These bars are the healthy version of that moist carrot cake with cream cheese icing that you always dream of (the kind that isn’t so healthy). These bars are one of my favourite treats to have in the freezer and take very little time to make. You can have them for breakfast, a mid morning or afternoon snack, or as a dessert. I chose to do these ones in bar form but you could shape them into balls or even press them in to a circular pan and cut into cake size pieces!
Ingredients for Bars
– 1/2 cup cashews
– 1/2 cup walnuts (or sunflower seeds)
-1 cup whole oats
– 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
– 1 cup dates
– 1/2 cup grated carrot (approximately 1 medium sized carrot)
– 1/2 tsp vanilla
– 1 inch piece fresh ginger
– 1/2 tsp cinnamon
– 1/4 tsp cardamom
– 1/4 tsp turmeric (fresh or powdered)
NOTE: to make these completely nut free, use sunflower seeds in replacement of walnuts and cashews (will turn out very similar)
Instructions for Bars
– Place nuts in a blender or food processor and blend until you reach a flour like consistency
– Next add the oats and coconut flakes. Continue blending until you reach a homogenous consistency throughout
– Add in the rest of the ingredients and blend until well combined. If you are finding the dates are difficult to mix in, add in approximately 1 Tbsp. of warm water to soften things up
– Once mixture is well incorporated, press into a pan of choice (I used 8 x 8) for this batch pictured.
– Place in freezer for approximately 1 hour and then smoother in “Creamy Dreamy Cashew Frosting” (recipe below)
Ingredients for Creamy Cashew Frosting
– 1 cup soaked cashews (NOTE: at least 8 hours is best otherwise pour boiling water over them and let sit for 1 hour)
– 1 tsp vanilla
– 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
– 2 – 4 Tbsp. almond milk. Add 1 Tbsp. at a time as you blend – amount added depends how thick you want the frosting to be
– Pinch of sea salt
Instructions
– Place cashews in a high speed blender (like a Vitamix) or a food processor and mix the cashews begin to break up into little pieces (for about 1-2 minutes)
– Next add all other ingredients (starting with 2 Tbsp. almond milk) in with the cashews
– Continue to add additional almond milk as you blend in order to achieve your desired consistency
– It can be a slow process to get the consistency you are looking for so do your best to be patient with it. It’s so worth it in the end!
NOTE: I highly recommend a high speed blender (such as a Vitamix) for this recipe. It takes a lot to make frosting out of cashews! But if you don’t have one, that’s okay too – just might not be entirely lump free.
