I started envisioning something like a granola bar. When I was little my mom often put granola bars in my lunch instead of cookies. I hated that. Granola bars were all fine and good, but, really, they’re nothing compared to a cookie. But then I thought: if there had been Nutella on those granola bars, I probably would’ve been ok with it.
And that’s how I got the idea for this recipe. I knew the paleo Nutella could be the binding agent – the stuff to hold the bar together. I just had to decide what to make the bar from.
I decided on a mix of nuts and almond meal and desiccated (dried) coconut – so, really, all nuts and seeds! That means these bars have a ton of fiber, protein, and omega 3’s. Since I pulsed up the nuts and seeds in the food processor, the bar ends up having a chewy, nutty texture – not too crunchy. More like a treat than a granola bar!
The paleo Nutella is also full of nuts – hazelnuts, to be precise. And, it uses cacao bean powder instead of chocolate. Cacao beans are what chocolate comes from, so using the powder means that you’re using a less processed (with less sugar and less fat) version of chocolate. Same chocolatey flavor – maybe a bit darker and richer, even. And together (with a few other key ingredients), this makes up your paleo Nutella. Boy, I bet those Paleolithic hunters wish they had thought of that!
But back to my bars…the good thing about a lot of paleo snack bars is that they are no-cook, so you don’t have to go heating up the kitchen and everything. The bad news is that you have to wait for them to chill in the fridge. Make sure they have time enough to set, otherwise they will be gloppy and sticky and hard to eat (unless, of course, you have a spoon…not that I tried this…of course not…ahem…).
And one tip about these bars: I often like bars because I can toss them in my purse or gym bag and pull them out when I need a snack. These particular bars aren’t great for that because unless they’re kept cool, they get a little too gooey. So, keep them at home in the fridge or save them for days when you’re bringing something else that needs refrigeration to work.
But gooey or chewy, these bars are guaranteed to satiate your toughest chocolate craving but still provide you with tons of health benefits and keep you on track with your paleo lifestyle.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup almonds
- 3 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 3 tbsp sunflower seeds
- ½ cup almond meal
- ¾ cup desiccated coconut
- 2 cups Homemade Nutella ( https://paleogrubs.com/homemade-nutella-recipe )
Directions
- Put the almonds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds in a high speed blender or food processor and blend until roughly chopped, then add the almond meal, coconut and Nutella and pulse to combine.
- Line a 4“ x 8“ baking dish with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Press the mixture into dish. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a fridge for 30 minutes or until firm.
- Cut into slices, place in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.