Billionaire shortbread or as i like to call it: the baby has a cold and is teething so she can only sleep upright on me & I am so tired my own teeth hurt and I need something sweet to get me through the afternoon shortbread. Seriously, I know the baby has bone cutting through her gums and that up till now I have tried to protect her from pain (bare one unfortunate dropping her off the bed incident) but can I get some sympathy too? Just for a second, I just need a hug…you can find me face down in a mug of coffee. 

Honestly though, when I’m this tired, as much as I want to power eat espresso beans & cake I find that I have to take extra care. If your body isn’t getting rest, then at the very least it needs nourishing. I’m making sure to do a quick strength training session and to walk outside for a few miles each day. I’ve been running before dawn on the mornings that I have managed to extricate the baby from my bussom. 

Every morning I start the day with hot water. I started drinking hot water because my history teacher drank it in school & I had a major crush on him. I would love to tell you that I started because of the liver cleansing properties etc etc but nope, this healthy habit is the result of a teenage infatuation. Thankfully I have a great knowledge of the World Wars & I drink hot water allday everyday which must be a win win. Then comes coffee, because I’m human. Lately I switched to oat milk because the Swedish firm Oatly brought out “barista” oat milk. It’s the only non dairy milk that i like in coffee. It doesn’t separate or float or taste oily. It’s creamy & rich & you can froth it. Seriously go Sweden!

Most days are filled with food tasting & various versions of thrown together Buddha bowls. But by the afternoon I need a little something. Women more disciplined than me may have a green juice & 12 organic almonds. I on the other hand have created billionaires shortbread. This sweet treat saves me in those exhausted afternoons when all you really want to do is lie down in bed and eat cadburys mini rolls.

I figured if millionaires got a shortbread with a caramel layer, then billionaires would get a salted caramel chocolate later. It’s a modified version of a millionaires shortbread. I would call it a healthy version but what is healthy? One mans poison and all that. What it is, is that it is made with wholesome ingredients in their natural form. Foods that your body can recognise and that it knows what to do with. And in this case, sugars that occur naturally which means no sugar crash an hour later. It’s rich and decadent. It feels like it should be terrible for you but it isn’t. It’s an instant mood booster & a perfect tea time tray bake to share (if you feel like it).

Ingredients
10 tbsp oats
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 banana
20 pitted dates (medjool or other soft ones work best – if you can only get dried dates then soak them in hot water for 20mins before using)
3-4tbsp hot water
0.5tsp salt (optional)
6 tbsp oat cream (or other cream)
60g dark chocolate (70-90%)

Method
Place the oats into a food processor and process to a flour
Add in the coconut oil and the banana and processor until you have a dough
Press the dough down into a layer in a lined baking dish (should be about 3 cm thick)
Bake for 15mins and then set aside to cool
Place the dates into a food processor, whilst the dates blend slowly drizzle in the water until you have a thick paste. You don’t want it too runny
Heat the cream in a pan, remove from the heat and add the chocolate, stir until the chocolate has melted
Add the chocolate cream and the salt into the food processor with the date mixture and blend together
Leave to cool and set and then spread over the oat base
Set in the fridge or freezer for 20 mins and remove 5 minutes before eating