Puffed Quinoa Dessert Bars

Simple, no-bake, mouthwatering, chocolate-y, fudge-y dessert bars.

Totally a go-to for any day of the week.

This recipe is adapted from on of my favourite food bloggers, Dana at the Minimalist Baker.

I was lucky enough to grab a signed copy of Dana’s book at her book signing at Nourish Cafe after her and the lovely Erin Ireland‘s cooking demo! It’s an amazing new cookbook, Everyday Cooking. Every single recipe is simple and drool-worthy. She and her husband, John are both over-the-top inspiring.

These bars are perfectly scrumptious snacks or desserts. Just sink your teeth into them once.

You’ll see.

Here are the changes I made:

I used quinoa puffs as well as rice puffs, pumpkin seeds instead of sunflower seeds, maple syrup instead of agave syrup, and a mixture of sunflower seed butter and almond butter instead of peanut butter.

Benefits:

–Quinoa, AKA the mother grain, contains all 9 essential amino acids that our bodies can’t produce themselves. So these bars are packed with plant-powered protein and nutrient-dense energy.

–Maple syrup is one of the least processed liquid sweeteners you can use. It’s packed with antioxidants and has a low glycemic index compared to most other sweeteners. This means you avoid the sugar spike, and inevitable crash like you would get from more refined sugars. And it’s Canadian, yo!

–Raw almond butter has healthy unsaturated fatty acids and fibre. In treats like this, go for it, but I don’t recommend over-eating nut butters because of the high saturated fat content, but the un-roasted, organic, raw versions do carry fibre and vitamins, and can be a small part of a healthy diet 🙂

Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 12-14

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of nut or seed butter of choice (raw almond butter, sunflower seed butter, or tahini)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup chopped dates (medjool or bahri)
• 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 2 cups quinoa puffs
• 1 cup rice puffs
• 1/2 cup dairy free chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Prepare about a 6″x 8″ cake pan by spreading parchment paper or plastic wrap on bottom and over edges.
2. Add almond butter, PB2 paste and maple syrup to a small pot. Heat on low heat and stir until mixture is smooth.
3. Add almond butter mixture to a bowl with chopped dates. Stir to combine.
4. Add quinoa, rice puffs and pumpkin seeds. Mix with wooden spoon until evenly combined.
5. Spread out mixture in the prepared pan. To flatten evenly, use parchment paper between your hands and the mixture and press down firmly.
6. Remove the top parchment paper, and place pan in the freezer to set for 10 minutes.
7. While the deliciousness is freezing, prepare your chocolate sauce.
8. Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler on the stove, or in 30 second increments in a bowl in the microwave (stirring each time), until you have a smooth sauce.
9. Take the bars out of the freezer, and drizzle chocolate sauce over with a fork.
10. Throw that pan of goodness back into the freezer and wait (the hardest part) for 10 minutes until it is set.
11. Cut into shapes of your choice and gobble up.