Looking for a snack or dessert that satisfies your sweet craving but is also brain healthy? Try these delicious Moon Bars from the Clean Treats For Everyone cookbook. They are filled with brain healthy ingredients including dates which help reduce inflammation, dark chocolate which is rich in antioxidants and nuts that contain Vitamin E which protects against cell degradation.
Recipe By: Laura Fuentes
Like the Empress’s castle in the movie The Neverending Story, you’ll find pieces disappearing, one by one. The Empress, Moon Child, didn’t get her name until the very end of the movie, where Bastian shouts out her name in a desperate attempt to save her.
For months, I found myself coming back to the freezer, breaking off one small piece, savoring it, and racking my brain for a name that would properly fit the recipe. The day before I turned in the final manuscript for this cookbook, I jokingly named them Moon “Child” Bars.
These bars aren’t just great; they are epic. And like all good stories, you don’t want them to end.
Yield: 12 bars
Bottom Layer
1/2 cup (55 g) almonds
1/2 cup (55 g) pecan halves
2 pitted dates
Middle Layer
1 cup (250 g) melted coconut butter
1 1/4 cups (220 g) pitted dates
1/4 cup (60 ml) hot water
Top Layer
1/2 cup (85 g) dark chocolate chips
1 tablespoon (15 ml) coconut oil
Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
To the bowl of a food processor, add the almonds, pecans, and dates. Cover and process until a thick dough forms. Firmly press the crust into a lined 9 x 9-inch (23 cm x 23 cm) baking dish.
Melt the coconut butter and pour over the crust. Freeze for 1 hour or until firm.
Add the dates and hot water to the food processor and process until a thick paste forms. Spread date mixture over the frozen bars and set aside in the freezer.
In a microwave-safe dish, combine the chocolate and coconut oil. Microwave in 30-second increments until melted, stirring with a fork until smooth.
Pour the chocolate over the bars and spread in an even layer. Sprinkle coarse sea salt over the top. Freeze until set, about 2 hours.
To serve, remove from freezer and allow to thaw for 10 minutes before slicing into 12 bars.
Recipe: Laura Fuentes
Clean Treats for Everyone, Fair Winds Press 2020
Photography: Alison Bickel
