Treat yourself to some dairy-free, gluten-free and refined-sugar-free chocolate goodies this Veganuary, and refuel after a workout with these moreish recipes from
BEST-OF-BOTH-WORLDS BROOKIES
These brookies are the perfect example of the best of both worlds: all the gooey ‘chocolateyness’ of a brownie, topped with crumbly vanilla cookie in every bite.
Makes 16 squares
For the brownies:
• 100g cacao powder
• 150g Medjool dates
• 125ml oat milk
• 220g pure maple syrup
• 120g cashew butter
• 50g ground almonds
• 70g coconut oil
For the cookies:
• 100g porridge oats
• 100g ground almonds
• Pinch of Himalayan salt
• 120g cashew butter
• 160g pure maple syrup
• 70g coconut oil, melted
• 70g chocolate chips
1. Pre-heat the oven to 150°C/gas mark 2.
2. For the brownies, simply combine the ingredients in a food processor and whizz for around a minute or so until you have a smooth, gooey batter. Spoon this into a lined 20cm square baking tin, foil tray or silicone mould.
3. To make the cookies, blitz the oats in a food processor for about a minute until they become a flour, then add them to a mixing bowl and stir in the ground almonds and salt.
4. Cream in the cashew butter, maple syrup and coconut oil, mixing well until you have a sticky cookie dough. Lastly, throw in the chocolate chips and mix them in well, then spoon the batter on top of the brownie layer.
5. Bake for 60 minutes, then leave to cool completely before cutting into squares.
6. Store in the fridge for up to a week or put in the freezer in an airtight container for up to two months.
NO -BAKE CHOCOLATE CHAI OAT BARS
These bars are sweet, spiced to perfection and the ideal accompaniment to a cup of chai, day or night.
Makes 16 squares
Ingredients
• 300g pitted Medjool dates, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes
• 100g walnuts
• 6 tbsp peanut butter
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 100g pecans
• 200g porridge oats
• 3–4 tbsp water
For the cacao chai spice mix:
• 70g cacao powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• Pinch of Himalayan salt
Method
1. Drain the softened dates then place in a food processor with the walnuts, peanut butter, coconut oil and cacao chai spice mix, and whizz until they form a sticky mixture, then spoon into a bowl.
2. Place the pecans in the food processor and pulse for around 10 seconds, then add these and the oats into your mixture, mixing them in with your hands to get everything well combined.
