Sugarfreejuly and plasticfreejuly together – what was I thinking! I first made this on Easter Sunday, in a creative effort to escape the day without hitting the kids easter eggs, and resurrected it this July to help me through a challenge I had taken on with my brother. This millionaire’s shortbread is so decadent it’s hard to believe it’s HEALTHY!
And for the curious, it’s strange that sugarfreejuly proved a lot harder than plasticfreejuly – maybe that’s why it isn’t a thing!
The base combines flaxseed, coconut oil and mixed seeds, combined with a topping of salted date caramel. For the chocolate, strong is best. It not only allows the layer to be kept super thin, but dark chocolate doesn’t overpower the sweetness of the salted date caramel, and maximizes the anti-oxident hit, which is always a good excuse to use dark chocolate!
I use a super dark 99% chocolate, which O’Conaill Chocolate supply locally in good old paper and foil wrapping, but if you can’t get that, an 84% or at minimum 70% should be easily available.
Healthy is is – breakfast it ain’t, this low fat, low sugar version is a super decadent treat.
- 1.5 cup milled linseed\/flaxseed\/mix"
- 2 dates
- 1 tsp manuka or raw honey
- 2 tsp coconut oil melted
- 1.5 Cups Dates (Medjool or other moist dates)
- 2 cm vanilla pod
- 1tsp peanut butter
- 1tsp melted coconut oil
- 4 - 6 tbsp warm water
- Pinch of sea salt (an essential part of the flavour!)
- 50g very dark chocolate (99% or the highest you can get)
- 1 teasp coconut oil
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until crumb.
- Press into a lined tin/tray. If it's hard to press, put another sheet of non stick paper over the crumb, and press down with a potatoe ricer!
- Put to set in freezer while you make the filling.
- Blend dates in food processor.
- Add melted oil and nut butter and continue to blend.
- Add scraped vanilla beans (lets be honest, I just throw in the skin too!).
- Drizzle in water a little at a time while continuing to blend until like caramel. Add water very slowley so it doesn't go beyond caramel.
- Spread over the base and put in freezer.
- Melt chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of hot water.
- Add tbsp coconut oil when melted and mix.
- Spread over date caramel.
- Put in fridge a few minutes to harden slightly.
- Mark chocolate into 24 squares while chocolate is still a little soft.
- Return to freezer to harden.
- Finish cutting with a sharp knife when chocolate is fully set.
