Rustic vegan millionaire marathon bars (with chickpeas)

I have a sweet tooth. (Although I also enjoy 100% dark chocolate, which is very bitter.)

So when my sister gave me a recipe for a vegan 'millionaire shortbread crossed with a Marathon* bar' I had to try it.

Especially because it has chickpeas in it and sounded very simple.

She had found it on Instagram, so I can't take any credit for it, and I don't know who came up with the idea.

I've called mine 'rustic' because it doesn't look Insta-perfect, but that doesn't matter and it tastes great.

Ingredients

• 3-4 oz oats (about 1 cup)

• 4 oz cooked chickpeas (about 1 cup)

• handful nuts

• 8-9 Medjool dates

• peanut butter

• 70-100g bar vegan dark chocolate

Method

1. Whiz up the oats, chickpeas and nuts in a blender. I added some water to the mix as my hand blender was struggling (I couldn't be bothered to get the food processor out just for this, all that washing up). The mix should be a bit sticky.

2. Press the mix into a tin. I put it in a large-ish rectangular loaf tin.

3. Open the Medjool dates up, remove stones, and flatten them over the base.

4. Spread peanut butter over the dates.

5. Melt the chocolate and pour it over the top.

6. Freeze for a few hours, then put in fridge for a few hours so you can cut it up.

7. Cut up into squares or slices (a warmed knife helps cut through the chocolate without it cracking. I didn't do that, as you can see in the photo).

8. Eat and enjoy.

9. Ration it and put some back in the freezer in tubs for future occasions.

My changes

I actually increased the base from half cups to full cups as I didn't think it looked very much. But you might think there's too much base now.

When I was cutting it the top layers lifted up as a block off the base, so I think I will try it with the peanut butter on top of the base, then the dates, then the chocolate and see if that works.

I'm also pondering adding some cinnamon to the base as an added extra.

*Yep, I will still call it a Marathon bar!