Black Garlic, Cashew & Date Energy Bars

MAKES: 10 bars

PREP TIME: 10 minutes

COOK TIME: 20 - 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• ●     125g cashews

  ●     Pinch of salt

  ●     225g porridge oats

  ●     100g cold pressed rapeseed oil

  ●     120g honey

  ●     30g maple syrup

  ●     50g date paste (soft, mashed)

  ●     6 cloves Original Black Garlic, mashed into a paste

  ●     80g loose, runny peanut butter

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C (Fan) and line a baking tin with parchment.

Toast the cashews in a dry frying pan with a grind of sea salt, then tip onto a chopping board and chop into smaller pieces.

Tip the oats and toasted cashews into a large bowl and stir to evenly distribute.

In a saucepan over a low heat, gently warm the oil, honey and maple syrup. Tip in the date paste and mashed black garlic cloves and whisk vigorously to combine.

Pour the warm wet mixture over the dry ingredients and fold thoroughly until the oats and nuts are nicely coated. Stir in the peanut butter until nicely combined. The mixture should be fairly wet and pasty.

Firmly press the mixture into the tin and smooth the top with the back of a spoon.

Bake in the oven for 20–25 minutes until lightly golden at the edges.

Allow to cool completely before slicing into ten bars. Cooling sets the structure and prevents crumbling.

Recipe by Lara Green

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