A no bake snack bar filled with only 8 ingredients that is also high protein, these cashew, honey, hemp chocolate bars are filled with whole foods, free from gluten, grains, eggs and refined sugar and absolutely addictive.
This post may contain affiliate codes which I earn a small commission off. This costs you no extra (in fact you get a discount) and is a great way to support my work for free. This post has been gratefully sponsored by the Tasmanian Hemp Association.
This Spring has been a whirlwind for me. It’s such a busy time personally and professionally, and the days seem to slip by at lightening speed. September was filled with all the wonderful things that Spring brings and this year at home we had the most beautiful flower season I can remember. The veggie patch excelled this winter and now I am bust getting everything ready for Summer; and, it has been a hot minute since I posted here.
The wait was worth it though 😉
So, these cashew, honey, hemp chocolate bars are very much addictive and a new no bake favourite. I have a few other similar recipes that you may have already tried and loved (like these peanut butter fudge bars), but something about the cashew and honey flavour combo, mixed with all the goodness of hemp? It is just a winner.
Firstly, let’s get into the goodness of hemp seeds.
Why we love hemp
Why we love hempYou know, I remember exactly when hemp foods became legal in Victoria, Australia (where I live). I was a student nutritionist at the time, and us students were collectively a very excited bunch. We had spent many semesters learning all about the benefits of hemp seeds (both from a sustainable and nutritional stand point), but this humble food wasn’t legalised for consumption in Australia. At the time we had a little underground source of hemp seeds, sold between eager students during class break, and it felt as ridiculous then as it sounds now to be buying this incredible food illegally.
We followed the proposed law changes with vested interest (who knew when our black market supply would run out?), and once Australia was given the green light we celebrated for months of end by spending all of our precious student money of hemp seeds, oils and whatever else became available.
Maybe the story sounds a little ridiculous, but it’s true and one that I have really fond memories of. Isn’t it funny that this food was ever illegal to begin with? The change was like one step forward for common sense, and the result was a boom of the best quality hemp seeds grown right here in Australia, in Tasmania.
Naturally, when the Tasmanian Hemp Association contacted me to create a fabulous hemp-based recipe is was a no-brainer. I’ve used this food passionately for 10+ years and love its sweet, nutty and mild flavour. It is SO easy to use in a wide variety of recipes from savoury to sweet, sauces, smoothies and everything in between.
To get you started on hemp right away, check out my delicious parsley hemp pesto recipe, or these apple pie bliss balls.
Why are hemp seeds a great addition to any diet?
Hemp seeds are so exciting for so many reasons. Firstly, in Australia we have access to the best quality hemp foods grown locally, in abundance. Tasmania has fast become a leading supplier of hemp foods, due to its ideal soil quality and climate. Hemp farming is light on the environment, and it widely considered a sustainable food choice. You can read more about regenerative farming practices of hemp of the Tasmanian Hemp Association here.
Secondly, hemp seeds are fabulously nutritious, and benefits include;
- They are a complete protein, meaning it contains all of the essential amino acids needed by the human body.
- The seeds are abundant in a spectrum of vitamins and minerals, including the B group vitamins, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and vitamin E.
- The fatty acid profile is perfectly balanced, with hemp seeds containing an ideal ratio of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.
Finally, hemp seeds have a sweet, nutty and mild flavour that is so easy to love. They are easily incorporated into many savoury and sweet recipes, and are a great substitute for sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds (by weight, not volume).
Ready to make these addictive cashew, honey, hemp chocolate bars? Lets go.
Ingredients for cashew, honey, hemp chocolate bars
Ingredients for cashew, honey, hemp chocolate bars- Raw cashews (or you can use cashew butter). Cashews give the texture of this wholesome no bake hemp slice a cookie-dough texture. We start with raw cashews and blend into a nut butter, but you can skip this step and use roasted cashew butter if you prefer.
- Salted butter. We use beautiful salted butter to make these cashew, honey, hemp chocolate bars extra rich and creamy, but an easy vegan or dairy free swap is coconut oil.
- Honey is used as the only sweetener in these bars and I just LOVE the combo of honey, butter, cashew and hemp. It is just so good!
- Tassie hemp seeds. We choose the best quality hemp seeds from Tasmania to give these no bake cashews bars a huge nutritional hit. You can read more about Tasmania hemp seeds here.
- Tassie hemp protein helps these cashew hemp bars set firmly and have a thicker, more stable texture, plus adds wonderful protein boost to every bite. You can read more about Tasmania hemp seeds here.
