Dark Chocolate Amaranth Bars (6 Ingredients!)
Crispy, satisfying Dark Chocolate Amaranth Bars resembling wafer cookies! Whole grain puffed amaranth combines with creamy, rich chocolate and almond butter for a healthier sweet treat or quick snack. Just 6 ingredients required!
Servings 12 (Bars)
Ingredients
- 6-7 Tbsp uncooked amaranth (6-7 Tbsp uncooked yields ~1 ¼ cup or 65 g popped/puffed)
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or pieces (ensure vegan-friendly as needed, such as Enjoy Life)
- 1/4 cup creamy unsweetened almond butter (if nut-free, sub sunflower seed butter)
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil*
- 1 healthy pinch sea salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Line a standard-size loaf pan or similar-sized dish (~8 ½ x 4 ½ inches) with parchment paper and set aside.
- To pop the amaranth, heat a large rimmed skillet (or large saucepan) over medium-high heat. Set a medium mixing bowl to the side for the popped amaranth. Once the pan is hot (give it at least 3-5 minutes to heat up), add 1 Tbsp (10 g) unpopped amaranth and immediately cover with a lid. Shake/slide the pot back and forth over the heat (wearing oven mitts can be helpful) to move the grain around. It should start popping within 1-3 seconds and be done popping at the 10-second mark (if it’s not, that means the pan isn’t hot enough). Quickly empty into the mixing bowl.
- Be sure to pull the amaranth off the heat at around 10 seconds (or when the unpopped grains are turning from golden to dark brown) or the amaranth will burn. It’s okay if not every single grain has popped. It may take a couple tries to dial in your heat and not burn the grains, but then you’ll hit your stride!
- Continue until you have roughly 1 ¼ cup (65 g) popped grain (adjust amount if altering number of servings).
- Add 1 inch of water to a small saucepan and bring to a low boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer. Place a small glass or metal bowl over the saucepan and add the chocolate chips, almond butter, and coconut oil. Heat, stirring occasionally with a spatula or spoon, until melted and no lumps remain (~3-5 minutes). You can also melt them in a heat-proof glass bowl in the microwave in 20-second increments.
- Once melted, stir in the salt and vanilla and carefully remove from the heat. Pour the chocolate mixture into the bowl of popped amaranth and stir until it is evenly coated in chocolate.
- Transfer to the parchment-lined pan and refrigerate until set — about 1 hour. Then slice into bars — we like slicing into ~12 bars as they are rich and satisfying even as a small bar.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 1-2 weeks or in the freezer for 1 month.
Video
Notes
*If nut-free, we'd suggest using vegan butter in place of coconut oil.
*Prep time includes 1 hour for chilling the bars.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
*Prep time includes 1 hour for chilling the bars.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Nutrition (1 of 12 servings)
Serving: 1 bar (~1 inch x 2 inches) Calories: 100 Carbohydrates: 8.9 g Protein: 2.4 g Fat: 7.4 g Saturated Fat: 3 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.9 g Monounsaturated Fat: 1.8 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 6 mg Potassium: 70 mg Fiber: 1.9 g Sugar: 2.9 g Vitamin A: 0 IU Vitamin C: 0 mg Calcium: 27 mg Iron: 1.9 mg