Walnut Fudge Bars

Bonding Camp.
Every year we start off with a weekend trip to one of the hilly areas on the outskirts of Mumbai- a trip consisting of mud, rappelling, last-minute & madly organised talent shows, late nights, early mornings, long bus rides and mess...

Last year I was miserable; it was colder, rainier and worse organised than ever.
But this year I came back oddly satisfied. We had a bunch of cool adventure activities with a crew of helpful assistants (although the guy in charge was scary and we thought he was a reincarnation of Hitler... "Stand in the corner and I will hang you upside down and throw stones in your mouth!"

Our trek was beautiful and the rain refreshing, the talent show was a test for your patience and stamina, but was ever so stunning and amusing. 

One of the stereotypical parts of camp is the food: all the girls in my grade come with at least half a suitcase of food... cookies, instant cup noodles, chips, dip, candy, chocolate, indian snacks... you name it.

After 2 weeks of excessive eating in France, I'm kind of fed up of it. So, much to my friends' amusement, I came with almonds, walnuts, Nature Valley Crunchy bars and 3 apples (my mum thought I was crazy: I wrapped them in 2 towels, creating the biggest bundle in my entire suitcase-- but am I the only one who doesn't like bruised apples?? I don't think so.)

I also made a batch of these fudge bars, and I must say, they were divine: they're big, satisfying and taste like one whole block of fudginess. They were another discovery from Chocolate Covered Katie, and she didn't disappoint. She calls them a homemade version of Larabars- bars that I've read about and been dying to try.
You can nibble them, making the huge log last longer, or you can gobble it in massive bites, enjoying the sensation of having every nook and cranny of your mouth stuffed with chocolate.

But surely these are no better than a bowl of chips or cookies?
Here's the magic: they're made of dates.
Dates + walnuts + pure cocoa = prize-winning- good-for-you combination.
I'm going to make these again, because my family definitely has to try them... and so do you!

What's your favourite holiday snack?

Hot Fudge Brownie Larabars
From Chocolate-Covered Katie

• 1 cup walnuts (120 g)
• 1 and 1/3 cups pitted dates (220 g) (I love SunMaid dates, as they’re much softer.)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 3-4 T cocoa powder (or even Dutch cocoa)
• optional: 1/8 plus 1/16 tsp salt (I always add it)
• optional: chocolate chips or even a piece of a chocolate bar or baking chocolate

Blend all the ingredients, using a food processor, Magic Bullet, etc. (No need to blend the dates first; I just blend everything all at once in my MB. Form into bars. It might help to put dough in a plastic bag and close the bag, then shape into a bar. (Feel free to experiment with different nut combinations. I often sub almonds or cashews for some of the walnuts.)

Check out her website for even more Larabar recipes.