Raw Date, Walnut & Cashew Butter Cups

My idea for this stemmed mostly from my acute dislike for the combination of peanut butter & chocolate. Yes, call me insane (most have already), but I just can’t stand it. So I tried to come up with a solution that involved both, but was something actually worth eating! I ended up with a rather tenuous solution to my problem, creating a granola/cereal bar/tiffin-type mix that I topped with a spoonful of gorgeous Cashew Butter with Honey & Cinnamon made by Pip & Nut. The combo of cocoa nibs, cashew butter, the sweetness of the dates and the cinnamon makes it just too more-ish for its own good! And because you can store it in the freezer (and it’s best served straight from there too), it’s ready and waiting for you to just dive in. You can also experiment with using almond or peanut butter instead, and they work really well too.

Makes 12

• Coconut oil (for greasing)
• Chia seeds. 1 tbsp
• Water. 3 tbsp
• Dates. 100g
• Flaked/Desiccated coconut. 30g
• Walnuts. 100g
• Pumpkin seeds (or a mix of sesame/sunflower/linseed). 50g
• Cacao nibs. 20g
• Cashew Butter. 12 tsp

Take a 12-hole cupcake/muffin tin, and lightly grease with a little coconut oil. Measure the chia seeds and water into a bowl, mix well & set aside for 5 min.

To a processor, add the soaked chia seeds, dates, coconut, walnuts, seeds & cocoa nibs. Pulse until you have a fine-ish granola consistency, and everything is well mixed together. Divide the mixture between the holes in the tin (approx. 1 tbsp per hole) and press down thoroughly with a back of a spoon until the surface is smooth. Dollop a teaspoon of cashew butter on top of each, spreading it out so that you have a thin covering over the mixture underneath. Chill in the freezer for 1/2 hours or until firm.

To serve, run a small knife around the rim of each hole until the cups pop out, and enjoy straight from the freezer!

Ted x

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