Dark Chocolate Ginger Pistachio Squares Food

DARK CHOCOLATE & PISTACHIO PORRIDGE

Steps:

• Heat the pistachios in a large saucepan over a medium heat for 1-2 mins until lightly golden and smelling toasted. Tip onto a plate.
• Put the Quaker Rolled Oats into the pan with the milk, cocoa, 200ml water and a small pinch of salt. Cook over a medium heat, continually stirring, for 5-6 mins until creamy and thick. Add a splash more water if you prefer a thinner porridge.
• Reserve one square of chocolate and finely chop the remaining. Stir the chopped chocolate through the porridge until melted and the oats are a deep chocolatey colour. Spoon into four bowls, and top with the toasted pistachios. Grate over the reserved chocolate and serve.

DARK CHOCOLATE PISTACHIO GRANOLA BARS

Steps:

• Line an 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper or foil with an overhang for easy removal. Don't spray with cooking spray as it makes these greasy. Set aside.
• In a small blender jar (I use the Twister jar for Blendtec) or a food processor, pulse the pitted dates to create a very thick and sticky paste. (If your dates aren't moist, soak in warm water and then drain and dry very well)
• Scoop out the date paste and place in a bowl.
• Slightly warm up the peanut butter and maple syrup in the microwave (like 20 seconds) and stir into the date paste. Stir well.
• Add in the vanilla extract.
• Stir in the quick oats and the old fashioned oats.
• Add in the miniature chocolate chips and chopped pistachios
• Knead with your hands to get it all well mixed.
• Press into the prepared 8 x 8 baking pan and set aside while assembling the melted chocolate.
• In a large microwave safe bowl combine the chocolate chips and coconut oil (measured when the oil is in a hardened state).
• Microwave in bursts of 15 seconds stirring in between each burst for 15 seconds until melted.
• Pour evenly over the bars and tip the pan around to move the chocolate in an even layer on top.
• Place in the fridge (covered) until the chocolate is completely set.
• Remove from the pan and cut into bars.
• Store in the fridge, covered.

CHOCOLATE & GINGER REFRIGERATOR SQUARES

Steps:

• Line a 20 x 30cm tin with baking parchment. Mix the biscuits with most of the ginger, then set aside. Melt the chocolate, butter and golden syrup in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth and glossy. Pour this over the biscuit and ginger mixture and mix together well.
• Tip the mixture into the prepared tin and sprinkle over the reserved ginger, then flatten the top lightly - it doesn't need to be completely smooth. Chill for at least 2 hrs, or overnight, before cutting into small squares.

PISTACHIO & MILK CHOCOLATE SQUARES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line a 20cm square cake tin with baking parchment. Whizz 125g of the pistachios, 75g of the chocolate and about half the sugar in a food processor until very finely chopped. Tip into a bowl with remaining sugar, butter, eggs, flour and milk, plus a pinch of salt, and beat. Scrape into the tin and bake for 35-45 mins until a skewer poked in comes out clean. Cool.
• Melt the remaining milk chocolate, stir in the soured cream and cool until spreadable. Trim the edges off the cake, then split in half. Spread a little icing over the base, sandwich the top of sponge back on. Spread remaining icing over the top, roughly chop the remaining pistachios and scatter them over. Cut into 16 squares to serve.