Apricot-Cocoa Hemp Bars- vegan, uncooked (not raw)

Apricot-Cocoa Hemp Bars

I was so eager to make these once I got the idea that despite the fact I didn't have all the ingredients I wanted to use, I went ahead anyway. The result was a quite passable cocoa and hemp hit; so passable, in fact, that I decided to blog it and I'll also blog the version I intended to make once I get the ingredients. These bars are "uncooked " rather than raw because I don't want to mislead raw foodists: although there is no cooking involved in this recipe, the cocoa and the jam have already both been subjected to high temperatures. What I intend to make involves natural orange flavour and date paste rather than apricot jam, and I'll maybe dehydrate it for a few hours to make it chewier. (Cacao rather than cocoa would make it a truly raw bar too.)
Why hemp?- Well, it's truly a superfood, containing EFAs such as linoleic acid and omega-6, and is second only to soya beans for protein. (Watch out for it here in Ingredient of the Month sometime in the future.) Don't worry: there is no THC in the hemp you buy to eat, so it won't hurt you! As the cocoa flavour and hemp-y texture is quite intense, I made 8 small bars from these quantities. 


7 rounded tabs shelled hemp seeds
2 flat tabs fine wholegrain porridge oats
2 flat tabs apricot jam
2 flat tabs organic cocoa powder

• Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.
• Press evenly into a lightly-oiled tray or a silicone mould and refrigerate for at least half an hour to firm up.
• Cut into bars, remove from the mould and serve.