I used to work as a barista in a café with a good friend of mine who was the baker.  One of her specialties was the most delicious citrus apricot slice. It had a traditional biscuit, condensed milk and dried apricot base which was topped with a very generous layer of lemony cream cheese icing. It was extremely delicious, and equally hard to resist, but I always dreamed of making a healthier version that I could eat guilt free without the packaged biscuits, refined sugar and cream cheese. After much experimentation I think I may have nailed it with this Citrus, Apricot and Labneh Slice. 

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The base consists of rolled oats, nuts, organic dried apricots and Medjool dates, while the main ingredient in the topping is labneh, which is very similar to cream cheese in its tartness, but without the high fat content. Labneh also has the good gut bacteria found in all yoghurt products, so this really is a treat that is good for you!

A generous amount of lemon juice is added to the labneh along with coconut sugar to sweeten. Soaked cashews ensure extra creaminess and the addition of organic extra virgin coconut oil helps the topping to set – it should be worth noting here that organic extra virgin coconut oil is far superior in flavour and has more health benefits than regular coconut oil. Even though it is an expensive pantry addition most recipes I feature extra virgin coconut oil in only use a few tablespoons at a time.  

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The cashews used in this slice benefit from soaking for around 4 hours to help activate them – this essentially makes them easier for our bodies to digest. Soaking the nuts first also helps to soften them for blending, but if you haven't managed to preplan the soaking time, you can pour boiling water over the cashews and soak for just ½ hour instead. They won’t be as activated, but they will have softened enough to blend into a smooth consistency. I have also made this recipe without any presoaking of the cashews, and it is still a lovely slice, but I do find that the topping isn't as smooth when it is made this way.