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chocolate

Oey-Goey Salted Caramel Chocolate Bars

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I think we all need a good treat from time to time. But eating something delicious and sweet does not necessarily have to unhealthy. I can tell you these are so fricking addicting and so incredibly good. Crunchy oat base, oey-goey creamy date coconut salt caramel layer, which is the best thing ever and you will want to top everything with it, and last but not least some crunchy chocolate on the top to give it the finishing touch. The combo = holy moly good.

So I love having some treats or sweets from time to time. Either as an afternoon pick me up or as a dessert after dinner or just somewhen in-between. If I do not have something healthy prepared I just long for cookies or chocolate or anything other sugar loaded. I think we all do that because most of the times we are craving something sweet we do not want to get in the kitchen and make something healthy that takes like 15 minutes when we can just grab some chocolate in 5 seconds. Thats why these bars are for making ahead and can be stored in the fridge and enjoyed anytime.

They may sound pretty fancy, and they are but they are super simple to make. 6 ingredients, 1 blender, 20 minutes (max). You can grab one with your coffee or pack it for work or school. When I make those, it is sooo hard for me not to eat them all at once. Always when I make them I have a few before I can even store them in the fridge because they are just too good. Portion control is just impossible with those, sorry not sorry. It is IMPOSSIBLE to just have a single one.

Those bars are, although they taste bombbb, pretty healthy. The layer at the very bottom is made out of oats, dates, and coconut oil. Oats are a great food because they are packed with vitamins, protein and fibre. They are not only great in your oatmeal but also in granola and bars. The coconut oil helps to bind it all together and the dates do so as well. This layer is full of crunch and tastes a bit fresh do to the coconut oil. It gives the base to a super good bar.

The next layer is the best of them all I think. It tastes like salted caramel, just better and it is much healthier. instead of cream, butter and sugar, we are only using dates and coconut milk. May sound a little bit off but it really is not! We blend the dates until they have a smooth and creamy consistency and are sticky. At this point the ´caramel´ is pretty thick, but we want it oey-goey (ok, I don’t know if this is a word but I´ll still use it) and smooth. Thats why we add it to a pot and add some coconut milk. I like to use light coconut milk because if using normal one, I believe the coconut flavour overpowers the caramel one. We bring it to a boil, add some sea salt and let it simmer and thicken a bit. It still is a bit runny, and we will add it on top of the oat base. so good.

Dates actually are a super healthy food. They contain big amounts of anti oxidants, no matter if fresh or dry. fresh dates actually are super good but it is really hard to find them, especially in Europe. Yes, dates do contain sugar but the fiber in the fruit helps to control the blood sugar levels, so you do not get that high peak and then feel really crapy after a while. Plus, dates can even help you to reduce your blood pressure because of their high magnesium content and help you with your memory because of their B vitamin content. As already said, they are pretty high in fiber with 10g per 100g, which is pretty much, and helps with digestion. All in all, they are a super food.

On top of the date caramel only goes some good molten chocolate. I like to use a healthy one here, preferably a dark one with a high cacao percentage or one from HuKitchen, because they just have the best chocolate ever! The chocolate on the top adds an extra crisp.

I honestly hope for you that you will make those because this is the best treat you could ever make. They (theoretically) last about 2-3 weeks in the fridge (but they’re gonna be gone in like 2 days, no joke). Enjoy them a lot!

Katie // Une Petite Cusiniere

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Oey-Goey Salted Caramel Chocolate Bar

THE BEST treat you could ever make. Easy, crazily addicting, super delicious and healthy! Simple ingredients, just the best!

Course Dessert, Snack
Prep Time 15 Minuten
Cooling Time 30 Minuten
Total Time 45 Minuten
Servings 9 bars
Calories 168 kcal

What you will need

That is what you will need:

  • 100 g oats
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 tbsp maple
  • 150 g dates
  • a pinch of sea salt
  • 100 ml low fat coconut milk
  • 80 g dark chocolate the draker, the healthier

How to

That is how it works:

  1. Place the oats in a blender and blend until super fine, flour like consistency.

  2. Remove the oats from the blender and blend them until smooth and thick. Transfer them into a pot and add the coconut milk and sea salt. Bring it to a boil then reduce to a simmer for about 5 minutes until thickend.

