Hey! How was your week? Gosh, I'm tired. I've had an unproductive week to say the least! I'm absolutely a morning person - I love to get up early in the mornings and come 10pm I am DONE. Probably earlier than that, actually. I'm not always best at managing my time though and so frequently I go to bed a little later than I should and then struggle to get up in the morning. This week I chose to go and see one of my favourite bands play and ended up going to bed waaay too late. The next day I slept in until about 9am (a mega lie in for me!) and spent the rest of the day in a fog. The knock-on effect of that is that I've done very little meaningful work since then. Totally worth it though. Fresh start on Monday?! I think so.
So, I don't know about you, but I'm definitely in need of a little pick-me-up! I really like to have a little snack after my evening meal (and often during the day too, especially during weeks like this!). Usually I like to have something sweet, though not always! I'm especially partial to chocolatey things but then again, who isn't?!
Sometimes though, I find that the sugar in chocolate can send me a bit (more) loopy and whilst there may be a time and a place for a sugar rush, days where I'm already low on energy are certainly not it. That's where these Raw Mexican Chocolate Energy Bars come in! Now, I'm no nutritionist and I'm certainly aware that these are far from sugar-free, but there really is a difference between eating one of these and eating a regular chocolate bar or baked good. I'm not sure if it's all the fibre in the medjool dates or how it's combined with the protein in the nuts but the sugar in these has a far gentler effect on me. Which is good when I'm just looking for a little boost, without the big crash afterwards!
So let's talk the details of these Raw Mexican Chocolate Energy Bars! Firstly, I should admit, I don't think I can technically call these 'raw'. I've toasted the nuts and quinoa and used roasted almond butter. Plus, I don't think maple syrup is a raw product. However, I don't actually care. I called these raw bars in the sense that they're not cooked and that's good enough for me. You can call them what you like! I'm mostly just urging you to make them.
These are SO GOOD. I'm a big fan of raw brownies anyway, but I wanted to take these a little further so I added toasted quinoa and almonds for crunch. Also, I like to mix things up, so I spiced these up to taste like Mexican chocolate! Such a good idea. Cinnamon, nutmeg and cayenne pepper make these rich and warming and totally addictive! I'd advise keeping these in the freezer - out of sight, out of mind, right?! Plus, they taste really good straight from the freezer. Too good.
I'm totally inspired to come up with some more flavour combinations now! Let me know any suggestions in the comments!
Raw Mexican Chocolate Energy Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
- 100 g walnuts, (1 cup)
- 75 g raw cacao or cocoa powder, (¾ cup)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ⅛-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla powder, optional
- pinch of sea salt
- 16 medjool dates, pitted (1 ½ cups)
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 90 g quinoa, rinsed (½ cup)
- 70 g almonds, (½ cup)
Instructions
- Add the walnuts to the bowl of a food processor. Process until finely ground.100 g walnuts
- Add the cacao, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, vanilla powder (if using) and salt. Pulse to combine.75 g raw cacao or cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, ⅛-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, ¼ teaspoon vanilla powder, pinch of sea salt
- With the processor running, add in the dates one by one until you have a sticky paste. Add in the almond butter and maple syrup and process again until combined.16 medjool dates, 2 tablespoons almond butter, 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- Place a frying pan over medium heat. Add the rinsed quinoa and cook, stirring frequently, until dried out, fragrant and starting to pop. This should take around 5 minutes. Remove to a bowl.90 g quinoa
- Add the almonds to the frying pan and toast for a couple of minutes. Remove and chop roughly.70 g almonds
- Add the cooled quinoa and chopped almonds to the date and cacao mixture and knead well with your hands to combine.
- Press into a lined 20cm (8") square tin. Place in the freezer to set for about an hour. Cut into 12 bars and store in the freezer.
Notes
Nutrition
Kim says
Definitely crunchy with the toasted quinoa. Don’t give it to your gran with her dentures! But great flavours.
Maria says
Love this! Looks so good! I can relate to loving almost all food except blue cheese and being a morning person who sometimes stays up to late!
Sasha says
Thanks Maria! Haha, blue cheese sucks! Although my husband loves the stuff - ewww! I still love him though 🙂
Elaine @ Dishes Delish says
These look absolutely fabulous. Just by looking at them, I can just imagine what it would be to lift a bar up and bite into it. I love using dates in my bars. I can not wait to make this, but I'll have to forgo the cayenne because my hubby is not a fan of spice.
Sasha says
Thank you Elaine! I hope you and your hubby enjoy the bars - they're still amazing even without the cayenne!
Dominique | Perchance to Cook says
I'm literally salivating! Oh delicious! I love the idea of mixing chili powder with cocoa powder, and then making healthy bars with dates and quinoa. SO so unique!
Sasha says
Hi Dominique! Aww you're so sweet, thanks for the lovely comment! 🙂
Hana | Nirvana Cakery says
Oh yum, I love these Sasha! And I love that you've used cayenne and quinoa, perfect 🙂 xx
Sasha says
Thanks Hana! They're so delicious I had to make a second batch! xx
katherine says
I love energy bars, and homemade bars with real ingredients are my favorite snack! I can't wait to try this recipe
Sasha says
They make such a good snack don't they?! Hope you love them - let me know what you think! 🙂
Kim | Unrefined RD says
I love this idea for an energy bar! You can't go wrong with chocolate, cinnamon, and cayenne 🙂
Sasha says
Hi Kim, thanks for stopping by! They're so good I just made another batch!
Michelle @ The Last Food Blog says
Oh I'm loving the Mexican flavours in these! What a great idea to freeze them too, will have to try that 😉 Hope you enjoyed the concert x
Sasha says
They're so delicious, I hope you try them! And I enjoyed the concert very much, thanks! 🙂 xx