- Vanilla extract is something I add to basically everything. If its sweet, as especially if chocolate is involved… vanilla just makes it better.
- Dark chocolate 70-85%. I prefer a 70% dark chocolate for this recipe as the ganache style topping sets to etc perfect texture. Using a darker chocolate will mean a firmer ganache topping, but a still very delicious. one.
If you loved these cashew, honey, hemp chocolate bars you might also enjoy
If you loved these cashew, honey, hemp chocolate bars you might also enjoy- Healthy vegan peanut butter fudge
- Spiced apple bliss balls
- 3 ingredient chocolate truffles
- chocolate chip cookie dough bars
- Pecan chocolate brownie bites
We hope you love these cashew, honey, hemp chocolate bars as much as we do! If you make them we would love a review below, as it helps others find this recipe too. If you have any questions we always endeavour to get back to you quickly. Happy baking x
Cashew, honey, hemp chocolate bars
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 36 serves 1x
- Category: Desserts
- Method: No bake
- Cuisine: Australian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A no bake snack bar filled with only 8 ingredients that is also high protein, these cashew, honey, hemp chocolate bars are filled with whole foods, free from gluten, grains, eggs and refined sugar and absolutely addictive.
Ingredients
- 700g (5 cups) raw cashews OR 700g cashew butter
- 250g (1 cup) salted butter
- 200g (2/3 cup) honey
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 100g (1 cup) Tassie hemp protein powder
- 200g (1 1/2 cups) Tassie hemp seeds
- 400g 70% dark chocolate, chopped
Instructions
- Please note, the above ingredients makes a large 20x20cm slab of cashew, honey, hemp chocolate bars. This serves 32. You can easily half this recipe and use a 15×15 square tin, which serves 15.
- If you are using cashew butter skip to step 4. Preheat the oven to 180C. Place cashews on a large baking tray, and roast in the hot oven for 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden and fragrant. Check the cashews after 8 minutes, toss, and then check every 2 minutes to prevent burning. Remove from the oven and allow nuts to cool for 10 minutes before moving to the next step.
- Add cooled cashews to a food processor and blend cashews into cashew butter. The time this takes will vary depending on your food processor, but a high-speed processor will take around 10 minutes. A lower speed food processor may need to stop and let the motor rest occasionally. This step can also be done using a blender, but you’ll need to use a tamper. Once the cashews are a smooth, drippy consistency they are blended enough.
- Add butter to a small saucepan with a lid, then melt over a low heat (lid on). Once the butter has fully melted add the honey and vanilla and whisk through.
- Transfer the cashew butter to large mixing bowl. Use a rubber spatula if possible, to scrape everything into the bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cashew butter (place in a separate bowl), then pour in the melted butter and honey. Use a wooden spoon to mix together these ingredients until thick, creamy and uniform.
- Add in Tassie hemp seeds and protein, then fold through. Grease and line a 20cm square brownie tin. Transfer mix into the tin, using a spoon to even out. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- Add chopped chocolate and reserved cashew butter to a heat proof bowl (metal works best). Add 2cm water to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the bowl on top of the saucepan- the bowl should sit on the rim and not touch the water. With the heat on low melt gently, mixing regularly. Once completely melted remove your slice from the freezer and top with the melted chocolate ganache. Sprinkle with flakey sea salt to finish (optional).
- Transfer the slice back into the freezer for 10 minutes only. The chocolate should be set by this time (if not leave it a little longer). Use a large sharp knife to cut into 16 squares (3 even cuts both vertically and horizontally will do this), then cut each square in half again to make 36 serves.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge. The is freezer friendly, but will melt out of the fridge in hot weather.
Notes
- You can sub in cashew butter by weight NOT volume.
- Honey can be swapped for maple syrup or preferred liquid sweetener
Keywords: Cashew, hemp seeds, no bake chocolate slice
Just about every time I make some delicious treat from Panaceas Pantry I declare it the best one yet. And while they have all been delightful, these bars just exceeded my expectations. The cashew butter/honey/butter combination is so decadent. I also appreciate the deeper dive into the nutritional properties of hemp seeds as well as the sweet anecdote about hoarding them before they were legal. The bars are about halfway gone and I am already planning on making them again. So so good. Thank you!
★★★★★
Oh my goodness, what a beautiful message. Thank you Mya, I’m so happy you enjoyed these. Xx