Since we had such a gorgeous weather here in the UK in the past few weeks I have really been enjoying making raw treats instead of baked goodies.

I tend to normally use a but base but this time I wanted to experiment with what I think is a very underrated seed which is sesame.

Sesame seed are an excellent source of copper, a very good source of manganese, and a good source of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, molybdenum, vitamin B1, selenium, and fibre. Sounds like a lot of good stuff packed into such a small little thing, right?

Especially if you are on a vegan or plantbased diet I would definitely recommend to try to incorporate this powerhouse seeds more into your daily meals more. These bars are obviously a great way to experiment with sesame seeds, I love the combination of flavour with sweet dried apricots and the tangy notes of the maca powder. I love having one these bars before or after a work out as they give me a little boost of energy without make me feel too full or sluggish afterwards.

Ingredients: Makes about 10-12 slices depending on the size

1 cup of sesame seeds

½ cup of ground almond

1 cup of dried apricots (if you can try to buy the one without any sulphites)

2 tablespoon of coconut oil

1 tablespoon of almond butter

2 tablespoon of yacoon syrup or any other liquid sticky sweetener (honey and rice malt syrup would work well)

1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of maca powder (optional)

Place the sesame seeds into a food processor and blitz for few moments, until the seeds start to break down but not completely dissolve into flour. Add all the remaining ingredients and blitz for a minute. You should have a quite sticky dough, if you feel is too dry add a bit more sweetener.

Remove the mixture from the food processor and place it into a  brownies size baking tin covered with parchment paper. Press the mixture down with your hands until it’s evenly spread across the tin. Place it in the fridge for at least 1 hour to firm up. Remove the tin from the fridge and cut into slices.

Store the squares into an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.