Between the three of us sisters, we have stacks and stacks of recipe ideas. Some are stocked in our kitchen cabinets, a few are jotted down in notes on our phones and tons are stored away on our computers (many thanks to Pinterest). These chocolate bars were an idea that had struck months ago. But alas, there were other recipes that weaseled their way to the front.

There are times when we want a chocolate treat that is soft and rich. Something chocolatey that is delicate with a silky soft bite. When the filling of this Chocolate Silk Pie was made, we totally tasted the filling before adding the cream. And it was delicious! So we used the filling as a base to fulfill the dream of these chocolate bars. Two other layers of chocolate would make for triple chocolate goodness!

Three layers of chocolate is bound to keep any chocolate lover happy. They are no bake and easy, which makes the busy person happy! And they are simply delicious, which should make everyone happy!

Raw Triple Chocolate Bars  (raw, vegan & gluten free)
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Hello lovely readers!

As the three of us are busy with friends, family and travels, we knew instantly we wanted to have a guest post by one of our favorite bloggers this week!

We found Julia over at The Roasted Root several months ago. Her approach to wholesome, healthy meals and love of vegetables is so inspiring. Her beautiful photography, witty writing and mouthwatering recipes are just addicting! She uses a variety of healthy ingredients for an eclectic collection of recipes. Luckily, she happily accepted to share her creative work with you all today!  :)

Well hoooowdy ho! I’m Julia, the lady behind The Roasted Root and I’m thrilled to be guest posting on Natural Sweet Recipes! I connected with Holly, Annie and Chelsea not long after I began blogging and was immediately drawn to their site. The girls are experts on a topic I’m veeeeeeery interested in: sweet stuff minus cane sugar.

Keeping with the theme of natural sweetness, I whipped up the easiest batch of raw and vegan truffles and am shocked at how well they turned out given the minimal effort they required. These truffles are literally made with three ingredients. The truffles are delicious as is but the recipe can also be used as a base to add additional ingredients. You can add dried cherries, orange rind, vanilla bean, various nuts, shredded coconut, coffee grinds, liqueurs, etc. according to how you like your truffles.

These should be called eat-as-you go truffles. Because by the time you scrape the mixture out of the blender (munch), form it into balls (munch), roll the balls into cacao powder (munch), take photographs (sluuuuuurp), you’re left with mere crumbs.

Not all dates are created equal, so the type of dates you’ll need for this recipe are pitted, moist and sticky to the touch. You can pick these up at the grocery store in the dried fruit section. Also paramount for making this recipe truly “raw” is using raw cacao powder. You can definitely use cocoa powder but that would make the recipe not raw since cocoa powder is made from cocoa beans that have been roasted and sometimes processed with ingredients that cut the bean’s acidity. Nevertheless, if you use cocoa powder, the truffles will still come out fabulously!

Hope you enjoy these eat-as-you-go truffles and thanks for having me, folks!

Ingredients:

30 dates (about 8 ounces), pitted and unsweetened

5 tablespoons raw cacao powder (+ more for rolling the truffles)

2 tablespoons walnut or coconut oil

Instructions:

Add the dates and cacao powder to a high-powered blender or food processor. Pulse/blend a few times to chop up the dates.

Add in the oil and process/blend until everything is combined and you get a thick, sticky mixture.

Using a spatula, scrape all of the mixture out of the food processor/blender and into a bowl.

Refrigerate for 15 minutes. This allows the mixture to set up a bit so that it’s easier to work with.

Roll the mixture into 14 balls. Roll each ball in additional cacao powder, unsweetened shredded coconut, or nuts.

Resist the temptation to eat the entire batch in one sitting.

Ooey, gooey, almondy and sweet. Sounds like a recipe for addiction, right?

It’s also the perfect treat for The Great Gatspy at a good old-fashion Drive In. That’s where this sweet confection was devoured.

We discovered the idea for this recipe at a social gathering. That delicious recipe was made using Chex mix and corn syrup. We couldn’t let the idea pass us by- there are many healthy alternatives to snack foods and honey or agave is an easy substitute for corn syrup. So we got to work!

We love this sweet, gooey mix for any kind of occasion. It has the perfect combination of crunchy and chewy. Parties or movies would do well to have this around!

Gooey Almond Cereal Party Mix  (vegan)
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6 cup Natural Barbara’s Shredded Oats Cereal (or any other natural, hearty cereal)*
1 cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
1 1/4 cup Slivered almonds
1/4 cup Coconut Oil
3/4  cup Coconut Sugar
3/4 cup Agave Nectar or Honey
1/2 teaspoon Cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Add the the cereal, coconut, and almonds to the bowl and mix to combine.  Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.

Mix together the coconut sugar, coconut oil, agave or honey, cornstarch and  salt in medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, while stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium high and allow to simmer/boil for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat, and add in the vanilla extract. Pour the warm mixture over the cereal mixture and mix to coat evenly.  Spread the mixture on your pre-lined baking sheet. Place in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes. Once cool, the candy will be less sticky, but as the mixture warms up a bit again, it becomes a little gooey. This candy is delicious chilled or at room temperature!

*We like the shredded oat cereal because it’s hearty and is also similar looking to Chex. If you don’t want to use this cereal, be sure to use a cereal that is stiff and hearty. Thin, delicate types of cereals probably won’t be able to hold up well when mixing in the caramel sauce.