Sunny Coconut Rough Bars

Crispy, chewy and chocolatey, these simple no-bake bars make a delicious addition to the snack rotation. Brown rice cakes provide the crunch, sultanas bring natural sweetness, and the ‘sunny seeds’ add satisfying fats, fibre and plant-based protein.

Choose nut butter for a rich, creamy version or use hulled tahini for a nut-free variation suitable for school lunchboxes where sesame is permitted.

SERVES: 16-20 bars PREP TIME: 15 mins CHILL TIME: 1 hour TIN: 20cm x 20cm

INGREDIENTS

150 g sunflower seeds

80 g desiccated coconut

6 plain brown rice cakes

½ cup sultanas, roughly chopped

130g hulled tahini or nut butter of choice (I like hazelnut)

80 g coconut oil, melted - plus 1 tsp extra to melt chocolate

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

200 g dark chocolate

METHOD

Blitz sunflower seeds in a food processor until they resemble coarse flour. Don’t take them as far as seed butter.

Tip them into a bowl with the desiccated coconut, chopped sultanas and salt. Crush up the rice cakes roughly with your hands and add them in.

In a separate jug, stir together the tahini or nut butter, honey, melted coconut oil and vanilla.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.

Press very firmly into your lined slice tin.

Melt together the chocolate with the extra coconut oil in a small saucepan over low-medium heat, being careful it doesn’t burn. Pour this over the slice base and then tip the tin carefully so the chocolate gets even coverage.

Sprinkle on some sea salt (or even some more desicated coconut) and then pop in the fridge until set.

Once the choclate is set hard, cut into bars. Best kept in the fridge, and is also very freezer friendly!

Buon appetito