Chocolate Matcha Bars

This flavour combo is a matcha made in heaven! Cacao and matcha compliment each other beautifully and they’re both absolutely bursting with antioxidants. Matcha is made from the entire green tea leaf, which is ground into a fine powder, making it a far more potent source of antioxidants than regular green tea. Raw cacao powder has 40 times the antioxidants of blueberries, is the highest source of plant-based iron, has more calcium than cow’s milk and is full of magnesium to calm anxiety and assist with sleep. These bars are also filled with nuts and buckwheat for protein and only use dates and a tiny bit of raw honey. I tested them on friends and family and they had great reviews all round. If you store them in the freezer, the top layer tastes like ice cream and if you store them in the fridge, it tastes like a creamy mousse. Enjoy these as a quick breakfast or as a nutritious, energy-boosting snack.

Makes 8-12 bars

Cacao Base:

1 cup rolled oats (I use gluten free)

½ cup desiccated coconut

½ cup (heaped) almond butter

½ cup raw cacao powder

1/3 cup buckwheat groats

8 medjool dates (the large, fresh ones), pitted and warmed to room temperature to soften

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

2 flax eggs (2 tbsps. flaxseed meal and 5 tbsps. water)

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1 tbsp. maca powder (optional)

1 tbsp. lucuma powder (optional)

Matcha Cashew Cream:

250g raw cashews (soaked overnight)

1 tbsp. coconut milk/rice milk

2 ½ tbsps. raw honey / maple syrup

1 tbsp. coconut oil, melted

2 ½ tsps.. matcha powder

1 tsp. vanilla

For the Cacao Base:

1. Line a loaf tin with baking paper.

2. Place the dates, coconut oil, flax eggs and almond butter into a blender and process until smooth and creamy.

3. Place the oats, coconut, cacao, buckwheat groats, maca and lucuma powder in a large bowl.

4. Pour the blended wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir to combine. Then use your hands to squeeze the mixture together to ensure you reach a sticky consistency.

5. Place mixture into a loaf tin and press down firmly with damp hands until even and smooth on top. Place into the freezer.

For the Matcha Cashew Cream:

1. Rinse and drain the soaked cashews and add them to the blender with all other ingredients. Blend until very smooth and creamy (1-2 minutes).

2. Pour the cashew cream over the cacao base and use a spatula to spread until evenly distributed and smooth on top.

3. Return to the freezer for 2 hours. Slice into bars and store back in the freezer for an ice-cream-like topping or in the fridge for a mousse-like topping, or do half-half! Enjoy!