Peanut Butter Cookies (Sugar Free, Dairy Free, Wheat Free)

So I'm trying to type and eat at the same time.

These cookies are my new love.

Dangerous.

And good for you.

And one of my kiddos even eats them.

What more can I say.

Oh, they're raw... so they're instant. Mmm-hmmm!

To make 10

1/2 cup pitted dates and 1 tsb hot water, blitzed to a puree.
1/3 cup ground almonds
2 tbsp porridge oats
2 tsp ground hemp or flax seeds - optional, but oh so good for you - if you don't have them just use 2 tsp extra ground almonds
1 heaped tablespoon peanut butter (ours is sweetened already, if yours is not you may want to taste the mix and add 1 tsp maple syrup)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp melted coconut oil/butter


Method? What method. You blitz the dates till smooth however you can - I managed it with a stick blender in a tall jug.
Stir.
Divide into balls and flatten.
Sure you can pretend that you need to know how long to chill them for, but you and I know they won't make it to the fridge!

No-bake PMS bars

So at a certain time of the month, the need for chocolate becomes as strong as our need for extra sleep. We women are wired for it.

Image credit: www.marksdailyapple.com

But if we're not careful we can load up on too much sugar and feel really crappy. Also concentration can be tougher premenstrually and we can be clumsier.

I am currently not eating wheat and sugar, but I wanted a snack to get me through the tunnel of PMS - and this one takes the biscuit! A recipe that needs no chopping or baking, and minimal work, which has no added sugar, but is nutrient rich with nuts, seeds and oats, giving you the nutritional boost you need premenstrually, without the sugar rush. And most importantly a rich, dark, deep hit of chocolate.

The only part of the recipe which requires a little vigilance is the first, toasting the nuts, seeds and oats. But it only takes about 10 minutes. So have a cup of tea and sit in stillness in front of the cooker. Or set a timer!

 Ingredients
2 cups rolled oats, not the powdery porridge ones
1 cup almonds (with skins on)
3/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
200 grams 70- 75% dark chocolate
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 packed cup pitted dates

 Pre heat the oven to 170C (fan), about 350F.

Pour the oats onto one large baking tray, and the nuts and seeds onto the other. Pop them into the hot oven. Check after 6 minutes. If the nuts smell toasty and are a little darker, take them out. Toss the oats so the ones on bottom are now on top, and pop into the oven for another 5 mins. If about 1/4 are starting to turn golden brown then you can take them out, if not, toss again and put in for another couple of minutes.

Pour the nuts,seeds, oats and salt into a steel bladed food processor and grind until gritty.

Then add the pitted dates, vanilla and chocolate (broken roughly into pieces)for another minute until it is all brown and has come together, stop once or twice to push any stray oats down into the chocolatey mush.

Pour into an 8 inch square brownie tin which is lined with baking parchment. Cut into 16 squares and chill in the fridge for an hour or so before eating.

Thanks to http://www.brighteyedbaker.com for the original recipe inspiration which I have adapted.