Step 1

Place cashews and almonds on a baking tray and toast in the oven for 4-5 minutes at 180C/350F. Keep an eye on them as they will burn quickly, they should be lightly golden.

Step 2

Place dates, peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla in a food processor and pulse until it forms a paste and is mostly smooth. Some small chunks of dates is okay.

Step 3

Add the nuts to the food processor and blend until they have broken down into small chunks.

Step 4

Transfer to a bowl and add all the remaining ingredients. If using a bar of dark chocolate, cut into small chunks.

Step 5

Use your hands to bring the mixture together until it has combined into a rough ball shape.

Step 6

Line a 8x8 inch cake tin with parchment paper. Add the mixture and firmly push into the corners, use a back of a tablespoon to get it nice and flat.

Step 7

Pop in the fridge for an hour and then cut into 12 bars. Melt the dark chocolate over a bain-marie and then drizzle on top of each bar.