Peanut Slabs
Being the daughter of a Kiwi, peanut slabs were mine and my brother’s main form of chocolate treat growing up. This rare treat was especially exciting for children growing up on a farm in the country where chocolate bars were hard to come by! My mother always argued that New Zealand chocolate tasted SO much better than Australian chocolate, so ensured that if we were going to have it that we would only have the best – a Whittaker’s Peanut Slab. I’ve always been a peanut butter fan and started adding peanut butter to my homemade chocolate many years ago when I discovered how creamy & nutty it made the chocolate taste. This healthier take on the classic is made with 4 simple ingredients including natural peanut butter & peanuts, raw cacao, raw honey or pure maple and coconut oil. It is honestly my favourite type of chocolate and no other store-bought stuff is as creamy, nutty and delicious as this. The peanut slabs last weeks when stored in the freezer but are unlikely to last that long! I prefer mine eaten from the fridge as they are creamier and just melt in your mouth, but Daniel likes his chocolate crunchy, so prefers them straight from the freezer. However, you like your chocolate, I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!
½ cup coconut oil (room temperature/semi-solid)
½ cup natural peanut butter (I used salted – if yours isn’t then add a pinch of salt)
Scant ½ cup raw honey or pure maple syrup
Scant ½ cup raw cacao powder
½ cup roasted and salted peanuts + an extra handful roughly chopped for on top
(I actually -surprisingly- use the Woolworths ‘beer nuts’ as they are salted with sea salt and have the skin on)
1. Melt the coconut oil, peanut butter and honey or maple over very low heat until just melted.
2. Remove from the heat and add the raw cacao, whisking until well combined.
3. Stir in the ½ cup peanuts and pour into a lined loaf tin or similar (I used a small loaf tin 18cm x 8.6cm). Sprinkle over the roughly chopped peanuts and place into the fridge to set.
4. Remove from the fridge 20 minutes before cutting into bars/slabs with a knife warmed under hot water. Place back onto the fridge or freezer to reset in bar form (your choice depending on whether you like your chocolate creamy or very solid).