Sweets and drinksChilled DessertsEurope and North AmericaAbout 30 minutes of work plus 2 to 3 hours of chilling
Chocolate peanut butter granola bars are a matter of toasting the grains for aroma and then binding them with chocolate, peanut butter and honey. They work because the grains still crackle inside a lightly bitter chocolate coating. The hardest part is pressing the tray, since a light hand leaves bars that crumble the moment they are cut.
The binding mixture cools very fast. Once it is poured over, mix at once and press straight away, because a mixture left to cool no longer holds the grains together.
This batch weighs about 696g, at roughly 359 calories per 100g.
Method
Melt 75g of unsweetened dark chocolate chips in a bowl set over a pot of hot water, add 25g of finely ground kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and stir until smooth and glossy.
Heat a pan and toast 150g of buckwheat groats over low heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until they puff slightly, turn golden brown and smell fragrant.
Toast 50g of rolled oats and 60g of mixed pumpkin seeds, peanuts and sunflower seeds until golden and fragrant, then tip them into a large bowl to cool a little.
Add 60g of peanut butter and 60g of wild honey to the still hot chocolate bowl and stir until the mixture is glossy, thick and even.
Mix the dry ingredients together: the buckwheat, oats and seed mix, 50g of cacao nibs, 150g of candied orange peel, 1 pinch of salt, a little cinnamon powder and 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder.
Pour the hot chocolate mixture over and mix quickly so the binding coats every piece.
Line a 26 x 20cm tin with baking paper, tip the mixture in, and press it down hard and evenly.
Chill for at least 2 to 3 hours until firm, then lift it out of the tin and cut.
Tips
Pressing the mixture hard into the tin is the most important step, since a light hand leaves bars that crumble when cut.
Pour the hot chocolate over and mix straight away, because a cooled mixture will not coat the pieces evenly.
Toast each kind of grain and seed separately, since each one colours at its own pace and toasting them together burns the small ones.
For softer, chewier bars add another 10 to 20g of honey, and for firmer, crisper ones add another 20 to 30g of chocolate.
Keep the bars in the fridge for 1 to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for 1 to 2 months.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.