  3. Take one tablespoon from the date mixture and add them to the finely grounded oats along with the coconut oil and maple sirup. Mix until sticky, if it still is crumbly add more of one of the three.

  4. Line a square form with parchment paper. Add the oat mixture to it and press it flat. Add the date caramel on the top and place in the freezer while melting the chocolate in either the microwave or in a water bath. Once molten pour it as a final layer on top of the date caramel and keep in the freezer for at least half an hour.

  5. Then take it out and cut it into 9 pieces. Store in the fridge or enjoy right away.

Chocolate Coconut Almond Dates

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Are the perfect snack to get you motivated for the rest of the day. Chewy dates, rich chocolate, crunchy almond, and fresh coconut. This is the perfect combination to make a super simple 4 ingredient, 10 minute snack. This will get you through a long morning, an afternoon-low, or work out as a super delicious dessert. 

I got the idea to make this recipe when I was in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Dates are from high importance there. Until the 1970´s they were the staple food for the inhabitants. While they are fasting, they only eat 2 dates a day. I did not know that and was blown away when I heared that. We visited a local date market, which was something I had never heard of before but it was real impressive. You could see how this food is super important in this part of the world. In the shop we went there were 18 (!!) different date sorts. I did not even know that there was more than one existing. We tried lots of them and then bought 2 different ones, Madjool and Ajwa. Madjool dates are larger, sweeter, and richer while Ajwa dates contain less sugar and are smaller. I really liked them both but for this recipe I used Ajwa dates because they are smaller, which I think is better as a snack. 

Choloate covered dates are no rarity in Arabia. You can find them everywhere and with almost everything; white chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, matcha chocolate, camel milk chocolate (which I think is the most fancy hehe), soo many different types. Since we already had packed so much and bough 2kg of dates before, I decided not to buy any more but recreate them (as a healthier version) myself at home. 

So now I am back home and recreated them. I used the Ajwa dates, which are dried or course, dark vegan chocolate. The one I use is from HuKitchen, and is with all natural and healthy ingredients, and it is soooo good! Other than that I only use raw almonds and shredded coconut. This is as simple as it is. I love simple snacks because who likes to spend an hour in the kitchen with 100 ingredients when you are hungry or hangry RIGHT NOW. I can tell you, no one! 

Dates actually are a super healthy food, which made is possible for emirates to mainly eat those for hundreds of years. Dates contain 7 grams of fiber per 100g. This helps your digestion. There are lots of studies that show that eating dates increases your digestion. Moreover it helps you regulating your blood sugar levels. Plus dates are really high in antioxidants which protect your cells and reduce the risks of several deseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer or cancer (certain types). These are just some benefits of dates, but other than their health benefits, they are really delicious! Really!

I love pre-making this snack and just grab a few dates when I am hungry or pack some for work or school. I really like them when they are chilled and straight out of the fridge, because the chocolate is extra crunchy then, but they are delicious any way. I hope that you will like this recipe and enjoy it! If you do recreate it be sure to tag me on insta with @uneptcuisiniere or #uneptcuisiniere .

Enjoy, 

Katie // Une Petite Cuisiniere 

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Chocolate Coconut Almond Dates

A really delicious & healthy snack or dessert! Super simple and super good.

Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine arabian, asian
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Total Time 10 Minuten
Servings 16 dates
Calories 45 kcal

What you will need

  • 16 small Dates I like to use Ajwar dates (this equals about 150g)
  • 16 Almonds
  • 25 g chocolate
  • 2 tbsp shredded coconut

How to

That is how it works:

  1. Cut the dates in on one side (do not cut them in half totally!). Take out the seed and put an almond in it instead. Do the same with all of the dates.

  2. Stick/ squeez the size where the date had been cut in, together with your fingers, so it sticks together and it is closed.

  3. Melt the chocolate in a water bath or the microwave. Dip the dates in the molten chocolate as you like. You can completely dip them, you can dip the half horizontally or vertically, or whatever you wish. Then dip it in the coconut flakes. Place them on a plate and store in the fridge.

