Raw Chocolate & Maca Caramel “Squillionaire” Shortbread

Possibly one of my favourite snacks of all time! Despite not being cooked, these have a delicious crumbly shortbread base which has just the right amount of crunch, which comes from dehydrated buckwheat. The caramel is so creamy and smooth and the crisp dark chocolate layer adds just the right amount of bitterness.

As well as giving a delightfully creamy and malty flavour to the caramel, maca is a wonderful food. Coming to us all the way from the Peruvian Andes, maca root is an adaptogenic herb full of nutrients and is often used for its hormone balancing, mood lifting and energy boosting properties, to name but a few! It’s a staple in my cupboard and I find it so easy to include in my kitchen creations because it has such a wonderful taste.

Another ingredient which helps create a lovely caramel flavour is mesquite powder. If you can’t get hold of it, no worries. Just leave it out. However this is another delicious and nutritious food I’d love to tell you about. Growing mainly in Mexico and parts of North America, mesquite flour comes from the ground up pods of the mesquite tree and tastes amazingly like something in between brown sugar and salted caramel. It’s highly nutritious (lots of protein, iron, zinc, potassium…) and there are studies which suggest it can help to prevent stroke and high blood pressure, and increase bone mineral density. Highly recommend checking out this tasty food even if only to add some sparkle to your hot chocolates!

I’ve tried various different biscuity bases and to me, this recipes is the most short bread-like. However, there’s no reason why you couldn’t switch a few ingredients up, like the nuts, to suit your cupboards. Some walnuts could work well.

This recipe uses cashew butter which is super simple to make as long as you have a decent blender or food processor. Simply blend (dry) raw cashew nuts for several minutes. At first you’ll get a crumbly consistency and you’ll need to keep scraping down the sides of your jug/bowl. Give it time though and you’ll start to see a paste form and then a lovely creamy butter. No need to add any oil. I recommend turning your machine off and letting it rest for about 5 minutes a couple of times during the process so that your motor doesn’t overheat and you don’t end up cooking your nuts. So to speak.

Ingredients

For the shortbread layer

1/2 cup almonds

1 cup oats

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

1 tablespoon coconut flour

1/2 cup buckwheat soaked, sprouted and dehydrated

Large pinch sea salt

2-3 tablespoons maple syrup

For the caramel layer

15 medium dates (soaked in water for about an hour if not already soft and squidgy)

2 tablespoons maple syrup

3 tablespoons cashew butter (or sub almond butter with slightly different results)

1/4 cup coconut milk

2 tablespoons red maca powder

1-2 teaspoons mesquite powder

1/2-1 teaspoon lucuma powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of sea salt

For the chocolate layer

1/2 cup raw dark chocolate

1 tablespoon cashew butter

1 tablespoon maple syrup (you may not need this if your chocolate is very sweet)

1 teaspoon coconut oil

Pinch of sea salt

Topping

A sprinkling of raw cacao nibs (for extra crunch - optional)

Method

Line a brownie tray with parchment paper.

To a food processor, add almonds and process until you have fairly uniform pieces around the size of large breadcrumbs.

Add the oats and process for a few seconds more.

Add the desiccated coconut and process for a few seconds more. You should be beginning to get a sandy texture.

Add coconut flour and dried buckwheat and pulse until the buckwheat has broken down into breadcrumb size. Don’t over do it though because you want to retain the lovely crunch.

Add salt and maple syrup. Begin with 2 tablespoons and pulse until the mixture starts to stick together. Pick up a little of the mixture and press it between your fingers. If it mashes together and sticks, it should be fine. If not, add the 3rd tablespoon of maple syrup.

Put the mixture into your tray and use your fingers to really press it down so it becomes as compact as possible and is nice and smooth on top. Then pop it in the freezer while you make the caramel.

To make the caramel, add all of the listed ingredients to a food processor and blend until you reach a lovely creamy smooth consistency. Give it a taste and add a tiny bit more salt if, like me you like a saltier caramel.

Remove your shortbread layer from the freezer and spread the caramel over the top of it. Then put it back in the freezer while you make your final chocolate later.

Gently melt your chocolate over a bain-marie and then add the cashew butter, maple syrup and coconut oil and whisk until you have a smooth mixture.

Sprinkle in your salt and stir.

Your caramel layer should be set enough to spread the chocolate over the top without it mixing into the caramel. Touch the caramel lightly with your finger to check it’s not too sticky.

Pour your chocolate over the caramel and work quickly to spread the chocolate evenly. Since the caramel will be cold, the chocolate will want to set quickly so don’t hang about!

I like to sprinkle raw cacao nibs over the top for extra crunch and because I love them. You could of course leave them out or sprinkle crushed nuts, seeds or anything else you fancy.

Leave the whole thing to set in the freezer for an hour or so. When you want to slice it, you may want to heat up your knife by dipping it in some hot water, to get a clean cut and to stop the chocolate cracking too much.

I like to cut the whole thing up and then store it in the freezer. When you want to eat a piece, let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 mins if you have enough will-power. You’ll taste everything better if it’s not ice cold.