There are snacks that are primarily sweet, and there are snacks that actually contain nutrients. This Nativ-style shortbread clearly falls into the latter category.

A soft shortbread base made with Nativ Basic Blond and almond flour, finished with a creamy date-tahini caramel layer and a topping of dark or white chocolate.

The result is somewhere between:

• shortbread
• Snickers
• salted caramel slice
• and a luxurious coffee shop dessert

but with more fiber, slower carbohydrates, and much more satiety.

The tahini provides a slightly bitter accent, preventing the overall taste from being overly sweet. Especially in combination with dark chocolate or white chocolate with black sesame, you get a surprisingly rich flavor.

And the big advantage: you can freeze them perfectly.

Nativ shortbread recipe

For a rectangular baking tin

Shortbread base ingredients

• 200 g Basic Blond
• 200 g fine almond flour
• 100 g coconut blossom sugar
• 160 g vegan butter
• 1 pinch of vanilla
  

Date-tahini caramel layer

• 250 g soft dates (soaked if necessary)
• 3 tbsp tahini
• 2 to 4 tbsp warm water
• pinch of sea salt
• a little vanilla

Chocolate topping

Option 1:

• dark chocolate

Option 2:

• white chocolate
• black sesame as topping

Preparation

1. Make the shortbread base

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

Mix:

• Basic Blond
• almond flour
• coconut blossom sugar
  

Add the soft vegan butter and vanilla and mix to form a soft dough.

Press the dough firmly into a rectangular baking tin lined with parchment paper.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes until the edges turn golden brown.

Let cool completely.

2. Make the date-tahini caramel

Blend the pitted and soaked dates together with tahini, vanilla, salt, and a little warm water until you have a thick, smooth caramel layer. Use the soaking liquid to sweeten a smoothie or homemade ice cream, for example.

Add the water gradually.

The texture should remain spreadable, not liquid.

Spread over the cooled base.

3. Finish with chocolate

Melt chocolate au bain-marie and pour over the caramel layer.

Optionally garnish with:

• black sesame
• coarse sea salt
• chopped pistachios
• ...

Let set in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Then cut into smaller squares or freeze.

Can you freeze this?

Yes, perfectly.

First cut the shortbread into pieces and then freeze them.

This way, you can just take out a piece whenever you crave something sweet.

Even straight from the freezer, this is delicious — almost like an ice cream dessert or fudge.

Why this feels much more stable than classic desserts

This version combines more:

• fiber
• fats
• protein
• slower carbohydrates

which means you get much less of that typical sugar spike and crash.

Still a dessert.
But one that is much more satisfying. Feel free to share your creations with us on Instagram @Nativfood