Let me be clear from the start, this is not a health food. It is not sugar-free, it is not low calorie, and it is not going to land me a book deal. But it is a more nourishing version of something I love, made with ingredients that leave me feeling better than the original.And most importantly, it tastes good.
If it didn’t, what would be the point? This started as an attempt to break up with my late-night biscuit/sweet tooth habit. I still wanted something sweet, still wanted a bit of crunch and a bit of chew, but without quite so much processed sugar and empty filler. So I fiddled, and I found a balance that works for me. This is fridge cake, but not quite. Chocolate tiffin, but grown up a bit. It hits the spot when I want a treat but do not want to derail everything. I asked ChatGPT is it had any suggestions based on what it knows about my eating habits and goals and tweaked until I found something that is healthier (it scores enjoy regularly on Zoe for me) but still tastes good.
The Not-So-Precise Recipe
This is approximate. You do not need to weigh everything unless you really want to. Swap things for what you have in the cupboard. Taste as you go. The spirit of this is: use what you have, and make it work for you.
Ingredients
Mixed nuts – about 80g (almonds, cashews, pistachios, peanuts, macadamia… whatever is knocking about, I started making my own mix of nuts because you can bet there is one I don’t like in pre-bagged mixes, I can also add extras like dried goji berries or cocoa nibs for that little extra plant diversity and to add taste as I am avoiding salting them)
Wholegrain biscuits – 4 to 6, lightly crushed (I use Oaties but use what you like)
Dates or other dried fruit – 8-10 chopped dates or a handful of other fruit you like
Peanut butter – 2 to 3 tbsp (crunchy is best, but again, your kitchen, your rules)
Dark chocolate – 100g, at least 70%, melted gently
Olive oil – 1 tsp (trust me, you won’t taste it)
Maple syrup – 1 tsp (or honey, if that’s what you have)
Method
1. Prep your tin – a small square container lined with baking paper or clingfilm will do unless you use silicon ones.
2. Chop or crush your dry bits, biscuits and nuts – you want texture, not dust.
3. Melt your chocolate gently over a pan of simmering water, yiu can domit in the microwave but I always getbdistracted and worry it will burn.
4. Stir in the peanut butter, olive oil, and maple syrup into the melted chocolate.
5. Fold in the dry mix – the nuts, biscuits, and fruit. Get it coated. Taste it.
6. Scoop into your tin and press it down. Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours until set.
7. Cut into squares and store in a container. It keeps in the fridge but I have no idea how long as its never got beyond 4 days before being finished. Apparently the other half and the child quite enjoy this too…
Why This Works for Me
It still feels like a treat. But I am getting fibre, protein, good fats, and that slow-release energy from nuts and oats that helps me avoid a blood sugar crash later on. It also scratches the itch of I want something now, without the regret of whatever supermarket snack I might have inhaled otherwise. As it is quite rich, one square is satisfying enough usually and I have absolutely no guilt about reaching for a square, it contains lots of things that are good for your gut.
Notes
Try different things according to your taste, the only thing I would not swap is the chocolate (although I might increase the quantity) as its the fact it is dark chocolate that makes this much healthier.
I’ve recently tried popcorn (homemade, great snack that is also not too unhealthy until you pile other stuff onto it but I do make a caramel sauce for it occassionally) and rolled oats. I think I actually prefer this tweak to the original but I might fancy the more biscuits texture next time and it doesn’t tend to crumble quite as much as the popcorn version.
You could add a little salt, or cinnamon, play with it, it’s pretty forgiving.
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