Tim Spector’s chocolate pecan bites recipe
The perfect sweet treat, these can be whipped up in no time.
“These chocolatey bites taste as good as they look and are best enjoyed with a cup of freshly brewed coffee,” enthuses gut-health expert and best-selling author Tim Spector. “Make sure you use a high-quality peanut butter that is 100 per cent peanuts as the labels can look very similar to cheaper varieties that often have added salt, sugar and palm oil. The same goes for the chocolate.”
Chocolate pecan bites recipe
Prep: 10 minutes, plus freezing time
Makes: 12
80g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
70g crunchy (100%) peanut butter
70g berry chia jam – use fresh raspberries, mashed with a fork instead
12 pecan nuts
Pinch of sea salt
Top-up
Mixed seeds
Swaps
Any nut butter for peanut butter
Walnuts for pecan nuts
Plants: 6
Fibre: 5g
Method:
1. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Break the chocolate into small pieces and add to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Stir until melted. (Alternatively, microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring as it melts.)
2. When ready, spoon 12 circles, each about 3cm in diameter, onto the lined baking tray, making sure you leave enough space between each one.
3. Place a teaspoon of peanut butter on top of each, followed by a teaspoon of jam. Cover each one with the remaining melted chocolate. Place a pecan nut on the centre and press down gently. Sprinkle some sea salt over the top, then freeze on the tray for 1–2 hours until set. Gently peel the bites off the baking parchment and store in a container in the freezer.
Extracted from Good Mood Food by Tim Spector. Published in hardback by Jonathan Cape, priced £30. All photography by Issy Croker. Available 22 October