Hearty Little Bites

Since the arrival of our Thermomix on the scene, my youngest has become very interested in cooking. He not only follows the recipes that are in the Thermomix microchip but also creates his own delicacies. One evening when I was out teaching he decided to create a healthy treat. We had watched the Apprentice the night before and the challenge was to create a good-for-you snack and come up with a name and brand. Inspired by this, my little laddie created “Hearty Little Bites” - healthy treats in the shape of hearts. I was honestly so impressed by what he had come up with that I just had to share his recipe with you.

 

Ingredients

  • 250g pitted dates – soaked and then drained
  • 25-30g unsweetened dessicated coconut
  • 5-8 drops of orange oil
  • 45g of raw cacao powder
  • 150-200g 85% chocolate

Step 1

Place the soaked and then drained dates, along with the coconut, orange oil and cacao powder into a powerful food processor and blend very thoroughly so that you end up with a thick and reasonably smooth paste or dough.

Step 2

 

Place your ball of dough between two non-stick baking sheets and then roll the dough out to a thickness of between ½ and 1cm using a rolling pin.

Step 3

 

Us a heart shaped pastry cutter to cut out biscuit-sized treats, rerolling the dough as and when required.

Step 4

 

Melt the 85% chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a bain marie and fully coat each heart in chocolate, placing them on a non-stick sheet on a baking tray.

Step 5

 

Pop the hearts into the fridge to set. You may need to trim excess chocolate from around the edges using a sharp knife. 

Keep these treats in the fridge because there is nothing more delicious than biting into them when they are cold – first the chocolate coating gives a satisfying snap followed by the softness of the orangey centre.