Creamy chocolate bars {vegan + gluten-free}

May 15, 2016 by Margaux 13 Comments

I know I said I was on a bit of a hiatus, but I just had to jump back and share these rich, melt-y chocolate bars that have been helping me through my current chocolate fetish. Spinning round on my brain all day long is pretty much a solid trigger for comfort food, but there’s none better at this point than silky chocolate. Huzzah!I guess I should actually preface with a warning that this is a freezer treat, and I seem to have some sort of problem in this regard :p Now that we have a hulking and glorious extra freezer it’s become second nature to make things that can wait contentedly out of sight but not mind. I definitely can’t stop thinking about the next time I can get a slice, because they have that pinch of pow from the spices and the creaminess of the avocado – my idea of edible heaven.I don’t actually have much to complain about at the moment, however, so I guess it’s less “comfort food” and more just “chocolate is why” :p I’m finally doing the history portion of my teaching practicals and I can’t express how thrilled I am to be doing what I love again, even if it’s only for a short time. As much as I profess to be something of an introvert, there’s still something very different about teaching history that makes everything melt away, leaving the glorious process of history at the centre, completely indifferent to usual anxieties and dislikes. So, maybe this is celebratory chocolate?
I’m definitely still celebrating the amazing NuNaturals shipment I won in a competition recently, because it contained all sorts of magical goodies I’ve never seen before, like the coconut sugar and Dutch process cocoa powder, which is amazing. I’ve been thriving off of their products for a few years now, so it’s pretty thrilling to have new shiny to play with. I haven’t even gotten through the banana flour or all of the oat fibre yet, so there are projects ahead for sure on that front 😀

Ingredients (makes 22 little bars or 10 – 14 slices, depending on thickness)

• 1 cup dates, soaked for at least an hour)
• 1/3 cup NuNaturals organic coconut sugar
• 1/2 cup chickpea flour (can sub for oat flour if desired)
• 1 medium avocado
• 1/3 cup NuNaturals Dutch process cocoa powder
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch salt
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp cayenne

Topping:

• 3 heaped TBSP coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 TBSP NuNaturals Dutch process cocoa powder
• 1 sachet NuNaturals Stevia/TBSP sugar of choice
• pinch salt
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/8 – 1/4 cup sesame seeds

H0w-to:

1. Blend all ingredients together until smooth.
2. Scoop into a parchment-lined loaf pan.
3. Freeze for at least an hour or two before slicing.
4. Melt your coconut oil and vanilla in the microwave, then whisk together the cocoa powder, salt and Stevia
5. Store and serve from the freezer – they get melt-y!

Apart from my real job #1 and #2, the teaching practical and integrating cats at home, I’m also busy editing a dissertation, which is also fun. There’s really nothing better than getting stuck in with Track Changes and going on a treasure hunt for errors or bizarre turns of phrase, though I’m not quite at the stage where I can work completely at home like Man-thing without going crazy. People still come off as unpredictable elements that have the capacity for disaster but I still need to observe them and interact now and again in real life, since the internet has made it so easy to hide away for weeks on end, which probably isn’t super healthy.
There’s no hiding from these bars though – they totally speak to my soul at this point. I made half with the pretty topping and half plain, for when I want to spoil myself and when I just want a hit of chocolate. I know people go through all sorts of cleanses these days, from anti-sugar to anti-food, but chocolate is something I feel can play a small part in daily treats without the end of the world. That was the thought behind the free Chocolate Cleanse Riot ebook, at least!Anyway, I’m usually rather organized when it comes to the blog and having shiny lined up to share while I’m neck-deep in life, but with the chaos of the past few months, completing one diploma and soon to finish another, I’m pretty beat. Every time I want to make something I go to the kitchen and lack a core ingredient or have to content myself with making coffee and slouching back to work. Luckily lesson prep is exciting beyond measure at the moment, piecing together odds and ends of the French Revolution and trying to create something fun out of it. You can bet at some point I’m going to play the French national anthem for the kids with the English translation – it’s so gory! 😀Anyway, happy Sunday! Let’s all eat chocolate on this, the last day of freedom before the raucousness of the week feasts on us instead! xx