Mint Chocolate Energy Squares

Happy Summer, friends!!! I’ve been craving all the fresh herbs now that it’s summer and wanted to take another stab at making some mint chocolate chip energy “bars” of some sort because mint + chocolate = HEAVEN! And so these mint chocolate energy squares were born! They’re low in sugar, full of healthy fats, collagen, & have a real earthy flavor.

These squares are by no means super sweet so if you’re looking for a real sweet treat, these may not be your favorite. I try my best to eat a low sugar diet and making my own bars/balls using REAL ingredients is so important to me. If you prefer things on the sweeter side you can definitely sub out the prunes for dates and add a few more in or use additional monk fruit/stevia. They are my personal favorite to bring on-the-go for an afternoon snack to give me some energy about an hour before a workout. Hope you love!

Ingredients

·       1 ¼ cup soaked nuts/seeds (I used a combo of pumpkin seeds, cashews, and walnuts)

·       4 soaked prunes (soak overnight or at least for a few hours)

·       3 tbsp almond milk

·       1 ½ tbsp coconut oil, melted 

·       1 tbsp + 2 tsp chia seeds

·       1 tbsp ground flaxseed

·       2 tbsp cacao nibs 

·       4 scoops Vital Proteins collagen

·       2 tbsp cacao powder

·       ¾ cup fresh mint

·       25 drops monk fruit

·       Small shake of pink himalayan sea salt

Topping:

·       Lily’s chocolate chips melted with coconut oil 

·       Cacao nibs

·       Sea salt

Directions

1. Place nuts in a food processor and pulse for about 2 minutes

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until a “dough” has formed, scraping down the sides of the food processor every so often

3. Melt chocolate chips with coconut oil. Once melted, sprinkle in some sea salt

4. Spoon dough into a silicone mold (or baking dish) and flatten so the top is even. I used a silicone mold tray and this recipe made 8 squares

5. Pour or drizzle melted chocolate over the top of the dough

6. Top with extra cacao nibs, if desired

7. Refrigerate for at least an hour or freeze for about a half hour

8. Cut into bars if using a baking dish or pop out of silicone molds and store in the fridge. Bars can also be frozen and moved to the fridge before eating

9. Enjoy!