These delicious cocoa-nutty treats are light and crunchy, perfect for a morning or afternoon coffee or tea break! The walnuts can also be substituted with any nut of your choosing: sliced almonds, chopped skinned hazelnuts, etc. Anyone I have shared these with has raved about them, even those who aren’t usually fans of walnuts or nutty foods. My kids absolutely loved them for our morning tea time, and they were a great alternative to a sugary treat! I chose to use gluten-free flour and they are also dairy-free, so they have a nice texture to them and one piece is completely satisfying for a mini snack without feeling like I fell off the clean-eating wagon.
Notes:
I used a Ninja blender for my version of these tasty snacks, like this one:
I included the walnuts in the liquid mixture to grind them smaller for fewer nut chunks.
Regular flour may be used in place of gluten-free flour.
Canola oil or coconut oil may be substituted for vegetable oil.
*For planning purposes… be sure to set aside about an hour or so for the whole prep/baking process since there are multiple steps involved! You will use the oven twice along the way, with a resting period in the middle.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup gluten-free flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
1/2 chopped dates
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Using a blender or food processor, process the oats into a fine powder. Set aside in a large bowl. Add ground oats, flour, baking soda and salt and sift together. Set aside.
In the blender or food processor, combine honey, dates, oil, egg, and vanilla. Process until smooth. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid mixture, then add the nuts. Stir just to combine; the dough will be sticky. Let stand 15 minutes.
With damp hands, form the dough into two 10-inch logs and place on prepared baking sheet at least 4 inches apart. Flatten the logs into 3/4-inch thickness. Bake until firm to the touch, about 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees.
Using a long serrated knife or bread knife, cut the logs (while on the pan) diagonally into 1/2-inch wide slices. Arrange the slices cut-side down on the baking sheet and return to the oven for 10 minutes. Turn the slices and bake until the edges are golden, about 10 minutes longer or so.
Let cool completely, then serve. Light dusting of powder sugar is optional.
Store in an airtight container 2 to 4 weeks at room temperature.
Enjoy!
