Adapted from Pure Wow Recipes
Finding the coveted Cadbury Creme on your Easter egg hunt as a kid was akin to winning a small lottery. Now that we’re older and wiser, that sickly sweet yellow-yolk interior is a bit creepy. What do they put in there?
If you’d like a special sweet treat for the long weekend – but your palette is now too “refined” for a Creme egg – these chocolate bars should do the trick. And there’s no Yellow Number 6 to be found!
Ingredients
2 ounces dark chocolate (~70% cacao), chopped
1 ounce unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
⅓ cup whole pecans, toasted
⅓ cup shelled unsalted pistachios
¼ tsp cacao powder
8 ounces medjool dates, halved and pitted
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
⅓ cup dried cranberries (or cherries)
Method
1. Cut two pieces of waxed paper (or saran wrap) to line the bottom and sides of a baking dish (you won’t actually bake anything – not to worry!). Make them long enough to come up and over all sides of the pan. This will later serve as “handles” to pull the bars out.
2. Combine dark chocolate with the unsweetened baking chocolate in a metal bowl set over a saucepan filled with 2 inches of simmering water. Heat the chocolate, stirring often, until it’s melted and smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat. (Although we don’t usually recommend it – if you’re in a hurry you can try microwaving the chocolate slowly – 15 seconds at a time)
3. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the pecans with the pistachios and pulse three or four times to coarsely chop. Add the melted chocolate, cacao, dates, vanilla and salt. Pulse the mixture until the ingredients begin to hold together like a loose dough. Add the cranberries and pulse a few more times, until they are coarsely chopped and evenly distributed.
4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan and press it into an even layer using your hands. Sprinkle with more finely chopped pistachios if you like. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
5. Remove from the pan by lifting the edges of the waxed paper and place on a cutting board. Cut into bar or squares – to your desired size and shape. Store in the fridge, but allow them to warm to room temperature before serving.
Happy Easter!
