I made the mistake of letting my 3 year old try some of the nak’d bar I was eating once and she didn’t stop asking for one afterwards- well that’s all great (one of the best mass-produced products out there) except that if she has one her sister wants one and they’re not cheap! So- given that the ingredients are clearly marked on the back of each bar I decided to have a go at making my own in an attempt to reduce the costs!

Well the kids were more than happy with the results! I made these ones with cacao and so I think next time I’ll do it with cocoa instead (that’s the actual listed ingredient) to make it that little bit more chocolaty!

Ingredients-

175g dried dates

150g sultanas or raisins

225g unsalted cashew nuts

2 tablespoons of cacao or cocoa powder

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

Unless you’re using medjool dates you’re best off soaking the dates first- pop them into a large bowl and pour over boiling water until they’re covered.

Leave them soaking for 15-30mins to plump up slightly.

Drain off the water and pop the dates into a food processor

Add the sultanas,

The cashew nuts,

The vanilla essence,

And the cocoa powder.

Blend everything together in the food processor- it might take some time to get it smooth but just keep blending!

Until it looks something like this!

Line a loaf tin with some cling film

Pour the mixture into the tin and smooth down

Until you get a flat top.

Pop it into the fridge to firm up for at least an hour (or overnight!)

Turn out into a chopping board and remove the cling film

Cut into 12 slices

Wrap each slice in a piece of grease proof paper (stops it melting in children’s hands later!)

Store in the fridge for 3 weeks- if they last that long!