ArcaMax

Let's Have a Snack...or Not!

I can still feel the warmth of the mid-afternoon sun on my face as I sat on the back porch of my childhood home. I had a glass of wonder in my hand and a spoon at my ready. At 9 years old I was given permission to make my own favorite snack of the summer. It was called Jello 1- 2 -3.

Strawberry was my favorite. I liked all three layers. Foam on top, sauce in the middle and jelly jammy on the bottom.

Truth be told, the sauce was really my favorite and the jelly jammy was really just Jello. The science of dessert.

Jello excelled that year. They excelled in marketing too. Foam, sauce and jelly jammy. It was all just a ploy.

Read the full column at PlanZDiet.com

Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares (Think Peanut Butter Cups)

Related Recipes at PlanZDiet.com:
Yogurt with Fruit and Nuts
Orange Strawberry Dessert

The sugar has all but been taken out of these little treats. And that’s the operative word. Little. Neither kids nor adults need big treats. One or two of these can satisfy that craving in anyone. They are divine. Serve one to your kid as a treat after dinner or set out a platter of them at a dinner party. The package of two Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups has 24 grams of carbs. One of these has 4.9 grams.

You can also view this recipe by going to Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares

Serving Size: 1 bar

Ingredients:

Bottom layer
¾ cup of ground almond meal
2 Tbl of cocoa powder (use the unsweetened version)
1.5 Tbl of Swerve or ZSweet (order these sugar substitutes on line)
1 Tbl of water
Pinch of grated sea salt

Middle layer
½ cup of natural peanut butter. (I try to find the unsweetened, emulsified kind. Whole Foods makes a great one. Or at worst I use Skippy Natural. They make one with less sugar and less salt now)
2 Tbl of melted coconut oil (or they also make a coconut oil now that is already melted and shelf stabilized. Look for it by the other oils)

Top layer
3.5 oz of high quality chocolate that’s 70% cacao or higher, minced
3 Tbl. of melted coconut oil

Instructions:

Line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper.

In a bowl mix your bottom layer ingredients. Stir them up really good so the dough gets moist. Press the dough into the bottom of the loaf pan and place it in the freezer to set. Maybe 10 minutes

Make your middle filling. You can even use the same bowl. Stir the peanut butter and the coconut oil. I put a pinch of grated sea salt in here too. Just a pinch. The commercial peanut butter cups are quite salty so this sort of mimics the same effect. Take the pan out of the freezer after it has set, and gently spread the middle layer on top. Return to the freezer again. This time I let it set more like 30 minutes or it’s hard to put on the top layer.

You need your chocolate minced really fine. Take your time and get it all chopped up really well because you want it to melt quickly. Gently heat the coconut oil. Add the chocolate and stir until smooth and creamy. Take the pan out of the freezer again and drizzle on the top. Spread it gently if necessary.

This time I put the pan in the refrigerator and come back an hour or two later. Pull the paper up with both hands and remove your creation from the pan and put it on a cutting board.

I now cut the dessert into one-inch (or maybe a little bit smaller) cubes.

Store them lightly covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator. You should get at least 15 – 20 cubes from one pan. Plenty for your peanut butter cravings. So rich and creamy. Try to eat just one.

Enjoy! Cheers, Zola

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola