Nutella Cherry Ripe ‘Love Bars’

These delicious, raw, vegan festive treats celebrate the seasonal cherry. Perfect for a nutritious snack or dessert and even healthy enough for breakfast, these Love Bars are sure to keep you well-nourished over the busy Christmas period. A fantastic way to indulge in festive flavours without the typical, nutrient-deprived ingredients of sugar, butter and white flour! You can use cashews if you cannot buy hazelnuts. It will still be delicious and creamy, it just won’t have that ‘nutella’ flavour. You can either keep these bars in the refrigerator or freezer. The top layer will taste more like ice cream if stored in the freezer, and more like creamy mousse if stored in the fridge. Try both and see what you prefer. Enjoy!

Makes approximately 8 bars

Base Layer:

½ cup desiccated coconut

½ cup rolled oats (I use GF)

1/3 cup cashews (I used roasted)

2 tsps. raw honey/maple syrup

1 tbsp. coconut oil, melted

Cherry Layer:

1 cup fresh cherries, pitted

½ cup raspberries (fresh or frozen – these are for colour)

2 tbsps. coconut oil, melted

1 tsp. vanilla

4 medjool dates (the fresh, soft ones – at room temperature)

1 ¼ cups desiccated coconut

'Nutella' Layer:

2 cups hazelnuts, roasted, skinned and soaked overnight

½ cup coconut milk

1 tbsp. coconut oil

3 tbsps. raw honey/maple syrup

Sea salt

1/3 cup raw cacao

For the base:

1. Place all ingredients except for the honey/maple and coconut oil into a blender and process until the oats have broken down and all ingredients are well combined.

2. While the motor is still running, add the honey/maple and melted coconut oil until well combined.

3. Press the mixture into a loaf tin lined with non-stick baking paper and then place in the refrigerator/freezer.

For the cherry layer:

1. Place the cherries, raspberries, coconut oil, vanilla and dates into the blender and process until well combined.

2. Add the coconut and process until just combined. Pour into the loaf tin on top of the base layer. Smooth with a spatula until even. Return to the refrigerator/freezer for 1 hour or more.

For the 'Nutella' layer:

1. Place the soaked hazelnuts, coconut milk, coconut oil, honey/maple and sea salt into the blender. Process for about 2 minutes, or until really smooth and creamy.

2. Add the raw cacao powder and process again until well combined. Taste and add more honey/maple if you prefer it sweeter, or more cacao if you prefer a stronger chocolate favour.

3. Pour the ‘nutella’ mixture over the cherry layer and smooth with a spatula. Return to the refrigerator/freezer for 3 hours or overnight.

4. Remove and slice into bars (if frozen, warm your knife under hot water first). Enjoy!