While I'd love to believe that my kids would want a cheese and fruit plate after dinner, they’re not quite there yet (not sure they'll ever give up chocolate for blue cheese... maybe one day).
So in the meantime, I'm always trying to think of healthy treats for my kids – for two reasons:
1. I want them to know how to cook and bake.
2. It gives me an opportunity to expand their palates with slightly unusual pairings and flavors. When they are part of the cooking (or baking) process, they tend to eat and enjoy much more what they make. (And, of course, it also allows me to control the sugar content of their treats.)
These Chocolate Tahini Bars are perfect. And a big plus: They’re super-easy to make and require no baking.
Chocolate Tahini Bars
4 ounces of any plain, crunchy cereal (I use Kashi's 7 Whole Grain Flakes)
5 ounces Fruition’s Marañón Peru 76% Dark Chocolate Bar
3/4 cups tahini
DIRECTIONS
1. In a food processor, pulse cereal until just broken into bits. Don’t overdo it by turning it into a powder!
2. On a double boiler, break up chocolate bar and combine with tahini. Stir over simmering water until chocolate has melted, tahini is mixed well and mixture is smooth.
3. Pour choc-tahini mixture over cereal and mix together well with spatula.
4. Line a pan (you can even use a glass dish) with parchment paper and pour mixture so it's about ½-inch thick. You may have to flatten and push mixture into corners to level it.
5. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight, until hardened.
To serve, cut into strips or squares. Eat straight-up or crumble and serve with ice cream. If you don’t eat them immediately, store in the fridge or else they'll melt!
Note: I went with Fruition’s Marañón Peru 76 Dark Chocolate Bar because if you could turn dark chocolate into butter, it would taste like this. Its mellow, creamy, just-right acidity and toasty walnut flavor is perfect when paired with the nuttiness of tahini.
If you have more of a sweet tooth, however, you could use TCHO’s Dark Milk Organic Chocolate Bar – it’s the perfect bar for people who respect dark chocolate but secretly love milk chocolate.