I've never seen myself as a particularly outgoing or even social creature really. It's not that I'm overly shy or anything, it's more of an active choice I've made to keep a smaller circle of close friends rather than being surrounded by a whole bunch of people whom I barely know at all. (Of course some people manage to have six hundred besties at once but needless to say, I'm not one of them. How do they even?) But thanks to Instagram I've had the opportunity to connect with and befriend so many amazing, inspiring and crazy talented girls from all over the world! How this little story relates to the raw caramel slice? Well this recipe would have never seen the light of day had it not been for one of these Instagram girls and her #twistmytreat competition.

 Who she is? Well the one and only EatLikeEloise of course! This slice was 100% inspired by hers and guess what? If you want in on this fabulous competition where you can win Loving Earth chocolates, all you have to do is reinvent or put a twist on Eloise's caramel slice! I'd do anything for chocolate hehe. Also, this is positively the best competition I've ever participated in. Look at that oozy caramel. Just look at it and tell me you don't agree.

One more thing before we get to the recipe: it looks longer and more complicated than it actually is! Mostly because I've included two different ways to make the chocolate layer. I was way too eager to get to taste this to bother making my own chocolate but if you want to keep this recipe raw, I highly recommend you spend those extra five minutes on this!

Base:

- 7 dates (around 80 g)

- 1/4 cup oat flour (30 g)

- 1 tbsp tahini (20 g)

Caramel layer:

- 10 fresh/soft dates (110 g)

- 2 heaped tbsp all natural peanut butter

- 2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk

- 1 tbsp lucuma powder

Chocolate layer raw version:

- 1 tbsp melted coconut oil or cacao butter

- 1 tbsp cacao powder

- 1 tbsp liquid sweetener of choice

Chocolate layer non-raw version:

- 2 oz. (56 g) vegan dark chocolate (preferably refined sugar-free)

How to:

1. Blend all the ingredients for the base in a food processor until you're left with a ball of raw 'cookie' dough. Add more oat flour if the dough is too sticky and more dates or tahini if it's too dry. (This depends a lot on how moist the dates are!)
2. Press it out into a small rectangle to about 1/4-inch or 5 mm thickness on a non-stick baking sheet. Set aside.
3. Peel and pit the dates for the caramel layer. This is easier if they have been soaked in hot water for at least 10 minutes or if you're using really soft ones. 
4. Place all the ingredients for the caramel layer in a small bowl and blend with a hand blender until smooth. (This step could be done using a food processor but I prefer the hand blender.)
5. Spoon the caramel on top of the base and level it with a spatula. Place in the freezer to set for at least one hour.
Raw version: 
6. When the caramel and base have set, make your own raw chocolate by mixing equal quantities coconut oil, cacao powder and sweetener in a bowl until combined. Wait until it's not super runny, then spread an even chocolate layer on top of the caramel. This will hopefully set immediately as the caramel is frozen so go ahead and cut as many slices as you want before placing them in an airtight container to store in the freezer or fridge if you prefer a gooey caramel.
Non-raw version:
6. If you're a lazy ass like me, then melt your (store-bought) chocolate over a hot water bath and spread it out on top of the frozen caramel base. It can be a bit trickier to cut neat squares this way (as is shown by the cracks on mine) but they're just as delicious, I promise. Store in the fridge for gooey caramel and the freezer if you want it solid.

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It's nearing December and I hope that you are as excited as I am about the upcoming holiday festivities! Sinatra blasting on the radio, the first snow wrapping everything in a soft blanket of white, the comforting crackling from the fireplace and Christmas decorations as far as the eye can see. But no jolly Christmas without something to munch on, right? Be it hot cocoa, mandarins, gingerbread cookies, christmas candy... Tell me if you're drooling yet because I sure am.

If you're one of those people that claim to not like this time of the year (do they even exist?) then I suggest you stop reading right here. Because from now on, my plan is for this blog to be stuffed with all things Christmas, from saffron treats to rice pudding desserts.  This I can assure you, Yuletide addicts- you won't be disappointed.

So first on the list was Rocky Road Fudge. Way out of my comfort zone to be honest, the only rocky road us Swedish people know of, is the one that leads us home after a few too many shots of our favourite holiday liquor: "snaps". Okay so now I'm rambling but what I wanted to say was that I felt this sudden strong urge to make a batch of this Rocky Road deliciousness after seeing it on Pinterest the other day. Only I wanted a vegan and refined sugar-free yet still delicious fudge. This one ticks all the boxes, I have to say. It's wonderfully rich, soft, chewy and 100% cruelty-free!

Rocky Road Fudge

1 cup tightly packed soft dates

1/4 cup melted cacao butter (could sub for coconut oil but cacao will be MUCH better)

2 tbsp cocoa or cacao powder

1 heaped tbsp carob powder

1/2 cup raw almonds (or nuts of your choice)

1/2 cup dried mulberries

How to:

1. Place your dates, cacao butter, carob powder and cacao powder into a food processor and blend on high until smooth. Stop to scrape down the sides a few times to incorporate all the ingredients properly.

2. Take the mulberries and almonds and put them into the food processor with the chocolate paste that has formed and blitz a few times. You want the nuts to be broken up into big, crunchy chunks, not tiny pieces, so make sure not to blend too much. (As you can see, I did a pretty poor job here ;)

3. Press the fudge out into a small, lined, rectangular baking tray. It might not fill the whole tray but it's firm enough to only fill half of it and still get thick pieces of fudge.

4. Put in the fridge or freezer to set, at least for a couple of hours. Remove from the fridge and cut into squares. Store in the freezer if you want the mulberries to be crunchy! (Hint: you do.)

Have a wonderful day!

Tilda

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Bliss balls... Little bites of gooey, chewy, sweet deliciousness. Nut butters, superfood powders, dried fruit, seeds, grains. The possibilities are - quite literally - endless! So quick and easy to make, bliss balls is one of my favourite vegan treats. This batch was made yesterday, as a result of an intense craving for something sweet that struck, well, by noon. What can I say, my sweet tooth is unstoppable.

Not only are these delicious, they also pack a punch of raw protein from the Purple Balance protein powder that I like to use in my recipes. Hope you like them as much as I do! (Ehrm, make that 'did'. I'm afraid they're all gone now.)

Vanilla Protein Bliss Balls

Ingredients:

200 g soft/medjool/soaked dates (about 18 small)

3 tbsp oat or coconut flour

3 scoops (tbsp) Purple Balance Vanilla Protein (or vegan protein powder of your choice)

A pinch of pure vanilla powder

1 tbsp coconut oil

Coatings:

Raw Lucuma powder, carob/cacao powder and desiccated coconut

How to:

1. Put all ingredients in your food processor and blend until smooth.

2. Scoop the dough out with a spoon and roll into small balls.

3. Place in an airtight container in the fridge to let the coconut oil set, about 30 min-1 hour should suffice. (That is, if they're too soft to roll immediately after blending)

4. Coat the balls by placing a small amount of your powder of choice in a cupped hand, then use both hands to coat the balls, without putting too much pressure on them to keep the round shape.

5. Store in the fridge! 

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