Caramel Slice

I posted a photo of these healthy Twix bars on the Facebook page & took them to a training & nutrition seminar on Saturday.... I was pretty thrilled with the feedback. I love showing people that even if you want a snack (lets face it, we all do at some stage), you don't need to go for the really unhealthy choice...

Shortbread base:

• 275g unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp raw organic honey
• 1 tsp organic vanilla extract
• 1 large egg yolk
• 140g almond flour
• 40g coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 170d (fan).

Start by beating the butter, honey, vanilla & egg yolk together until everything is combined with no lumps remaining.

Next add the dry ingredient & stir well until you have a stiff dough. It will still be quite sticky, but should be firm.

Press into an 8x8' square tin lined with grease proof paper & bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

If you find it's browning too quickly, just place a sheet of tin foil over the tin to prevent it from burning. It's ready when it's golden brown and firm.

As the base is cooling, you can get started on the caramel filling...

Filling:

• 10 figs softened in boiling water for 10 minutes (you can use dates here too... I used figs because of their lower sugar content & cos I already had some!) 
• 50g pecan nuts
• 1/2 can of coconut milk (refrigerated overnight... just scoop the thick cream from the top half of the can. Keep the coconut water to add to a smoothie) 
• 2 tbsp raw organic honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted 

Ok listen up! 

Do not, I repeat do not add all these ingredients to the food processor at once... I always forget this, and end up covered in coconut milk! Just believe me alright! 

Start by adding the figs & pecans. Pulse until you have a thick paste. Scrape down the sides if you need to. 

Next add the liquid ingredients GRADUALLY. Yes, I'm shouting at you... cos you think I'm exaggerating here... I'm not! Just do as you're told... And yes, I know in the photo, I threw everything in at once.. this is the reason my kitchen wall needs to be painted now! Do as I say, and not as I do etc etc....

Once all the liquid is incorporated, you should have a thick caramel.

Spread over the cooled shortbread base. 

Chocolate topping: 

Next... whip up a batch of this homemade Paleo friendly chocolate, or I guess you could use super dark chocolate if you want... but make sure it's 85% cocoa solids at least... none of that milk chocolate crap! The higher to cocoa content, the lower the sugar content :) 

Cover the caramel with your chocolate. 

Allow to set at room temperature overnight, or for 2/3 hours at least. 

Cut into slices. I got 24 bars from this recipe. 

Chocolate... Paleo friendly :)

I'm always wary of putting 'dairy/sugar/gluten free' in my post titles... I've lots of sarcastic friends who use it as an excuse to throw in 'taste free' when they comment on my posts! Mind you, I'm slowly but surely converting them, and making them realise that food doesn't need to be laced with sugar to taste good. I can't help but laugh when they call the food I cook 'fake food'... somewhat ironic given the fact that it's actually 'real' food...

*May not be entirely accurate

One ingredient I've struggled with for clean dessert recipes has been chocolate. Yes, you can use chocolate with a high cocoa content which lowers the sugar content, but I still wasn't happy. I try not to compromise what I'm trying to achieve, by adding sugar and artificial ingredients into my cooking. It's all too easy to take short cuts, and totally undermine your efforts to eat clean... before you know it, you're part of the 'IIFYM (If it fits your macros)' crowd, and you're having a breakfast roll with a side order of toast for breakfast! I've said repeatedly, that dessert and cake recipes I post here are for treats only... even though they're using quality ingredients, they shouldn't be forming the basis of your daily food intake! 

Chocolate is pretty amazing... so I decided to make my own. I hereby declare myself Willy Wonka :) 

I don't claim to have created this myself... it's a recipe that seems to be a Paleo favourite online, with a few amendments to suit my own preferences. Selfless as always, I've tried this out a couple of times, and promise it not only works, but it tastes great too... 

For the chocolate:

• 4 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 8 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp vanilla extract (I've substituted in peppermint/orange blossom extract....YUM!)
• 2 tbsp organic raw honey

Place all ingredients in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. (Don't do this in the microwave... yes it's quicker, but your chocolate will seize, separate and burn!) 

Keep mixing as all the ingredients melt to create a glossy chocolate sauce. Don't allow it to stick and form lumps in the base of the bowl so seriously...keep stirring. 

Once you have a smooth, glossy chocolate sauce, pour into an 8"x8" tin lined with greaseproof paper. 

Allow to cool and set in a cool, dry place. 

If you place it in the fridge, you'll end up with a dull coloured chocolate.... it still tastes great so it won't really matter. (This may have been the case in my photo above!) 

Once set, you can cut into bars, use as chocolate chunks for cookies or paleo trail mix.... It's pretty damn good regardless of how you choose to use it :)