CHOC COCONUT NOUGAT BITES (healthy summer rolls)

It’s made with nutrient dense seeds, nuts and coconut, far less sugar (just some maple syrup and the chocolate), and contains no wheat or dairy. Also tastes like a dream. Makes 8 fun sized bars.

1/3 cup almond or sunflower seed butter**
1 1/3 cups coconut flakes
2 Tbs Maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbs coconut flour
1/3 cup peanuts (roasted preferably)
1 cup dark chocolate pieces 75% or higher *
2 Tbs coconut oil

Place 1 cup of the coconut flakes in a small food processor bowl and process until they almost become a butter. It should be wet but with pieces of coconut still visible: you want this texture.

Turn the oven to 150 and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Put remaining coconut on this and cook in the oven for a few minutes until just turning golden. Remove, crumble slightly and set aside. You can skip this step if you want to keep it ‘raw’.

Add the sunflower seed butter, vanilla extract and maple syrup to the coconut mixture in the food processor: pulse to combine. Add coconut flour, blend until a dough-like ball forms. You have your nougat – now to shape it. Divide dough in half, then half again then half again. You should now have 8 lumps. Mould them into little bars, the size of fun sized chocolates. Place in the fridge to firm.

Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl above a pot of boiling water. Add the coconut oil and stir to combine. Place the cold bars on a wire rack with parchment paper underneath. Spoon chocolate over each bar, you’re doing this in layers so don’t worry if it’s not perfect this time. Put in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm the chocolate, then repeat. You should have enough chocolate to do this 3 times. After the third time sprinkle the tops with coconut (be generous) before placing in the fridge again. You will probably have a fair amount of chocolate on the parchment paper, if you have any coconut left over, sprinkle it over this chocolate and allow it to set and you’ll have some chocolate bark – bonus!

NOTES
*You could also make a vegan chocolate by mixing cacao powder, maple syrup and coconut oil together (equal quantities oil and cacao + sweetener to taste).

** She made her own sunflower butter & very lightly roasted seeds first, which gave a lovely flavour.