An easy 4 ingredient sweet treat for you which is very quick to make. Simply, blend sticky and sweet medjool dates with almond butter and stir through some puffed quinoa. Shape into mini bars then dip in some melted dark chocolate and you get a great little sweet treat that tastes a bit like a toffee crisp.
The puffed quinoa really adds to the nutritional profile (and the crunch!) to these bars. It’s a great ingredient to have handy. I know some of you have told me in the past on Instagram that puffed quinoa can be hard to find. Look in health food stores and online as it’s not something I generally see in the supermarket.
You can usually buy in big packs, and it will keep in the cupboard for a few months so you can make these treats again and again. They are also great to add to things like homemade granola and cereals. Apparently, you can also puff it yourself and this is on my list of things to try next so I will keep you posted!
I like to use puffed quinoa rather than puffed rice as it’s got a slightly higher nutritional profile – more fibre and more protein but really for me the texture is better, and the pieces are smaller so they work really well in bars like this. BUT – if you can’t find puffed quinoa than puffed rice would work too.
This is a great recipe to make ahead at the weekend as they will last for up to a week in the fridge and they are great as an after-school treat.
The only baking required for these bars is a few minutes in the oven to crisp up the quinoa. You don’t have to do this with puffed rice but for puffed quinoa I think putting in the oven for 5 minutes really makes it extra crunchy so please try and do this if you have the time.
The simple ingredients you need for this recipe are:
- Puffed quinoa
- Almond butter
- Medjool dates
- Dark chocolate
For the dark chocolate try and go with one that is at least 70% cocoa and that way it has less sugar and more chocolate! The dates are very sweet anyway so this will balance out the flavour of the dark chocolate really well.
I hope you try them and enjoy them as much as I do – let me know in the comments below.
Recipe Tips
- Always try and opt for an almond butter that just contains almonds (and maybe a little salt) – get in the habit of checking the ingredients as you may be surprised how much extra ‘fillers’ and sugars some brands will sneak in. I find the organic brands tend to just use organic almonds and a pinch of sea salt and that is it – so try to find one like that if you can.
- I have used almond butter in this recipe but if you prefer another nut or seed butter, then please substitute with that. Just keep the quantities the same.
- As stated above, these also work well with puffed rice if you can’t get hold of quinoa.
- For the dates, I use large medjool dates. They work really well in recipes like this as they blend into a lovely caramel consistency.
4 Ingredient Toffee Crisp
Ingredients
- 12 large medjool dates
- ½ cup smooth almond butter (120g)
- 1½ cups puffed quinoa (40g)
- 125 g dark chocolate
Instructions
- Toast the puffed quinoa for 5 mins in the oven at 180C/350F so it’s crispy (don’t miss this step).
- Add the dates and almond butter to a food processor and blend until smooth. Add 1-2 tbsp of water as you blend if needed (only if your dates are harder. You don’t want the mix to be too wet as it will make the quinoa soggy).
- Add the puffed quinoa and pulse to mix well. Shape into mini bars and refrigerate whilst you melt the chocolate.
- Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water and then dip each of the bars and place back in the fridge to set.
Notes
- They will keep in the fridge for about a week in a sealed tub.
- Other nut butters will work as well as almond.
- I use a dark chocolate that is at least 70% cocoa and this is what the nutritional information is based upon.
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