄4 cup raw cacao powder
- 2 tablespoons coconut nectar
WHAT TO DO:
- Line the bottom of a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Be sure to leave an overhang so it's easier to remove the finished bars. Set aside.
- Prepare the base. Combine the almonds and pecans in a food processor, and process to form to a coarse meal. Add the dates and process until the dates are broken down. Add the cacao powder and salt and pulse to combine. The nut-date mixture should stick together when pressed between two fingers. Press the nut-date mixture into the bottom of the prepared loaf pan and set in the freezer to make a crust while you prepare the filling.
- Prepare the filling. In a high-speed blender, process the avocados, mint, coconut nectar and peppermint flavor until smooth. You may need to stop the blender and scrape down the sides a few times. Add the melted coconut oil and blend for a few seconds to combine. The mint mixture should be thick and creamy. (If your blender doesn't process the mixture very well, try blending it in batches until smooth.)
- Remove the loaf pan from the freezer. Pour the avocado-mint mixture on top of the nut-date crust, smoothing it out with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Return the loaf pan to the freezer and let the avocado-mint layer get firm, at least 1 hour.
- Prepare the chocolate topping. You're almost there! Last layer, here we go. Whisk together all the ingredients in a small bowl until smooth.
- Remove the loaf pan from the freezer once again and pour the chocolate topping on top of the avocado-mint layer, smoothing it out quickly with an o set spatula or the back of a spoon. Return the loaf pan to the freezer one last time and allow the top- ping to set, at least 1 to 2 hours.
- To cut this into bars, remove the triple-layer block from the loaf pan by pulling up on the parchment paper. Set it on a cutting board. Place a sharp serrated knife in a jar of hot water for several minutes, wipe it with a kitchen towel, and then, using a light sawing motion, cut the block into squares. It's okay if the top cracks (I think it actually looks pretty that way), but try to keep all the layers intact. Warm the knife in the water as needed to cut all the squares.
- Store the bars in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a 3 weeks (if they last that long!).
For more recipes visit: http://kimberlysnyder.com/recipes/
