This Treat's No Trick: Good-For-You Candy Bar

On a day when everywhere you turn there’s something bite-sized and sugar-filled, a girl’s just got to indulge. Instead of sneaking one, two, or 10 bite-sized candy bars this Halloween, make a batch of these for a naturally healthy alternative. I realize a naturally healthy candy bar conjures up images of a granola bar with chocolate chips. Now, that would be a trick. What makes this bar naturally healthy is its minimal ingredient list, choice of natural sweetener, healthy monounsaturated fat and raw chocolate. I’ll break down the benefits of each ingredient to prove it to you. Then you’ll just have to try one, two or 10 for yourself.

Raw Cacao – This is the stuff that gives dark chocolate its good reputation. Raw cacao actually has more antioxidents than blueberries. The trouble comes in though when you add sugar, milk and use heat, which diminishes the antioxidents. When choosing a dark chocolate bar off the shelf, look for a high percentage, 60 percent or more, of cacao.

Walnuts - Walnuts are one of the few sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which are extremely beneficial and difficult to get into one’s diet these days. Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid required for proper cell function and growth, but the body is not able to produce it on its own and we have to get it from our food. Omega-3s reduce inflammation, protect the heart and support brain function.

Dates – Dates give the chocolate a sweet taste along with lots of fiber. We all know fiber is good for you, but when sugar is involved it’s even more valuable. Fiber must be broken down, which slows the release of sugar into the blood stream. Refined sugar has zero fiber and that’s what leads to spiked blood sugar setting you up for a rollercoaster ride of sugar highs and lows. It also fills you up so you’ll likely be satisfied with less.

Raw Candy Bar Minis

What you need:

1 cup walnuts

1 cup raw cacao powder

1/8 tsp salt

2 ½ cups dates

2 tbsp maple syrup

½ cup almonds

What you do:

Pulse the almonds in a food processor until they are coarsely chopped. Remove the chopped almonds from the food processor and set aside.

Put the walnuts in the food processor and process until they are finely ground. Add cacao and salt and pulse until evenly mixed. While the processor is running, add a few dates at a time. When all the dates have been added, the mixture should be crumbly and dense. Add maple syrup and process. The chocolate mixture should be moist and hold together well. If it’s not, add a few more dates or a little more syrup. Stir in chopped almonds, reserving ¼ of the nuts for topping. In addition to or in place the almonds you can use whatever mix-ins you like. Try peanuts, pecans, macademia nuts, coconut… the possibilities are endless!

Line an 8x8 baking dish with wax paper and place chocolate on the wax paper. Press the chocolate down into an even square, edge to edge, corner to corner. Cover and place in freezer. The bars will be easier to cut when frozen so allow them to set for at least an hour. Remove and cut into bite-sized minis. Store minis in an air-tight container in the freezer. Pop as needed to satisfy your sweet tooth.

For more wholesome recipes, visit www.meggsalad.com.

Megan Adams Brown is a holistic health coach and author of meggsalad.com. Megan works with people to help them achieve their personal health goals through small, manageable steps. She also teaches cooking classes and gives workshops on healthy lifestyles.