I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – peanut butter is one of the loves of my adult life. I’ll happily eat it on its own, but I’m fully aware that there are some foods out there that complement it beautifully too. Chocolate is one (try our peanut butter chocolate cheesecake slice if you don’t believe me) and jam (or jelly to our American pals) is another. In fact we must applaud our friends across the pond for this delicious combination as they came up with PB&J over 100 years ago! It seems to have taken its time to become quite as popular in old Blighty, but the PB&J revolution is definitely now growing momentum over here too.

It really is such a yummy combo – a perfectly balanced marriage of salty and sweet, creamy and tangy, nutty and fruity – so I was really inspired to come up with a dessert that showcases these amazing flavours (in case you were wondering I’ve already got breakfast covered with our PB&J pancakes). Something tells me this won’t be my last PB&J recipe either as I am definitely a little bit obsessed!

These slices are just heavenly though and I defy anyone not to like them – they’ve got a gorgeous crumbly, chocolatey base, topped with a creamy and sweet peanut butter cheesecake layer and the loveliest raspberry jam on top. And as if that weren’t enough deliciousness for one mouthful, I’ve added a drizzle of raw chocolate to decorate which not only makes them look super pretty but just adds to their general amazingness.

Ingredients

For the base

• 3/4 cup cashews
• 3/4 cup oats
• 1/2 cup dates
• 3 tbsp cacao powder
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 2 tbsp water

For the peanut butter layer

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup dates
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk

For the raspberry jam layer

• 1 batch of my three ingredient raspberry chia jam

For the raw chocolate drizzle (optional)

• 1/2 cup of melted raw chocolate (we love Raw halo but you can make your own by simply melting 1/2 cup cacao butter or coconut oil in  bowl over a saucepan of boiling water and then stirring in 3 tablespoons of cacao powder and 4 tablespoons of maple syrup until it forms a smooth melted chocolate)

To make the base, simply combine the ingredients in a food processor and whizz for a couple of minutes until the ingredients start to form a sticky mass. If it’s too crumbly still, add in more water one tablespoon at a time and keep whizzing until you get the required consistency. Once you have this, spoon the mixture evenly into a lined tin or mould and press down so that it’s all flat and compact.

For the peanut butter layer, pop the ingredients in a food processor or high speed blender and blend for about one minute until a smooth, creamy and thick liquid forms. Pour this on top of the base and even it out with a spoon. Place in the freezer for an hour or so to set.

Once this has set, simply spoon the raspberry jam on top and again even it out with a spoon and place in the freezer for at least an hour to set. Once this is done, remove from the freezer and cut into slices with a sharp knife. If you’re adding the melted chocolate on top, now’s the time to get drizzling so get your melted chocolate ready and drizzle away! Store the slices in the freezer and remove 15 minutes or so before eating.

Love, Mrs H xx