Healthy Chocolate Tahini Date Puff Squares (Vegan/Gluten Free/Refined Sugar Free)
These Healthy Chocolate Tahini Date Puff Squares are amazing. They are absolutely packed with delicious flavour, but also healthy nutrients! These tasty squares are ooey gooey but have great texture at the same time. The inspiration behind this recipe is puffed wheat squares. I regularly enjoyed those when I was younger, it was a treat I really enjoyed (still do!). And so now I decided to make a healthy, gluten free vegan version! The dates, tahini, and maple syrup provide the tasty ‘glue’ that holds the squares together. Puffed quinoa and puffed buckwheat provide lovely texture in these squares. These treats are perfect to take on an outdoor adventure, or as a healthy snack / treat at home!
Buckwheat Health Benefits
I absolutely love experimenting with new ingredients, and buckwheat is a fairly new ingredient for me in baking. And researching health benefits of the food I eat is something I love to do, so here come some fun facts about buckwheat!
Did you know that buckwheat is not related to wheat? It’s actually related to rhubarb! Even though the flavour can remind you of wheat, buckwheat is a pseudo grain and they are actually seeds! Therefore gluten free! According to BBC Good Food, buckwheat is a great source for fibre, antioxidants, and magnesium.
Quinoa Health Benefits
Quinoa is very nutritious (and delicious!). Quinoa is a great source of antioxidants, fibre, and plant based protein. According to WebMD, quinoa is a complete protein, which means it contains all of the essential amino acids the body needs. Quinoa is also gluten free.
Aside from healthy quinoa and buckwheat in this recipe for Healthy Chocolate Tahini Date Puff Squares, there are other nutritious ingredients in this recipe. Dates, tahini, and raw cacao powder are packed with nutrients as well! Dates provide natural sweetener (along with maple syrup) to make these refined sugar free. Both the tahini and dates add delicious flavour and health benefits, but also creamy texture. They allow the recipe to be made without butter, and sugar. Yet no flavour is sacrificed in this recipe. Using raw cacao in baking provides lots of health benefits that you won’t get using regular cocoa powder. Raw cacao is a fantastic source of antioxidants and magnesium. Cacao is also a great source of flavonoids which helps lower blood pressure, and improve blood flow to your heart and brain, according to WebMD. These squares are sooo good you’d never guess they were healthy.
These Healthy Chocolate Tahini Date Puff Squares are Vegan, Gluten Free and Refined Sugar Free. They are so quick and easy to make and are such a satisfying snack. This no bake recipe will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth while giving you health benefits at the same time. Enjoy!
Healthy Chocolate Tahini Date Puff Squares (Vegan/Gluten Free/Refined Sugar Free)
Ingredients
Squares Ingredients
- ⅔ cup fresh dates (pitted) about 10 dates
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup tahini
- 3 tbsp raw cacao powder
- ½ tsp instant coffee powder
- pinch sea salt
- 1 ½ cups puffed quinoa
- 1 cup puffed buckwheat
Toppings
- cacao nibs optional
- toasted sesame seeds optional
Instructions
- Remove the pits from the dates.
- Add all of the squares ingredients (except for the buckwheat and quinoa and toppings) to a food processor. Mix until the mixture is super smooth and creamy. Taste the mixture to see if it needs to be adjusted. Add more cacao powder if you like a stronger chocolate flavour, etc. It should be a thick and creamy texture.
- Measure the buckwheat and quinoa and pour into a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the chocolate mixture to the mixing bowl and stir carefully into the buckwheat and quinoa until everything is evenly combined and has an even coating of the wet mixture.
- Press the mixture into a square prepared baking pan (I lined mine with parchment paper). Press down so the mixture is spread out evenly and smoothly. Sprinkle optional cacao nibs and toasted sesame seeds over the top for decoration and extra flavour. You can drizzle more tahini on as well but then the squares will become more sticky.
- Place the squares in the freezer to all the dessert to set completely and firm up for about 30 minutes.
- Cut the treat into 9 evenly sized squares. Store in an airtight container in the fridge, or freezer.
- Enjoy!
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