Chocolate Millionaire Squares

Usually this is something I personally find too sweet and bitty but this version is a take from Detox Kitchen recipe and takes away the uber sickly feel and makes it contain more wholesome ingredients so when you take a bite, there is just bliss and no guilt.

Photography Credit: Sarah Gualtieri

Ingredients

Base

• 200g ground almonds

• 70g cashew nuts, blitzed to a crumb (if you want, you can change the nuts around - cashews are used as they don't have any particular taste, but you could add a few pecans to change it up)

• 1 tbsp rapeseed or coconut oil (I prefer coconut oil in this instant as rapeseed does add a slight flavour to it)

Date "Caramel"

• 200g dates

• 120ml boiling water

• 30g maple syrup

Chocolate topping

• 1 tbsp coconut oil

• 1 tbsp sunflower spread (or butter) (you don't need to have this, but it adds a sheen).

• 1 heaped tbsp cacao powder ( I use Dutch Cocoa Powder)

• 70g 80Noir Ultra

Instructions

1. To make the date "caramel", you need to use 100g of this for the shortbread base and the rest as the date caramel filling. Remove the stones from the dates, then place all the dates and cover with 100ml of boiling water. Leave for 10 minutes to soften and then tip into a food processor along with the Maple syrup. Blitz until it’s very smooth.

2. In a new bowl place 100g of the date caramel you have just made and add the rest of the base ingredients, ground almonds, ground cashew nuts and coconut oil, mix this all together and then tip it into a small baking tray (lined with parchment). Press the base mixture so that it completely covers the tin, it should be about 1cm thick.

3. Now pour over the remaining date caramel and place in the freezer for an hour to freeze completely. 10 minutes before its ready to take out of the freezer make your chocolate topping. Place all the chocolate sauce ingredients into a small saucepan and on the lowest possible heat gently swirl the ingredients together, alternatively put it in a microwave and keep checking and stirring every 15 seconds, just before the chocolate has completely melted turn the heat off. Remove the base from the freezer and pour over the chocolate sauce making sure it completely covers the date caramel. Now pop it back in the freezer and go and do something fun for a while and look forward to coming back and having this with an afternoon hot chocolate with Zen Spice

4. Remove from the freezer and slice into small squares.