Salted Tahini and Chocolate Shortbread

I find it hard to control myself with these, they are incredibly moreish! I'm not sure what it is that my body craves with them but the salty, sweet taste along with the bitterness of the chocolate and tahini makes it a delicious sweet treat.

These would be more balancing for Vata due to the salty and sweet tastes but also the unctuousness of tahini. They may be slightly aggravating for Pitta due to the nuts and the tahini but I have tried to balance this by using coconut oil and coconut sugar which are more cooling. You could make them with only almonds as these are more cooling than either walnuts or pecans. The oiliness may be slightly too much for Kapha but you could experiment with using oat flour which is more drying and warming than brown rice flour.

Autumn/winter would be the best season for these when Vata can become more aggravated.

As always moderation is key to avoid imbalances. They are vegan and gluten free too- enjoy!

Vata - Pitta + (less so if only using almonds) Kapha + (less so with oat flour)

Season: Autumn/ Winter

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazlenuts or a combination)

• 1 1/2 cups of brown rice flour (or experiment with oat flour)

• 3/4 cup of coconut sugar

• 1 tsp of baking powder

• 2 tsp of salt

• 2 tsps of arrowroot powder

• 2 tsps of vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup of coconut oil (softened)

• 3/4 cup of light tahini

For the topping:

• 100g of coconut oil or cacao butter or use 50/50 of each

• 50g of cocoa / cacao powder (less if mixing in lacuma or other superfoods)

• 1/4 cup of maple syrup

• 1tsp of vanilla extract

Optional extras:

You could add some superfood powders into the topping ingredients such as Fo-ti root powder, lucuma or medicinal mushroom powders. Or mix some chopped dates or raisins into the topping. The possibilities are endless - happy experimenting!

Method:

• Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees.

• Blitz up the nuts in a food processor as finely as possible. Then add in the dry ingredients and blitz again until combined.

• Tip into a large bowl and add in the tahini, softened coconut oil and vanilla.

• Mix well. You may need a tsp of water to help it to come together if it looks a bit dry. The texture should be like wet sand.

• Press into a lined square baking dish. You want the layer to be about 1/2 an inch thick.

• Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden.

• While allowing this to cool make the topping.

• Melt the coconut oil or cacao butter over a bowl of hot water making sure that no water gets into the mixture.

• Once melted, mix in the cacao/ cocoa powder along with any optional superfoods.

• Stir in the maple syrup and vanilla extract.

• Pour over the top of the shortbread and place in the fridge to set.

• Cut up into squares and try not to eat it all in one go!