Miso Caramel & Peanut Butter Bars.
You won’t believe it when you try one, but these little guys are actually pretty healthy!
Ingredients.
160g peanut butter, smooth, natural
100g whole oats
200g medjool dates, around 12 pitted dates. It’s important to get Medjool dates as opposed to your standard dates, for the rich caramel flavour needed for this
1 tbsp white miso paste, or more if you like a stronger miso flavour
1 tbsp coconut oil
75g dark chocolate, min. 70% cocoa solids
Sprinkle of sea salt flakes
Equipment.
You really do need a powerful food processor for this recipe, to achieve a silky smooth caramel with the dates. You may be able to achieve this in a blender with plenty of scraping down the side, but a food processor is far easier.
A loaf tin, or similar size flat-bottom dish
Cling film
Microwave
Method.
Line a loaf tin with cling film.
Mix together the peanut butter and oats, and press firmly into the base of the tin and place in the fridge
Put the dates and miso paste into the food processor and blend on high, scraping down the side periodically. It will take about 10 minutes of blending to get the caramel constancy - stick with it! Around 3-4 tablespoons of hot water really helps to bring it all together. (Note: the more water you add, the softer the end result will be, so don’t add more than you need otherwise they become tricky to eat!)
Once it’s completely smooth, pour the caramel over the oats and level it out on top. Pop it in the fridge to set a little whilst you melt the chocolate.
Break the chocolate into pieces and melt in the microwave with the coconut oil. Do this in 15 second bursts, stirring in-between, so you don’t burn the chocolate.
Pour the chocolate over the caramel layer and put back into the fridge to set. It should only take 10mins or so before you can lift it out of the tin using the clingfilm and discard the clingfilm.
Cut it into smaller bars. Dipping your knife into boiling water before each cut will help you get through the chocolate layer without the caramel oozing out the sides. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge, where they should keep for at least a week. Alternatively, store them in the freezer and defrost them overnight in the fridge.
