Raw Chocolate Goji Berry Brittle

 I caught the bug! I have definitely been in a Holiday "Raw Treats Making" mood! This raw candy  reminds me of Christmas morning, when different types of brittle and candy lay in the dish, each tempting you to pick it! Well, you can feel good about picking THIS candy!
 Making raw candy-especially chocolate, is so much fun when you switch in and out different ingredients making different flavors. This delicate match of dark chocolate and Goji berries is amazing! The smooth chocolate melts in your mouth as you taste the sweet, sour, and crunchy Goji Berries. A great brittle.
Then, as if it could get any better, you have the option to top it with crushed almonds! It reminds me of a Raw Almond Rocha, though it doesn't have a toffee flavor, it has the crunch of it. Seriously, where has this been? Definitely a new fave, super simple, and a perfect raw treat for the holidays!

Dark Chocolate Coating
3/4 C Coconut Oil, melted (put it in the dehydrator for a few minutes to melt it, it needs to be all the way melted for best results)
1/2 C Organic Cocoa Powder
1/3 C Pure Maple Syrup

Whisk the raw chocolate sauce together.

Add
1 C Dried Goji Berries

Mix well and spread thin onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and sprinkle on a few more berries.
Add 1/2 C Chopped Almonds (opt)
Freeze until solid
Break into pieces and store in the freezer.

Raw Caramel Delights

Since we've been reading The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe for Literature lately, (I home school my amazing 5 children if you didn't know), we have heard a lot about the "Turkish Delights" the White Witch gives to Edmund to entice him to come back. So with our new thick caramel we have discovered, we made our own "Raw Caramel Delights". Little sweet and salty bits of joy, you are sure to come back. :)

15 Soft Medjool Dates, pitted
1 T Coconut Oil, melted
1 T Almond Flour (almonds blended)
Dash of sea salt and cinnamon (I did two shakes of salt and cinnamon)

Blend together until the mixture sticks together and has formed a ball. It is thick and sticky.
Transfer to a bowl and freeze mixture for about 10 minutes to form a harder dough.
Take little pieces and form into caramel shapes with your hands, or any shape you want.
Top with an almond in each and lightly sprinkle with sea salt.
Store in the freezer.

Raw Snickers Bites

Snickers use to be one of my favorite candy bars, with the sweet and chewy caramel and the crunchy nuts combined, it makes your mouth water thinking about it. Well, after researching a few raw snickers recipes, and trying many, I came up with my own that we all loved. This time of year we love spending time together in the kitchen and making new and healthier "candy" alternatives. Raw candies can be so fun to make and I finally made a chocolate coating that wasn't too thick!

*Remember to melt coconut oil double-broiler style. I put the amount of oil in a glass bowl and set that in a bowl of hot water until melted, sometimes even covering it. OR set it in the dehydrator if you know you will be using it later.

You need:
High Speed Blender
9x9 Glass dish, lined with doubled over plastic wrap- you will be lifting the filling out, so you want it sturdy.
Wax Paper
Plate
Fork for dipping
Small Bowls for mixing 1 Batch of Thick Caramel Sauce
1 Batch Dark Chocolate Coating Sauce
1 Batch of "Nougat" filling
1 C Raw Spanish Peanuts

1.   Nougat Center
1 C Raw Cashews
1 C Organic Rolled Oats
1 T Coconut Oil, melted
4 Medjool Dates, pitted
2 T Agave
1/8 tsp Sea Salt
Blend on high until the mixture is well combined, you may need to stop it and push down the sides, then blend again.
Transfer the mixture to the 9x9 Glass Dish lined in plastic wrap.
Press it down in the bottom until even.
Set in the freezer and clean out the blender.

2. Thick Caramel
15 Soft Medjool Dates, pitted
1 T Coconut Oil, melted
1 T Fresh Almond Butter
Dash of sea salt and cinnamon (I did two shakes of salt and cinnamon)
Blend together until the mixture sticks together and has formed a ball. It is thick and sticky. (I plan to make caramel candies just out of this and also used this to put on caramel apple bites-coming in a later post)
Scoop this out onto the Nougat, spreading it around evenly. It is thick so spread it well.

Sprinkle 1 C Raw Spanish Peanuts onto the Caramel and gently press them into it.
Freeze until ready to coat.

3. Dark Chocolate Coating
3/4 Coconut Oil, melted
1/2 C Organic Cocoa Powder
1/3 C Pure Maple Syrup

Blend until mixed, or you can whisk it together. I like blending because the cocoa doesn't get everywhere :)

Pour this into a bowl.
Get out a plate and line it with wax paper.
Take the candy dish out of the freezer and pull up on the sides of the plastic, pulling it out, then take off the plastic and set it onto a cutting board. 
Cut evenly into 16 small pieces. 
With a fork scoop up one piece at a time and put them in the chocolate bowl.
Spoon chocolate onto the candy.
Lift out, letting any extra chocolate drip off into the bowl.
Set onto your wax paper plate. Continue to do this until all the pieces are dipped. Set them in the freezer until the chocolate solidifies. We left them about 1/2-1 hour. Take out and cut again if desired. We cut them again and stored them in the freezer in a thick plastic container for a quick yummy treat.
Enjoy!
~You could also use these as a topping for raw shakes and ice-creams!