Saturday 7th July was the holy grail of food holidays – World Chocolate Day! Although I’m a little late posting this recipe, chocolate is acceptable 365 days of the year in my house, so I see no problem in posting a little late.

Chocolate has always been a luxury for me whilst growing up. I remember visiting friends houses and being allowed to choose a treat from the huge boxes of chocolates they had in their cupboards. Yes, I had chocolate biscuits in my lunchbox (Penguin and Time Out’s were my biscuit of choice pre-diagnosis), but I never had a stash of chocolate bars to choose from in my house. That may seem like I’ve had a deprived childhood, but instead it’s made me appreciate ‘treats’ as an adult, and I’ve been able to enjoy them much more than I would have had I had them on a daily basis when growing up.

However, now that I’m 24 years old and can make my own decisions on what I eat, chocolate everyday is perfectly acceptable in my eyes! That could be in the form of delicious chocolate granola, yummy cacao energy balls, or homemade chocolate almond butter spread thickly on a thick slice of toast – there’s not much better than that, I assure you.

This combination of creamy chocolate almond butter, spread thickly on a slice of gluten free tiger bread (my current favourite is Warburton’s), frozen berries and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup for extra sweetness. It’s a breakfast of dreams for any chocolate lover!

INGREDIENTS

300g whole almonds
90g dark chocolate chips
2 tsp coconut oil
1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
Sprinkle sea salt

RECIPE

1. Preheat your oven to 190C/375F.
2. Place the almonds on a baking tray and pop in the oven for 10-15 mins or until they’re warm to touch – this will help them release their oils when blended.
3. Place the roasted nuts in a strong food processor and blend until you have a smooth and creamy consistency – around 10mins.
4. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil together until silky smooth. Take off the heat and stir in the honey/maple, vanilla extract and sea salt.
5. Pour this chocolate mixture into your food processor, and blend again until everything is fully mixed together. Add more melted coconut oil if the mixture is too thick.
6. Pour into a jar and leave to fully cool before putting on the lid. Enjoy!

Sophie x