The shower of sunshine yesterday called for a walk. I stood by the pond in Hyde Park watching the swans and crisp bare trees surrounding me and realized that spring was here. Nothing to preempt it. No warning. Just one gorgeous morning to announce its arrival. A bright yellow daffodil bloomed at the entrance of the park. It's been quite a few years since I've spent so many winter months in London at one stretch, and I finally remembered how good it felt to wake up and realize that winter is finally over. The first day of spring - a day to let go, exhale, to breathe it all out and then to take a deep lungful breath of change.
This morning, I felt inspired to making these delicious sun-drenched chewy chocolate date squares macaroons topped with coconut and strawberry maple sauce drizzled with raw melted chocolate. They're lightly spiced with fresh ginger juice and turmeric powder just to add an extra handful of health; and with the strawberry sauce, they simply spring to life in color, taste and everything!
Makes around 10 pieces
The List
Base
40g cashews
100g dates
1 teaspoon flaxseed oil
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons cacao powder
½ teaspoon ginger powder
1 teaspoon ginger juice
15g cacao butter
Coconut topping
60g coconut flakes
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Strawberry maple compote
2 large strawberries
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon coconut flakes
15g raw chocolate
Method
Start by blending the cashews so that it becomes a fine powder. This should take less than a minute in a high-speed blender. Put the dates, cashew nut powder and the rest of the ingredients in a pan and stir on low heat until all the dates are melted and it becomes one thick consistency (5 minutes). Roll or press out evenly on a plate or any surface and while this cools down, mix the two ingredients for the coconut topping in a small bowl. You can spread this topping on the base layer evenly and put in the fridge while you make the strawberry maple compote. For this, chop the strawberries into small pieces and warm in a pan, add in the maple syrup and water, and a few minutes later, add the coconut flakes. For the chocolate sauce, I used Ombar Coco chocolate, which is sweetened with coconut sugar. You only need 15g of chocolate - melt it by placing in a small bowl and immersing the bowl in a pot of boiling hot water. If it isn't liquid-y enough to pour over, add a few drops of coconut oil. Take the macaroon cake out of the fridge and cut into square pieces. Pour the strawberry sauce and melted chocolate and serve.