Close

Raw cherry bakewell bars (homemade Nakd bars)

Pin pointing exactly what I have given up for lent this year is a little difficult. Apart from a blanket ban on the DailyMail.com (which has been hard!) I have tried to shift my snacking away from chocolate to more natural alternatives. So whilst I haven’t had a single mini egg or twix I have allowed myself plenty of bananas, dates and the healthier end of the snack bar spectrum. But the problem is, quite frankly, I would rather a twix, most healthy snacks I have found just aren’t so darn delicious! And that’s fine during lent, I’ll manage, but after Easter has come and gone I would quite like to feel my habits have changed, even if just a little.

So over the past few weeks I have been searching for a healthy snack that I really enjoy and will keep eating. Something that I will eat and then not go straight back to the vending machine felling deprived and have my twix. And now, as we approach the end of Lent, I think I have found it in Nakd’s Cherry Bakewell bars; I can honestly say that I actually enjoy them and will keep eating them as an alternative to my beloved twix (at least some of the time!).

Recently my housemate has taken to making Deliciously Ella’s ginger balls at home so I thought why don’t I give my Nakd bar a go, after all the ingredient list is only four long (dates, cashews, raisins and flavouring). My only move away from their recipe was to include dried cherries instead of the raisins. I presume that they include them for cost reasons, but really, a cherry bakewell without any cherries is a little cheeky!

So here is my recipe, they take 15mins to make and really are delicious. Just don’t eat them all at once, perhaps have a banana after your third, I can’t pretend they are that healthy!

Recipe

Makes 10 bars

100g cashew nuts
150g pitted medjool dates (about 8)
35g dried cherries
1/8 tsp almond extract

  • Blitz the nuts in a food processor until they are fine and sandy.
  • Add in the dates and blitz again until it has all combined and is sticking together.
  • Then add the cherries and almond extract and pulse until the cherries have been chopped up but are still distinctive. At this point test the flavour and add more almond if you want.
  • Tip the mixture out onto a baking paper lined tray/ plate and form a rough rectangle. Place another sheet of baking paper and roll the mixture out into a 10x20cm rectangle (you can use a ruler to push the edges in and make it neat if you like)*
  • Pop it in the fridge to set for at least 2 hours before slicing into 10 bars (2cm wide each). Store in an air tight container in the fridge.

    *Or roll them into balls, which are perhaps easier to take to work with you!

  • Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *