All About The Kale's "Nearly Naked" Bars... and Bites!

All About the Kale’s “Nearly Naked” Bars

We LOVE Nakd bars. They’re nutritious and healthy, and very tasty….

…but it’s no secret that a healthy lifestyle can soon start breaking the bank so why not swap to our ‘Nearly Naked Bars’? They’re super easy to make and cost a fraction of the price!

Our take on the Nakd snack bars are made from the same natural ingredients. They’re gluten and dairy free and also contain no extra nasties (less if anything!) What’s more, you can have them anyway you want them, bars, balls, bites, the possibilities are endless…

Most of our “Nearly Naked” bars can be made using this basic “Simply Nearly Naked” recipe. This is most similar to the Nakd Cocoa Delight bar

To make your favourite flavoured ‘Nearly Naked’ variation, add the additional ingredients accordingly, as described below:

Simply Nearly Naked

50g dates

50g cashews

20g raisins

2 tsp raw cacoa powder (plus a little extra for dusting!)

Method:

Pit your dates (if needed) and add to your food processor along with the cashews, raisins and cacao powder. Blend until a fine crumb. If you’re making a variation, add the extra flavourings last. Shape into balls or bars, or whatever shape you’re going for. Dust your shapes with some raw cacoa powder- put cacao powder onto a clean plate and roll your shapes in it. Enjoy!

(Note: If your mixture is a little dry, add a teaspoon of boiling water at a time until the mixture holds. Alternatively, if your mixture is a little too sticky, add a little flour- such as coconut or almond - until you’re good to go!)

Variations:

Cocoa Orange: Add ½ tsp of Orange Extract (try Nielsen-Massey’s Pure Orange Extract or Flavorganics Orange Extract). You can also add a little bit of orange zest if you fancy

Bakewell Tart: Omit the cacoa powder and add 10g of dried cherries and ½ tsp of almond extract (try Nielsen-Massey’s Pure Almond Extract or Flavorganics Almond Extract)

Cocoa Mocha: Add ½ tsp of Pure Coffee Extract (try Nielsen-Massey’s Pure Coffee Extract or Flavorganics Coffee Extract)

Cashew Cookie: Use 65g of dates and 65g of cashews, omitting the raisins and cacoa powder.

Gingerbread: Omit the cacoa powder and add ¼ tsp of ground ginger, ¼ tsp of ground cloves and ¼ tsp of ground cinnamon.

Strawberry Crunch: Omit the cacoa powder and add 20g of puffed buckwheat and 10g of dried strawberries

Banana Crunch: Omit the cacoa powder and add 20g of puffed buckwheat and 10g of dried banana chips

Cocoa Mint: Add ½ tsp of Pure Peppermint Extract (try Nielsen-Massey’s Pure Peppermint Extract or Flavorganics Peppermint Extract)

Tip: Any nuts can be used in place of cashews, try almonds or pecans, or using a mixture for a bit of a mix-up

Check our ‘Stockists’ Page for where to buy Flavorganics and Nielsen-Massey extracts!

Spelt and Chia Crispbread

In Finland, crispbread is an integral part of every diet. Having lived there for over 6 years, I continue to get my crunch kicks in the form of cripsbreads and crackers and love to experiment with varieties of different seeds and multigrains.

Try these Spelt and Chia cripsbreads to take the edge off your hunger and satisfy your crunch cravings!

Ingredients:

150g Spelt Flour

100g Oats

25g Linseed

25g Chia Seeds

25g Sunflower Seeds

25g Sesame Seeds

2 tbsp Malt Extract

1 tsp Salt

2 tbsp Yeast

1 tbsp Olive Oil

Method:

Mix the yeast with 200 ml of warm water, add the oil and malt extract, and stir. Leave for 10 minutes or so, until it looks bubbly

Whilst you’re waiting for that magic to happen, whizz up the flour, oats and seeds. By all means, feel free to keep a handful of seeds back (or go crazy and use extra!) to press into the top of the crispbreads before baking!

Slowly add the liquid to the dry ingredients. Don’t go chucking it all in at once unless you’re down with having to add more flour. You don’t want your dough to be too sticky.

Roll out the dough and shape as preferred. You could use cookie cutters, or keep them rectangular. (I have an awesome embossed rolling pin that embosses hearts, ferns and stars on to my dough!) Aim for a thickness less than 0.5cm as they will ‘puff’ up slightly, and the thicker they are, the less crispy they will be!

If you’re adding extra seeds on top, sprinkle over your rolled out dough and then run your rolling pin over them to squish them in a bit and to stop the seeds from falling off!

Remember that when you bake biscuits etc. they continue to harden once you’ve removed them from the oven. You’ll need to bake low and slow to ensure maximum crispy-ness.

Try 150c for 20 minutes at least, until golden. Those who roll their dough more thinly might need less time, whereas thicker slices, a little longer. Be patient and keep your eye on them!

Once baked, remove from oven and cool on a rack.

Enjoy with your favourite nut butter or on their own for a most satisfying snack!