MATCHA MINT NANAIMO BARS

If you’re a fan of mint and chocolate then these will be your new all-time favourite sweet treat.

A fudgy, no-bake brownie layer, creamy melt in the mouth mint buttercream filling, and some dark chocolate on top. Matcha is the ultimate natural green food coloring; who needs an artificial green when you can make these bars truly pop with a little matcha in the mix!

The Nanaimo bar is a no-bake Canadian dessert named after the city Nanaimo in British Columbia.

Preparation Time - 1 hour

Servings - 16 bites

Ingredients

For the Base

• 160g pitted Medjool dates

• 30g raw cacao powder or cocoa powder

• 120g ground almonds

• 80g unsweetened desiccated coconut 

• 20g coconut oil, melted

For the Filling

• 80g icing sugar

• 110g butter, room temperature

• 1.5 tsp Matcha powder

• 3 - 5 drops peppermint extract or peppermint essential oil

For the Topping

• 100g dark chocolate roughly chopped

• 20g butter 

Directions

1. Line a 9-inch loaf tin with baking paper and lightly grease with spray oil or butter.

2. Blend dates to a paste in your food processor.

3. Add cacao powder, ground almonds, and coconut to your food processor and blend to combine.

4. Add the melted coconut oil and blend one more time to combine.

5. Tip out the mixture into your prepared tin, pack down and spread evenly with the back of a spoon.

6. In a large bowl cream together the icing sugar and room temperature butter with the matcha powder using an electric beater.

7.  Once fluffy, creamy and combined, whisk in the peppermint oil by hand. Add more or less depending on your minty preference.

8. Spread over the prepared base and place into the fridge to firm up for 20 minutes.

9. Melt together the chocolate and butter in the microwave-safe jug using 30-second increments. Stir after 30 seconds, heat for 30 seconds more and repeat until melted. It should only take about 1 - 1.5 minutes total.

10. Pour the chocolate over the top of the bars and return to the fridge for at least another 45 minutes to 1 hour before slicing.

11. Store in the fridge in a sealed container for up to two weeks.