Chocolate-fix backpacking bars

On the trail to Loon Lake

Wahoo! It's backpacking season again! Ritalin Boy (hubby), son (Brian), fur kids (Misha and Nika) and I backpacked into Loon Lake in the Payette National Forest this week. It was a little early in the season (it dropped to 25 degrees overnight) but who can wait when you can experience scenery like this? It sure made up for last week when a chance encounter with an artificial sweetener sent my stomach reeling for days.

Loon Lake

As if being in a beautiful place weren't enough, there also was chocolate! I made Cacao Nib Backpacking Bars to munch on. Trust me. These were crunchy, extra chocolatey and satisfying.

Misha in camp

Cacao Nib Backpacking Bars

Cacao Nib Backpacking Bars

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup raw or toasted sunflower seeds plus 1 cup raw cacao nibs
2. 2 T. chia seeds
3. 2 T. raw cacao powder
4. 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
5. 2 T. tahini
6. 2 T. olive oil
7. 2 T. water
8. powdered stevia to taste
9. pinch of sea salt
10. Optional: 2 T. cacao nibs for topping

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with pan spray.
2. Grind all seeds and cacao nibs (except for optional 2 T.) in a coffee grinder. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
3. Combine applesauce, oil, tahini, water, stevia and sea salt in a food processor. Add the ground seeds and nibs and process until mixture comes together into a sticky dough.
4. Spread the dough in a rectangle about 1/4-inch thick on a sprayed cookie sheet.
5. Spinkle optional 2 T. cacao nibs over top and press in with hands.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes. If the top is dry, cut the rectangle into about 16-20 pieces and separate the pieces to leave space between them.
7. Continue baking for up to another hour until the bars are crispy.
8. Allow to cool and store in ziploc bags in the freezer for your adventure plus chocolate fix.

Nika says, "More backpacking trips, please."

Contributed to: http://www.dietdessertndogs.com/2012/06/14/wellness-weekend-june-14-18-2012/