Caramel Mesquite Slice

Mesquite powder… the first ingredient I received for my Mystery Box Challenge series… and in true challenge style, it was not something I’d ever used or really knew how to use until now – yay! I can’t wait to use it again, and now that I’ve done a bit of research on it’s health benefits, I’m pretty excited about incorporating it into some of my other staples. And guys, it’s flippen CARAMEL SLICE!!

Ingredients

base

1/2 cup almonds
1/4 cup macadamia or cashew nuts
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 teaspoons mesquite powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

filling

1 cup dried dates
1 heaped tablespoon mesquite powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup water from dates

topping

75g dark chocolate
1 tablespoon cocoa nibs

Method

Cut the dates in half (mostly to check there are no random pips left in), put into a bowl and cover with boiling water – set aside. Line a 20cm long loaf tin (or similar size) with baking paper.

Put all the base ingredients into a food processor and blend until crumb-like. Press into the bottom of your tin and pop in the freezer.

With a slotted spoon, spoon the dates from the water (keep the water) into a blender. Add the mesquite, vanilla and 1/4 cup of water from the date soaking bowl. Blend until smooth and pour out on top of your base. Put back in the freezer.

Roughly chop the chocolate and put into a coffee cup. Sit the cup in a bowl of boiling water and wait for it to melt – stir occasionally. Once fully melted, pour out on top of the filling and smooth over with a knife. Sprinkle the cocoa nibs over the top and pop back in the freezer.

As soon as the chocolate JUST starts to set, lift the slice out of the tin and cut into squares then put back in the freezer to set properly.

Store the slice in the fridge or freezer – MESQUITE! (I just like saying it)