Paleo Chocolate Seed Bark – Vegan Compliant
Hey everyone,
I hope you are all doing well, feeling safe, and finding safety and joy wherever you are. It’s been quite the time to reflect on our lives. For me, it’s been a time of intense reflection. I’ve been learning to take responsibility for my life, gain clarity, and also get super creative. One of the amazing gifts of this time for me has been making recipes. It felt right to mark today the first day of publicly launching my new website, which will cover topics on wellness, holistic cooking, emotional health, and longevity. And what better way to begin than through a favourite recipe of mine that was inspired by the Persian New Year or Noruz, which marks the vernal equinox, the beginning of Spring, and the transition from winter.
Disclaimer: I like to share my recipes with nuggets of wisdom based on my personal health journey, research and interest in the world of nutrition. This blog is the place where you’ll learn about new recipes and knowledge about the food we eat, their health benefits, and your own intuitive habits around food, whether or not a recipe calls for certain ingredients. Remember that only you have the potential to change your life and health for the better. Alway check in with your body and your professional health-care practitioners for guidance and support.
Food is incredibly important. Food is medicine. Our diet and nutrition can make or break us. Our attitude towards food also makes or breaks us. What, how, and when we choose to eat determines our health, longevity, and quality of life. So it would be an incredible idea for you to make empowering choices that would benefit you and the ecosystem around, longterm. It is for this reason that I eat organic and fresh whole foods. I also like to support local and sustainable farms around. The ripple effects of my lifestyle and dietary choices have become evident to me in the last year. I’ve seen my family paying more attention to their health as well. I wholeheartedly believe when one person changes, others become inspired to change. Simply put, health attracts health.
Now, onto the recipe ingredients for this delicious chocolate seed bark.
For the shortbread:
1• Coconut flour 3/4 cup
2• Shredded coconut 1/4 cup
3• Freshly ground cardamom 1 Teaspoon (from 10 cardamom pods)
4• Cinnamon 1 full Teaspoon or to your liking, but I wouldn’t go over 1 Tablespoon
5• Virgin Coconut oil 1/4 Cup – melted
6• Grass-fed Gelatin from Vital Proteins or Great Lakes 2 Tablespoons (omit for vegan option)
7• Freshly ground Flax Seeds 3 Tablespoons
8• Freshly ground almond flour 1/4 cup
9• Organic Cacao Powder 3 Tablespoons
10• Pure, Organic Vanilla Extract 1 Teaspoon or if you don’t have it you could use 1 Tablespoon Extra Dark Maple Syrup – make sure it’s pure
11• A pinch of Sea Salt
12• Freshly ground sunflower seeds 3 Tablespoons
13• Filtered Water, or Hemp Milk, Almond Milk, or Coconut Milk 1/4 to 1/2 Cup
14• Erythritol, pure maple syrup, or Monk Fruit Sweetener 1/4 Cup or you could also use 30 drops of pure stevia extract
15• Baking Soda 1/2 Teaspoon
16• Baking Powder 1 Full Teaspoon
Note: For a vegan friendly option, omit gelatine. It will not matter if this recipe doesn’t have eggs or a binding agent. Also, we are not looking for the short-bread to rise or gain volume. The texture of this shortbread is like a pressed or dense granola bar. Except for the crunch element. See the photos below for a better understanding of how they will turn out.
For the caramel Filling:
1• Medjool Dates 10 medium or large, pitted and soaked in warm water for 10 mins – you could skip this for Keto and instead add extra chocolate filling from the instructions below
2• Vanilla Extract 1/2 Teaspoon
3• Coconut Milk – Full Fat 35% 1 Cup
For the chocolate topping:
1• Unsweetened, pure, dairy free, dark chocolate 3/4 Cup
2• Coconut oil 2 Tablespoons
3• Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon
4• Stevia Extract 20 Drops, OR Erythritol 1/4 Cup, OR Monk Fruit Sweetener 1/4 Cup
Instructions:
1• Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl, except for shredded coconuts, until well blended and mixed.
2• In a separate saucepan, melt coconut oil on the stovetop, on low heat for a minute. Add melted coconut oil, vanilla extract, and water to the dry ingredients
*Note: Coconut flour absorbs water very easily. So, if you find that you can’t yet form a solid dough, resembling a tart dough, then keep on adding water or a favourite nut milk of your choice 1 tablespoon at a time.
3• Heat the oven to 325 degrees.
4• Once you create a dense dough, then roll the dough in a flat, stainless steel sheet pan of approximately 16 x 24 inches, lined with unbleached parchment paper. Make sure your dough covers the entire pan and it is fully flat. You would want its height to be 0.5 – 1 centimetres or less.
5• Use a fork and prick the dough like you would a tart shell. This would allow the steam to escape and also help the dough bake through and have a crispier texture.
6• Put the shortbread dough in the oven and let it bake for 40 minutes until you can see slightly darker edges. You don’t want to get dark edges at all. Especially as there are seeds in this recipe and their oil is very sensitive to heat and oxidation. Once baked, take out the shortbread and let it cool down.
7• Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips in a bowl by placing a small amount of water in the bottom pan of a double boiler, the water should not touch the top pot. Place the chocolate chips or melting chocolate in the top pot and start heating on medium. Stir frequently until the chocolate is perfectly melted. Then add coconut oil, vanilla extract, and sweetener of your choice. For the Keto version, I used 30 drops of pure stevia extract but you could use monk fruit sweetener, or erythritol as well. Or for the paleo and vegan options, you could add 1/4 cup maple syrup to sweeten the chocolate chips. Stir really well until you have a smooth and velvety chocolate mix. Then move the bowl away and set aside. You can refer to the instruction on the website below for more info: https://simplydesigning.porch.com/how-to-melt-chocolate-for-dipping/)
8• For the caramel filling, which is essentially the binding agent between the dough and chocolate coating on top, blend the soaked dates, coconut milk, and vanilla extract in a blender, until smooth and creamy. It’s okay if it isn’t perfectly smooth, as long as there are no big lumps and you have a creamy mixture. Then put your caramel filling in the fridge.
9• Once your dough has cooled down, take your date caramel out of the fridge, transfer the whole mixture onto your shortbread, and smooth it out with a silicone spatula like you would a layer of whipped cream on a cake.
10• Take your bowl of chocolate coating, and make sure it is still warm to touch. If it has cooled down, warm it up using the double boiler method for a few minutes. Once warmed up and melted, top your caramel filling with a thick layer of your melted chocolate. Make sure you use all of the chocolate coating for a boost in flavour and texture.
11• Before putting your seed bark in the fridge to set, top your chocolate coating with sunflower seeds and shredded coconut. This gives the recipe extra flavour and a beautiful decoration.
12• And finally, cool your chocolaty seed bark in the fridge or the freezer for a few hours until everything is fully set and ready to serve.
13• You can then cut this delicious bark into squares and serve as desired with a hot or cold beverage of your choice. I really like to have this with my almond, matcha latte, or whipped matcha and coconut milk latte. I will share both recipes with you soon.
In great health,
Behnaz
