Dark Chocolate, Cherry Almond No-Bake Snack Bars
This past year, I was diagnosed with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. I consider myself an open book, but I’ll admit that this hasn’t been the easiest thing to talk about. The pandemic’s isolation creates a long list of items to catch up on with my friends when I finally see them, so it feels a little awkward to lead with “So, turns out I’ve been having a bunch of seizures over the last year!” After the initial shock of the diagnosis (and also the denial, “Get me a second opinion!!”) my major anxieties stemmed from the lack of control over how my body reacts day-to-day. For the most part, these seizures can happen any time, caused by a number of triggers, and sometimes even for no apparent reason at all. I know in theory I never had control over these things, but to be faced with the obvious reality of it definitely had (and sometimes still has) me in a panic. It’s not easy for me to let go of control!
Something that those with chronic illness don’t (publicly) talk about enough is the grief that comes with being diagnosed with a condition you’ll live with for the rest of your life. Over the past year, I’ve grieved my old self, the one who didn’t worry about whether her body would function well or not, never considered whether a late night could have major implications, or if she would be safe to take a shower when no one else was home. She wouldn’t be wondering if things would get worse, or if symptoms would re-appear when she is finally feeling herself again. Once you know, you can’t un-know. I think that’s been the toughest part of this journey.
I’m slowly getting to the place where I can accept this and take small steps to live with it. I’ve learned soooooo much about epilepsy, and you’d likely be surprised (as I was) by how many people are living with epilepsy worldwide! One of the major triggers for seizures is diet, which is why I’ve revolutionized the way I eat, focusing on low-glycemic foods and staying away from refined ingredients. Enter - these snack bars. Super filling, and an easy-to-make sweet treat! I think this was my most-requested recipe, so I hope you all love these as much as I do!
Recipe
Dark Chocolate, Cherry Almond No-Bake Snack Bars
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
2 cups almond butter
2 cup hemp hearts
2-3 tbsp maple syrup (the real kind!)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup dried cherries, finely chopped
1/2 cup 80% dark chocolate, chopped
Flakey sea salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F. On a raised-edge baking sheet, spread out coconut and bake for about 10 minutes, stirring once, until lightly toasted. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, in a food processor or high powered blender, pulse almond butter, hemp hearts maple syrup and cinnamon until combined (your mixture doesn’t have to be blended smooth, just generally combined)
Dump the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer, along with the cherries and coconut. Mix with the paddle attachment until evenly combined. Alternately, you can throw it all in a large mixing bowl and combine everything with your hands!
Line your raised-edge baking sheet with parchment, and press the mixture firmly and evenly across the pan. (If you feel like your hands are sticking as you press, you can rub a bit of coconut oil on your hands before pressing!)
Cover the pan and chill in the fridge for an hour or so, until firm.
After bars are chilled, remove them from the fridge and using the edges of the parchment, lift the whole rectangle onto a cutting board. Gently slice into rectangles (as pictured) or squares, keeping the bars in their cookie sheet formation. After you slice, carefully slide the parchment (with the bars on top) back onto the cookie sheet.
Melt chocolate in a bowl in the microwave, in 30 second increments, stirring often until smooth and runny. Drizzle chocolate across the bars and sprinkle with flakey sea salt.
Chill bars again until chocolate is firm and enjoy! Remaining bars can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
