Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Dark Chocolate Matcha Date Bars


These dark chocolate matcha bars are the candy bar green tea lovers have been waiting for. They're super rich, lightly sweetened, and pack a wonderful green tea kick. Plus, they're paleo-friendly, vegan, and gluten free, yet still crazy indulgent and delicious.


S likes matcha, and after having an iced match latte at an Irish-Thai fusion spot last week (no joke, Irish and Thai in one place), he really wanted to get a bag of matcha and make his own. But S also loves a deal, so after pricing out little boxes containing an ounce or two of matcha, he instead bought a whole pound, because it was more economical. 


I'm not a huge fan of matcha or green tea, I actually sent S back to the deli to exchange flavors when he brought home green tea Haagen-Dazs recently, but I will admit these bars are lovely. The green tea note isn't exactly subtle, but when blended with rich dark cocoa powder and dates, it's hard not to love. I could really go for one right now actually, as S and I are currently trying our very first juice cleanse.


 In the spirit of full disclosure, I will tell you that this is not only my first juice cleanse. This is the first time I've come even remotely close to anything resembling a diet. Or even anything resembling meal planning, or keeping track of my eating. 


Don't get me wrong, I try to ensure that all of our meals involve a minimum of two different colors of vegetable, and about a year ago I started trying to increase the amount of salads and reduce the amount of carbs in our overall diet, but I've never tried a diet with a name, or a cleanse, or a fast, or even calorie counting or cutting out dessert (lord help me). 


On Sunday I woke up wanting to try a juice cleanse. I've read about them, known several friends who tried them and spoke highly of the experience, and I drink vegetable and fruit juice on the regular, plus I have a wonderful Dash brand slow juicer, so I figured why not. I assumed S would not be interested in coming on this little juice-venture with me, but surprisingly when he woke up and I pitched the idea, he said he was in right away. 


I also made these bars on Sunday, but rather than feel pressured to eat them all in 36 hours before beginning the cleanse, I wrapped the remaining bars in parchment paper and popped them in the fridge, where I'm confident they'll be just fine until Friday. What a reward for making it through the cleanse they'll be!



I am pretty sure you could feed these to someone who had never eaten a date bar before and they would have no idea they had fruit in them at all. The dates just become a soft caramel-y sweetness, while the chocolate and matcha tastes take center stage. The almonds provide crunch, but not a ton of flavor, they're mainly a texture additive.


These make great candy or energy bar replacements, and are great as a dessert after dinner, or thrown in a lunchbox. While you should keep them in the fridge to keep them firm, as long as you don't leave them in a 90 degree car, they should be fine to travel with. They make a great afternoon snack in the office or studio! 



Matcha Dark Chocolate Bars
Makes approximately 12 bars or 24 squares

9 oz pitted dates (about 1 2/3 C)
1/3 Cup cocoa powder
4 oz Almonds (about 2/3 C)
2 Tbsp matcha powder
2 Tbsp coconut butter
1/3 C coconut flakes
2 Tbsp maple

First, if using whole almonds, chop or pulse in food processor until they're just little bits and pieces. Alternatively, use slivered almonds if you like. 
Combine all ingredients in food processor and blitz until completely combined. Your dough may form a ball, or it may form several clumps, depending on your food processor. Once all the ingredients are totally worked into one another (about 2 minutes), turn off food processor.

Dump the contents of your food processor onto a piece of parchment paper and form into a lump. Using hands press the dough into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. 
Wrap in saran or parchment paper and chill on a flat surface in your refrigerator at least 2 hours before cutting. 

Cut into desired size of bars (or use a cookie cutter for fun shapes!). Lightly dust with a bit more matcha powder. To store, place parchment paper between bars to keep from sticking and keep in the fridge. 




19 comments:

  1. Oh wow these look so great, I definitely need to make these soon because I love green tea & dates.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, green tea and dates make a great combo! Let me know what you think of them, if you make them!

      Delete
  2. Hi Denise! I'd love to feature this recipe in a list of matcha recipes I'm writing for Life by Daily Burn (dailyburn.com/life). We would feature one of your photos, and would link back here for the recipe. Let me know if this usage sounds OK to you!

    Thanks,
    Kate

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kate, thanks for stopping by and checking out my recipes! Sure you can featured this one in your matcha recipe list. Thanks so much for asking first!

      Delete
  3. Hi,

    Thank you for always posting marvelous recipes!

    I found that there is a facebook fanpage in Bangkok using your pictures and recipe to gaining profit from you. They are selling tea.

    https://www.facebook.com/TDInterfood

    You can contact them to persuade them remove this post from their page.

    Sincerely Yours,

    Vichaiyuth

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hello! We LOVE the image of your matcha date bars and have featured this in an article for a new food website. Please get in touch with us for more details - editorial.homemade@gravityroad.com. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Just found this recipe from Daily Burn. I really am excited by it. However, I do have someone in the house who is allergic to coconut. Is it there more so for the flavor, or does it assist as a binding agent? I was thinking maybe I could substitute it for oatmeal or some flax seeds?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Sky, the coconut acts as a nice dry sibstance to soak up some of the oil and help make the bar nice and solid. i think you could replace it with finely chopped almonds, or oats. There is also coconut butter in this recipe, but I believe you could use regular butter, or perhaps a nice thick almond butter.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi. How long do these last in the refrigerator? a week?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Please please tell me what is the 2 Tbsp maple. Is it maple syrup???? Need recipe for tomorrow. Looks so delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Denise,

    I would like to include your recipe in my E-book with all matcha recipes if that's ok. I will put in a link to this blog for reference. I'm launching my organic matcha powder soon on Amazon and would like to give away E-books to customers who purchased my product. Email me at rnmamadiaries@gmail.com. Thanks! - Lilly

    ReplyDelete
  10. Maybe the dates should be chopped up first...this just blew up my food processor which wasn't very old...��

    ReplyDelete
  11. What is "2 Tbsp maple"? It's not included on the picture.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Vitamin B1, C, and caffeine in green tea can promote gastric secretion and help digestion and fat elimination. The catechins in green tea have the effects of anti-oxidation, increase metabolism, and scavenge free radicals. It can activate protein kinase and triglyceride lipase through many actions to reduce the accumulation of fat cells, thus achieving weight loss. Therefore, drinking green tea often can achieve the effect of accelerating fat consumption and strengthening healthy weight loss.
    Green tea weight loss in 1 month

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Denise!

    I would like to feature your recipe in our website where we are selling matcha (www.evzinbio.com). We would feature one of your photos, and would link back here for the recipe. Please let me know if that is ok ?

    ReplyDelete
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