Chocolate & Strawberry Chia Squares

Chocolate and Strawberry Chia Squares
Serves 16-20

My mouth is watering just thinking about these little jewels of joy. What a treat it is to remember around the 11am hunger pang that I have a stash of these tucked in a cake tin on my kitchen counter. The base is full of goodness and is refined sugar free and the chia jam and chocolate round off this sweet snack perfectly. Easy to make, impressive to show off and dreamy to scoff.

For the base
100g ground almonds
100g oat cakes
10 Medjool dates, pitted
60g coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp raw cacao or cocoa powder
Pinch of sea salt
For the filling
1 quantity strawberry chia jam (page 17)

For the topping
200g dark chocolate
minimum 70% cocoa solids, broken into small pieces
1 tbsp coconut oil

Special equipment needed
20x25cm cake tin

Line the tin fully with baking parchment.

Method

Place all the base ingredients in a food processor and blitz until the mixture resembles fine crumbs and sticks together when pressed between your fingers. Firmly press the mixture into the lined tin. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes to set. Then spread the compote over the top in an even layer.

For the topping, place the chocolate and coconut oil in a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, ensuring the base of the bowl does not come into contact with the water. Stir now and again until the chocolate and coconut oil have melted and come together. Pour the chocolate over the compote layer and refrigerate for at least until 1 hour until set.

Slice into squares and serve straight from the fridge.

 

Strawberry Chia Jam
Makes 2 x 250ml Jars
This versatile compote is the perfect little addoon for so many brekkies, or spread  on toast or crackers. It’s full of mouth-watering strawberries for a hit of vitamins and contains no refined sugars so you won’t suffer the inevitable sugar crash mid-morning. Make a batch and pop it in the fridge for whenever takes your fancy.

500g frozen strawberries
4 tbsp maple syrup
40g chia seeds

Put the strawberries and maple syrup into a pan and place over a medium-high heat. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the berries have collapsed down and the mixture has reduced and thickened slightly.

Stir in the chia seeds and continue cooking for another 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely. Transfer into small sterilised jars and keep refrigerated for up to a week.