About this Recipe

In Grandmother's Kitchen we have learned to adapt recipes to some very sensitive eaters in our own family. It is a challenge when you go to the store or bakery, even a health food store; to find baked or chilled desserts that do not have a lot of sweeteners in them. Honey, maple syrup, agave, stevia, even though are the natural choices are all sugars.So what's the answer then? What can you do to still bake and get a sweet tasting "goodie" without adding those various types of sweeteners?

We have been doing a little experimenting in the kitchen and came up with this recipe that has nice texture and is still very sweet!

The sweet ingredient added is the raisins. Raisins are naturally sweet, but, they are also high in sugar and calories so you still want to be mindful of your intake. Eaten in moderation raisins boost iron levels and aid in digestion. They are also an energy food. The flavor of these squares would appeal to people that enjoy fruit in their energy bars. If you bite into this expecting a big taste of sweet chocolate, your taste buds will be surprised to find the fruity flavor of the raisins.

Grandmother's Kitchen Tips for Macadamia Nut Chocolate Coconut Raisin Squares Recipe:

1. The easiest kitchen tool to prepare this dessert in is a food processor. We have a small kitchen aid processor that works perfectly. You could use a larger blender, but blenders have a tendency to break down the nuts or other ingredients into more of a pulp; where; with a food processor you can control how finely you want to chop the nuts. If you only have a blender, you could do the grinding in smaller batches.

2. The easiest way to soften the raisins is to put 1 cup of raisins, loosely packed into a 2 cup glass measuring cup. Boil the water and pour it over the raisins, just covering the raisins. We want to soften them, but not end up with too much liquid for the recipe.

3. Use natural organic ingredients for the best flavor and nutrition in these squares.

4. The squares have a soft chewy texture.

5. You can substitute almonds for macadamia nuts.

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Ingredients

(Print)

Makes 1 8x8 inch square baking dish

1 cup natural organic raisins with about 1 cup boiling water

1/4 cup virgin organic coconut oil, at room temperature

1/4 cup natural organic cacao powder

1 cup raw organic sunflower seeds

1 cup raw organic macadamia nuts

1/4 cup non-sweetened natural fine shredded organic coconut

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Line the baking dish with parchment paper, coming up the sides.

2. Place the raisins in a 2 cup glass measuring cup. Pour just enough boiling water over the raisins to cover them. Let sit about 15 minutes to plump up and soften.

3. Meanwhile put the sunflower seeds into the food process and whiz until they form a crumbly texture. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

4. Put the macadamia nuts into the food processor and whiz to a nice crumbly texture then add to the sunflower seeds.

5. Add the fine shredded coconut to the seeds and macadamia nuts and stir by hand with a large spoon or spatula.

6. Transfer the soft raisins into the food processor and whiz until they form a creamy texture.

7. Add the coconut oil and cacao and whiz in. The coconut oil should be a room temperature.

8. Pour the raisin chocolate coconut oil mixture into the dry ingredients and stir by hand with a large spoon or spatula until well combined.

9. Transfer the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Place into the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove and leave out to cool. Slice into squares. Keep refrigerated.

OR, you can skip the baking and just refrigerate once you have all the ingredients in the dish. If you like to keep everything raw, these squares are quite similar baked or refrigerated. Baking changes the texture and flavor slightly.

Keep refrigerated or you can cut and freeze the squares and eat take out one at a time as you want to eat it.

Raisins have a fairly low glycemic index.

Raisins contain antioxidants, and fiber which help control blood sugar levels.

1 cup, loosely packed seedless raisins (8 ounces of raisins) have about 434 calories - 179.58 grams carbs-6.9 grams protein - 104 grams fat.