I’m from a family that maybe some would call slightly hippy. Or maybe the word is called weird. Crunchy is another that comes to mind. My sister and I were never allowed sugary things growing up…. My mom refused to give us sugar cereal and instead my dad made us homemade granola. My dad did. Not my mom. My dad loooooved making us granola. I think it was a recipe from when they lived in California. I remember the tupperware that he stored it in and everything. We weren’t allowed any soda pop, candy (only for Halloween and Easter - although my mom had a fondness for M&M’s), and things like cake and ice cream were only really served on special occasions. Now don’t get me wrong, they weren’t as strict as some might think… we got donuts after church every once in awhile and Dairy Queen was a very important summertime visit with Grandma. But for the most part, my mom and dad ran a tight ship that only nourished us to become the strict eating adults that we’ve become. And I wouldn’t change a thing about it.
Now here I am, a mother of 2 growing little beans that have challenged me in my hippy-minded ways with hopes that I will be just like my parents. I love food. I love cooking healthy food. I love getting creative with food. And yet, all they want is chocolate. All they want is dum dums. All they want is ice cream. And I can’t stand it. I have to bribe them to eat the healthy stuff with the ice cream and the candy and the cookies. It makes me crazy. And when I bend and give them the thing. That thing they were screaming about in the car…. They just carry on about it because they want a second one. So! I went behind their back and found a healthy recipe for a candy bar. And it is AMAZING. They have no idea it’s good for them and they love it. Like LOVE it. So in today’s blog I’m going to pair Ms Paltrow’s recipe for a candy bar. She’s one of my favorite entrepreneur’s and I just love love love her recipe books.
CANDY BAR
By: Gwyneth Paltrow
· 1½cups raw cashews
· 1½cups dates, pitted and roughly chopped
· ½cup almond butter
· ½cup maple syrup
· ½cup coconut flour
· ½cup unsweetened shredded coconut
· ½teaspoon almond extract
· 1½cups dark chocolate chips (60% or higher cacao)
· 1½tablespoons coconut oil
DIRECTIONS
1. In a food processor, grind cashews to a fine meal. Add dates, almond butter, syrup, flour, coconut and almond extract; pulse until a sticky dough forms. 2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. With a drop of water on hands, press cashew mixture onto parchment, forming a 1-inch-thick rectangle. Refrigerate until firm, 6 to 8 hours. 3. Set a stainless steel or glass bowl over a pot of simmering water (water not touching bowl). In bowl, combine chocolate chips and oil. Stir until just melted, 3 to 5 minutes; remove from heat. Pour chocolate mixture over cold cashew mixture; smooth with spatula. 4. Refrigerate until chocolate coating sets, at least 1 hour. Using parchment, lift bar out of baking sheet. Cut into 18 rectangles or use cookie cutters to make shapes for kiddos!.
I was recently on a hike and this song came on and I immediately knew that I needed to pair my candy bar with it. Dan Auerbach (Lead Singer to Black Keys for those that don’t know) has now gone solo and his stuff is just fantastic. Blues Rock Musician from Akron, Ohio wrote a song called I WANT SOME MORE. “I’m just a kid and you’re a walking candy store. Oh I want some more”. The beat and the blues and the depth of the guitar is perfect for when you’re in the kitchen making these candy bar babies. ENJOY!!!
It's impossible to be a perfect parent. I think I often put too much pressure on myself to be just that. And if I know my mom and dad like I do, they did the same thing for my sister and I. Wanting us, as kids, to embrace the value of nutrition and to really love the fruits and the veggies and the proteins as much as the sweet stuff. I have the most incredible memories in the kitchen with my mom and sister baking banana bread and chocolate chip pan cookies and even my dad’s famous granola. I love being a crunchy hippy weirdo to my kids. And I even love giving the stupid dum dums in the car everyday... it doesn't make me perfect. But it's my kind of perfect. Thank you mom and dad. For being the best Hippy Crunchy Weirdo a daughter could ask for.