These were surprisingly delicious. I was, of course, expecting them to taste good, but I was seriously excited when I took my first bite of the finished product. They are creamy, sweet, minty and chocolaty all at once. I was originally going to call them Nanaimo bars but after tasting them, I felt they deserved a name unto themselves. Think of mint chocolate chip ice cream, in square form—that’s what these are. You can use a banana in the filling and freeze the recipe to make ice-cream sandwich bars (smart move), or use coconut meat and keep them in the fridge (also an intelligent choice). No wrong moves here, folks. —EvE
MAKES 12 TO 14 BARS
BASE
1 cup (170 g) almonds
1 cup (170 g) pitted dates
1 heaping tbsp (10 g) cacao powder
MIDDLE
1 avocado, peeled and pitted
3 tbsp (45 ml) melted coconut oil
3–4 tbsp (45–60 ml) maple syrup, to taste
1 banana or 1 cup (80 g) young coconut meat
½ tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt (optional)
TOP
3 tbsp (24 g) cacao powder
3 tbsp (45 ml) melted coconut oil
2 tbsp (30 ml) maple syrup
FOR THE BASE
Pulse all of the ingredients in your food processor until they stick together. Press evenly into the bottom of a lined 9 x 9-inch (23 x 23-cm) baking pan. Put it in the fridge.
FOR THE MIDDLE
Blend all of the ingredients until smooth and thick; then spread it over your base layer and put it back in the fridge.
FOR THE TOP
Mix all of the ingredients together until smooth. Pour it evenly on top of your middle layer and put it in the fridge or freezer, depending on what ingredient you used in the middle. Let set until firm, then slice into bars.
*SEE PHOTO INSERT