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Salted chocolate peanut butter bars

January 28, 2014 12 Comments

Rich and fudgy salted chocolate peanut butter bars (gluten free, dairy free, soy free) by to her coreWhen I was younger, I was a MASSIVE fan of the Baby Sitters Club book series. I used to long for the day when I would be old enough to set up my own baby-sitters club (which never happened – I baby sat once and the baby cried the whole time, and that was the end of my child minding career).

The members of the Baby Sitters Club were my childhood heros, and I wanted to be just like them.I begged my parents for a phone in my room, like Claudia had, but when that didn’t turn out I decided to steal Claudia’s other trait and hid junk food all over my room. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on which way you look at it!) that didnt turn out to well for me either – I could never get my hands on the good stuff, so I’d have half some dried apricots hidden under my favorite teddy bear, and some almonds inside my money box. Sometimes if I were really lucky, they would be chocolate coated. My endeavours fell short of all the exotic treats that were hidden away in Claudia’s room – candy corn, oreos and ho hos; milk duds, gummi worms and ring dings. And peanut butter cups – which I must admit didn’t sound too appetising, but when I found out they were sugary peanut butter centers covered in smooth milky chocolate, I desperately wanted to have some of my own to hide in my room.

My favorite character in the books was Stacey – she was pretty, with long curly blonde locks and she hailed from New York City, which for a kid growing up in a small rural town on the other side of the word was the epitome of sophistication.

Rich and fudgy salted chocolate peanut butter bars (gluten free, dairy free, soy free) by to her core

A few years ago I spent some time in the US and finally got to try Peanut Butter cups. They were perhaps themost delicious thing I had ever tasted up until that point in my life. (As I mentioned, I had a pretty sheltered upbringing!) Who knew peanut butter and chocolate could taste so good together!? Nowadays, you can buy these in Australia quite easily – they are a tad on the expensive side, but much cheaper than a trip to the States.

Rich and fudgy salted chocolate peanut butter bars (gluten free, dairy free, soy free) by to her core

Obviously, whilst they taste amazing, Peanut Butter Cups are not the healthiest thing on the planet. Their two main ingredients – chocolate and peanut butter – however are not that unhealthy on their own, so I set out to make a healthier treat inspired by tasty little delights. I took the idea of using chick peas to create a fudgier texture from my Fudgy Peanut Butter Chocolate Balls recipe, along with maple syrup and coconut sugar to sweeten them. The result? They taste a little like healthy peanut butter blondies with a rich chocolate filling – if like me you are a fan of the chocolate/peanut butter combo, you definitely want to try these!

Rich and fudgy salted chocolate peanut butter bars (gluten free, dairy free, soy free) by to her core

UPDATE JULY 2015: Having made these a few times since the original attempt, I’ve used other white beans in the filling which also work well (white butter beans are my favorite). I’ve also been adding a table spoon or two of peanut butter swirled through the topping – heaven!

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Salted chocolate peanut butter bars
 
Ingredients
Peanut butter filling
  • ⅔ cup natural peanut butter
  • ⅔ cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
  • ½ cup almond meal
  • 4 medjool dates
  • 3 Tbsp maple syrup
Chocolate topping
  • 3 Tbsp cacao
  • 3 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
  • Himalayan rock salt, to serve
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 180C || 355F
  2. Add all of the ingredients for the filling to a food processor and processed until combined.
  3. Pour the filling into a lined slice tray and use a spatula to smooth out. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
  4. In the meantime, add the topping ingredients to a small saucepan over a low heat and stir until melted and combined.
  5. Pour the topping over the slice and spread out evenly. Sprinkle with the rock salt. Allow to cool completely before cutting into small squares/bars.
Notes
Taste the filling before you pop it in the oven - you may feel you like it a little sweeter, if so add and extra tablespoon or two of maple syrup
3.3.3077

 

Filed Under: Breads and baking, Desserts, Recipe, Snacks Tagged With: almond meal, cacao, chick peas, coconut, coconut oil, dairy free, dates, gluten free, maple syrup, peanut butter, vegan

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Comments

  1. Josefine {The Smoothie Lover} says

    January 28, 2014 at 10:46 pm

    Haha – having characters from books as childhood heroes is so accurate. We have some books in Denmark called WITCH, and I clearly remember desperately wanting to be like them ;)
    I had never had peanut butter cups before I went to the States either, But they are very delicious! Dark chocolate and peanut butter is a great combination!

    Reply
    • tohercore says

      January 29, 2014 at 8:44 pm

      Haha, glad I wasnt the only one! Peanut butter and chocolate goes together so well, one of my favorite combos :)

      Reply
  2. Rossi @ A Baking Girl says

    January 29, 2014 at 7:02 am

    Oooohhh MAN do these look good! And I love that they’re healthy as well! Peanut butter and chocolate is always a win ;)

    Reply
    • tohercore says

      January 29, 2014 at 10:09 am

      Thanks Rossi! :)

      Reply
  3. Sharon says

    January 29, 2014 at 12:17 pm

    These look incredible (I’m singing the word incredible)! Chocolate & peanut butter is a perennial favourite combo of mine. I have not tried chickpeas in baking yet and I’m looking forward to it.
    The photos=drooling!

    Reply
    • tohercore says

      January 29, 2014 at 8:45 pm

      Thanks lady! Chickpeas in baking is great, they make everything all nice and fudgy (just try not to use to many, or they’ll be all you can taste – I speak from experience here ;)

      Reply
  4. Sharon says

    January 29, 2014 at 12:25 pm

    Oh! And I loved Sweet Valley High and desperately wished I had a twin. :)

    Reply
    • tohercore says

      January 29, 2014 at 8:46 pm

      Haha, snap! :)

      Reply
  5. Consuelo @ Honey & Figs says

    January 31, 2014 at 9:56 am

    Two funny that I tried a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup for the first time today! Spanish stores don’t carry them, and I was so excited to finally have had a packet in my local store. They were so so so delicious! The ingredient list though… oh well, I didn’t really enjoy that part! Love that these bars are healthier yet yummy-looking. Can’t wait to try : )

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Five Sweet Treats For Valentine’s Day says:
    February 14, 2014 at 10:01 pm

    […] up: chickpea based Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars. This recipe is from To Her Core which is a blog written by a gal name Dearna from Australia. The […]

    Reply
  2. Grain-free coconut and rhubarb cake | to her core says:
    February 21, 2014 at 10:13 am

    […] Salted chocolate peanut butter bars […]

    Reply
  3. Vegetarian Tex Mex Bowls {Guest Post by To Her Core} | honey & figs says:
    March 5, 2014 at 4:10 am

    […] She makes nourishing food look and taste wonderfully. Don’t you believe me? Check out this Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars – it’s chocolate + pb, guys! How could anyone not love that? And this amazing Roast […]

    Reply

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