Diet: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Pescatarian, Soy Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Serves: 10
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Description

What makes this recipe so delicious? Is it the creamy cashew nut butter? Or possibly those little raspberry bursts of tartness complemented by the smooth indulgence of the Ombar chocolate chunks?

On some of my Sunday meal prep afternoons I will make a batch of these for Lauren and I, and we’ll pack one up with us the following day so that we have something to pick us up throughout our first working day of the week. I instantly feel satisfied and fuller after having one as they are high in fibre, plant protein and healthy fats.

This recipe was developed with just the above in mind. We wanted a snack that would satisfy our sweet tooth cravings but still be a healthier alternative to a chocolate bar.

Oats are a complex carbohydrate. Compared with simple sugars, complex carbohydrates take the body much longer to digest and be converted into energy. When we consume too many simple carbohydrates, our blood sugar and insulin levels spike too quickly, causing a fast surge of energy which can result in an equally fast crash in energy. This is known as the blood sugar rollercoaster and it can cause a real problem in the way that our bodies feel throughout the day, particularly our energy levels.

Whilst we have chosen maple syrup (a simple sugar) as our choice of sweetener in this sweet treat, we have made sure to pair it with healthy fats (coconut oil, cashew butter, flax seeds, almond flour, coconut milk) and complex carbohydrates (oats), which are packed with fibre. Fibre, fat and protein are known to help slow down release of energy into the bloodstream, which helps you to enjoy a touch of sweetness but without the major disruptions to your blood sugar levels.

At ARDERE we want you to ensure that you are sensible with your choices of sweeteners and understand that sugar is still sugar, no matter what form it is in. However we do believe that quality is important and if you are going to enjoy something sweet, try and avoid nutritionally deplete sweeteners such as refined or table sugar (they offer empty calories with no nutrients). Whilst maple syrup is still going to behave as sugar in the body, it is rich in minerals, such as zinc and manganese (Nutrition Data Self, 2018).

We hope you enjoy these delicious baked treats!

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup ground almonds
• 2/3 cup oats (gluten-free if you have an allergy or intolerance)
• 3 tbsp coconut oil (plus extra for greasing)
• 1 cup coconut milk (from a tin)
• ½ cup cashew butter
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3 tbsp ground flax seeds
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 100g raspberries (washed)
• 35g Ombar, Coco Mylk flavour (or other high quality chocolate)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.
2. Blend the oats in a blender until it turns into the consistency of flour.
3. Add the remaining ingredients into the blender (apart from the raspberries and chocolate). Blend for 2 minutes.
4. Leave the mixture in the blender and allow to cool for a few minutes (the mixture usually becomes slightly heated from the blade).
5. Break up the chocolate into little bite-sized chunks, and stir into the mixture along with the raspberries.
6. Line a 20cm x 20cm baking dish with baking paper and grease with coconut oil. Pour in the mixture evenly and place in the oven for 40 minutes.
7. After 40 minutes, set the brownie mix aside to cool. Once cooled down, cut into rectangles or squares.
8. The last step is everyone’s favourite! Plate up and share amongst your loved ones. Enjoy!

 

References:

Nutrition Data Self. (2018). Maple Syrup. Available at: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/sweets/5602/2 (Accessed: 20 June 2018).