This wonderful Rocky Road recipe brings together soft, chewy, crunchy and crispy textures wrapped in delicious chocolate – with a very special NatureDoc twist. This recipe was a total winner with our mini taste-testing team!
You would not believe how yummy, filling and healthy this rocky road snack is! It is packed with mineral-dense dark chocolate, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds and quinoa and should not upset your blood sugar balance. It’s a perfect recipe for both lunch boxes and after-school snacks.
The whole chickpeas used in this version of rocky road might sound surprising, but they work brilliantly well. Naturally nut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, refined-sugar free and plant-based.
Ingredients
- 150 g Dark Chocolate
- 1 tbsp Coconut Oil
- 1 tbsp Maple Syrup
- 100 g Chickpeas (from either a jar or a tin)
- 50 g Dried Cranberries
- 25 g Pumpkin Seeds
- 10 g Popped Quinoa
Units
Instructions
- Line a small loaf tin with greaseproof paper.
- Measure the dark chocolate, coconut oil and maple syrup into a mixing bowl, and set over pan of simmering water to melt (ensure the bowl doesn’t touch the water).
- Meanwhile, drain, wash and dry the chickpeas, and weigh out the dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds and popped quinoa.
- Once the chocolate mixture is melted, stir in the whole chickpeas, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds and popped quinoa. If using tinned chickpeas rather than jarred, also add a pinch of salt.
- Press the mixture into the prepped tin, and pop into the fridge to set for around 1 hour.
- To serve, slice into 10 pieces.
Recipe Notes
- Chickpeas from a glass jar work better for this recipe as they have a slightly softer texture and a touch of salt. However tinned chickpeas will also be absolutely fine, just add a little pinch of salt as per the recipe to balance the sweetness.
- Popped quinoa can be bought in health food shops as well as online. It is very light in weight so if your weighing scales struggle, 10g popped quinoa is equivalent to 50ml in a measuring jug. If you don’t have popped quinoa to hand then switch to wholegrain rice crispies, popcorn or popped/puffed wheat/spelt/amaranth or millet.
- You can switch the chocolate to milk chocolate or vegan chocolate, depending on your preference.
- Store in the fridge for up to four days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Dear Lucinda
Great lunch box recipe!
Helping my very busy daughter to produce healthy lunches for her 7 year old so this one ticks my box!
Thank you
Dear Lucinda
Great lunch box recipe!
Helping my daughter with 7 year old’s packed lunches so this one ticks my box for nutrition and treats!
Thank you
You are a genius Lucinda!! This is so delicious!
My (very) fussy daughter had some tonight for dessert and absolutely LOVED it 😁 Thank you!
Fabulous news!
Hi, I can’t find popped quinoa, would normal quinoa do?
You can “pop” quinoa in a frying pan – just sprinkle some quinoa into a very hot dry frying pan and it will start popping straight away – shake every 15 seconds and cook for about a minute until toasted and nutty. Otherwise use wholegrain rice crispies or other puffed cereals – of even break up little rice cakes (or similar multigrain popped/puffed crackers) to make a bit of a crunch!
Hi. What can I replace with the chickpeas as son is allergic. Black beans?
Hi Helen – you can replace with white haricot beans or black beans – I hope your son loves this recipe!