THE ORIGINAL DATE CRUNCH BARK RECIPE

IT'S OFFICIAL. Date bark has gone viral and rightly so. I thought it's the perfect excuse to start posting recipes on here again.

7 reasons why date bark is worth making:

1. It takes like 5 minutes to put together

2. You only need 4 simple ingredients.

3. It's a super satisfying sweet treat.

4. It's packed with nutrient dense ingredients. A healthy snack that doesn't taste healthy

5. Easily customisable. Can fill with any nut butter/ spread and top with whatever your heart desires.

6. It's quicker and easier to make than stuffing dates individually.

7. It's fun to make and eat

You will need:

20 Medjool dates

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

3/4 cup almonds

90g dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa)

Flaky salt to garnish

Break the dark chocolate into a bowl and place on a smaller saucepan with boiling water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water (alternatively melt in a microwave) If the chocolate is too thick, add 1 teaspoon - 1 tablespoon coconut oil to loosen it up.

Wash and dry your dates. Pit by splitting each date open and remove the stone. Flatten on a baking sheet. Repeat until all the dates are all alongside one another. Use a bottom of a cup to further flatten the bark. You can grease the bottom of the cup with a little oil to prevent sticking.

Spread the peanut butter on top, sprinkle almonds on top. Drizzle the dark chocolate on top. Transfer to fridge and chill until set.

Break apart and sprinkle a little flaky salt on top. ENJOY!

Peaches n' Pomegranate Mocktail

When life gives you POM Wonderful, make pomegranate mocktails.

This delicious Persian-inspired peaches n pomegranate drink is infused with orange blossom

rich in nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants, pomegranate juice supports heart, brain and gut health. its antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties also help to prevent chronic disease and cancer.. but also, it tastes really good.

Ingredients

1 tsp orange blossom

1 tsp raw honey*

500ml POM Wonderful

500ml sparkling water

ice

peach slices, basil and edible flowers for garnish

(2-3 servings)

*or maple /cane sugar syrup

Method

Add ice to the glasses.

Mix the orange blossom and syrup in a jug until combined.

Add the pomegranate juice and sparkling water, mix and divide into the glasses.

Garnish with basil and edible flowers.

Add a peach slice to a cocktail stick and place on top of the glass and enjoy

Bloody Cookies

In other words, jam stuffed vanilla cookies. The cookies are super soft and pillowy. These can be filled with anything you like - nut butter, chocolate etc etc.

makes 10-12 cookies

bloody filling

1 c blackberries

1 1/2 tbsp honey*

1 tsp tapioca flour

1/4 tsp extra dark cocoa powder**

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

cookie

1/3 c honey

1/3 c ghee/ butter, room temp

1 medium egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 c oat flour

1/4 c coconut flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Add the blackberries to a small saucepan, simmer for 5 minutes. mash with a fork, then mix in the rest of the ingredients and simmer on medium for another 5 minutes until thickened.

Pour the filling into small domed silicone moulds OR make 10 blobs (about 1 tbsp each) on a lined baking tray and place in the freezer for at least 2 hours.

In a large bowl, whisk the ghee, honey, vanilla and egg for 2-3 minutes, then sift in the dry ingredients and fold until combined. the dough should be firm but slightly sticky. Option to chill in the fridge for 20 minutes - this makes the dough easier to handle when stuffing them. If you find the dough too sticky to handle, wet your hands with cold water. This will make them easier to handle.

Preheat oven to 200°C/ 390°F (180°C fan) and line a couple baking trays with parchment paper.

Use a spoon to scoop some cookie dough and flatten in your palms, then add a frozen filling in the centre and wrap the dough around it. Pull off any excess dough and roll into a ball. Put the cookies on a baking tray, leaving a 2-inch gap in between.

Place the tray in the middle of the oven to bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden around the edges. Allow to cool in the tray and enjoy!

*Optional - this is to make it look more bloody