‘Help me sleep’ chocolate bark

Dark, nutty and crunchy with magnesium-rich pumpkin seeds and almond butter

I keep seeing people talk about taking magnesium supplements to improve sleep. So when I became frustrated that it was taking me longer than usual to drift off, I started shopping for them myself.

Then I thought - I wonder what foods are high in magnesium, as I know a food-first before supplements approach is always good.

Pumpkin seeds sit right at the top of the list, and also in the top 5 are almonds and dark chocolate. So that was all the incentive I needed to combine them into a sweet treat.

It’s so incredibly delicious and far more exciting than a pill.

I recommend cutting into 6. When done so, each piece contains around 50% of your daily magnesium recommendation.

You'll need:

• 200g good quality dark chocolate, 70-85% cocoa

• 60g almond butter

• 50g pumpkin seeds

• Sea salt

Line a flat baking tray (or use a chopping board) with greaseproof paper (make sure whichever you choose will fit in your fridge).

Break the chocolate into chunks into a heatproof bowl. Melt it over a bowl of boiling water on the hob (make sure no water gets into the bowl) or pop it in a microwave - just do it in short bursts, stirring it each time, making sure to not overdo it.

Pour the melted chocolate onto the greaseproof paper. Use the back of a spoon to even it out into a rectangle about 20cm x 15cm. Dollop almond butter evenly over the top. Tip: if it's a bit too hard, pop it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds - the heat will make it looser due to warming the oils. Use the end of the spoon to swirl the almond butter around a little.

Sprinkle over the pumpkin seeds, evenly distributing them. Sprinkle over a little sea salt to taste.

Set in the fridge for at least an hour, before cutting into 6 (or you can just break it into chunks).

Store in a cool, dry place for up to a week.