EAT MORE BARS BUT HEALTHIER
No corn syrup in this recipe. In fact there is no added sweetener. The dried fruit adds more than enough sweetness. I do prefer these protein bars made with walnuts - I think they taste more like the chocolate bar than when made with peanuts. Both are good though.
I had a file for Eat More Bars and it must be old because it was not even close to the healthy energy bars I made for our hike at Lake Louise.
Be careful - they are good even frozen.
PROTEIN BARS - NO BAKE
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Keywords: raw snack gluten-free paleo sugar-free vegan vegetarian
Ingredients
- 3 cups pitted dates
- 4 tbsp coconut oil
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 2/3 cup ground flax seed
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1 cup raw walnuts or peanuts (you can use for favorite nuts)
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup dried cranberries or dried cherries (just choose your favorite)
Instructions
Add the pitted dates and coconut oil to your food processor and puree until they're smooth. The coconut oil will help blend the dates into a paste. The bars will not hold together if the dates are not fully blended.
Add cocoa powder, cinnamon, flax seed, and vanilla. Mix until combined.
Add nuts and pulse again. Watch closely. If you want larger pieces of nuts, don’t blend the nuts too much. I find that I need to break the date puree up by hand between pulses.
Dump the date mixture into a bowl.
Stir in dried cranberries or dried cherries.
Line a 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper and press the mixture down. They should be about ½ inch thick. Alternately, you can make them into balls. Cover lightly and refrigerate until hard.
Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate until for about 1 hour. The mixture needs to harden.
Cut into squares and wrap individually then they’re ready to go when you need them. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.