Notes

If you do not like coconut, do not use it. You can leave it out or substitute is with chia seeds or crushed nuts. The same accounts for the chocolate. You can also go for white chocolate, whole milk chocolate, or whatever you want. 

Healthy Protein Hot Cacao

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It is Christmas time and there already is some snow outside which means that it definitely is the season for huge cups of tea and hot chocolate with a mountain of whipped cream. We all love either of that but to make this time of the year a little bit healthier without making it less delicious I am sharing a healthy Protein Hot Cacao Recipe with you, which contains 8g of protein in each serving!!

Drinking hot chocolate for me means sitting in the bed underneath a warm blanket in my PJ´s reading a love story or watching a Christmas movie. Or it means sitting in a ski hut with my friends or family and taking a break from skiing and escaping the cold. Either one of them bring back a lot of beautiful and meaningful memories. This is why I like to drink this since it gives me some good vibes and reminds me of lots of love. 

To be honest I am not a huge fan of hot chocolate, if it is prepared as it is in Italy, with a tiny bit of milk and something like a molten chocolate bar. This is wayyy too rich for me! I am more on the tea side of hot drinks but I also do like hot Cacao. The only thing is that when drinking it, the store-bought ones are often packed with a lot of added sugars, and very little Protein. They are good, but unfortunately not healthy. 

To make them less indulging I decided to change the ingredients a little bit. In my recipe I ask to use raw cacao. This is different from Cocoa because it is not roasted at high temperatures which helps to keep the health benefits of it and not make it lose any nutritional value. Cocoa Powder often contains a lot of added sugar and is a totally processed food. It sometimes even contains food coloring to make it look more appetizing and artificial flavoring. Cacao is the raw product that does not contain anything else then the bean. Without the heating process it is a food very high in antioxidants and a great source of magnesium, potassium, iron, and calcium. It also contains a healthy amount of protein and it is shown to improve memory and lowering blood pressure as well as insulin resistance! What a superfood?!

Ok, now I think we have enough theory about cacao. So next time you go to the store think about what you buy. When buying raw cacao, you can still add sweeteners but YOU know exactly what is in it and it does not contain a billion other add-ins. 

Other than that, I like to use winter spices to flavor the (plant-based) milk, a dried fig to add sweetness and fiber and different seeds to give it a protein kick. To make a health substitute for the whipped cream, you can easily go for coconut whip. You can make tis by buying canned coconut milk. You place it in the fridge overnight and when making it, you open the jar, only take the solid part of the coconut milk, whip it up and tada.. a healthier and plant-based version of whipped cream! I hope that you will enjoy this recipe more than once in December and if you do, it would be great it you could tag me on Instagram with @uneptcuisiniere and leave a rating here on the blog, so I know that you like it!

Have a beautiful Christmas time!

Katie

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Healthy Protein Hot Cacao

The Cacao Recipe to make your Christmas time healthier but not a tiny bit less delicious! Each serving contains 8g of protein!

Course Breakfast, brunch, Dessert, Drinks
Prep Time 3 Minuten
Cook Time 5 Minuten
Total Time 8 Minuten
Servings 2 servings
Calories 170 kcal

What you will need

For the Milk:

  • 500 ml Almond Milk you can use any milk you like
  • 2 sticks cinnamon
  • 4 cloves
  • 1 dried fig
  • a pinch of salt

For the Cacao Mix

  • 3 tbsp raw cacao powder
  • 2 tsp hemp seeds
  • 2 tsp pumpkin seeds
  • 2 tsp sunflower seeds

How to

That is how it works:

  1. In a pot add the milk, along with the cinnamon, cloves, fig, and salt. Bring it to a boil.

    Meanwhile add all of the ingredients for the cacao mix to a food processor and process until a very fine texture is reached.

  2. Through a sieve pour the milk into a blender (preferably a high speed one). This way the spices will be removed since we do not want them to be blended, they should only add flavor. Take the dried fig and add it to the blender aswell.

    Add the cacao mixture and blend everything together until a smooth consistency is reached.

  3. Serve in jars and top with some whipped cream, coconut whip or with some freshly grated cacao! Enjoy!