One of the easiest and effective ways to stop yourself from snacking on unhealthy items is to have a stash of homemade treats at home. These fruit and nut snack bars are great to prepare in advance to ensure you always have something healthy on hand.
They come together in as little as ten minutes and all you need is a food processor. They are made with dates, cashews, walnuts, almonds and cacao powder. I love the contrasting flavours of the nuts but if you have a favourite nut you can use whatever is your preference.
I wanted these to feel like a treat but still be healthy which is why I added a small amount of cacao powder. It provides a fudgy decadent element without being too rich.
If you have a sweet tooth and always crave dessert, these are such a great substitute. Nuts are full of protein and very filling so a little goes a long way.
A lot of the snack bars you can buy from the store either taste bland or sickly sweet. I didn’t feel the need to add any sweetener to these. Dates are a wonderful natural sweetener and honestly, I don’t think there is anything better.
I often look at nature and am so in awe of what it provides us with. Beautiful plants provide us with amazing edible fruits like bananas, dates, mangoes and coconuts. I could happily sustain myself on these things alone if stranded on a tropical island.
The dates also act as the binding agent in this recipe so apart from a small amount of coconut oil you don’t need any other liquid.
You’ll want to leave them in the fridge to set for a few hours. Once they are set, you just need to cut them up into bite sized pieces. I prefer to leave these in the freezer and you can store them for up to one month.
It’s so easy to pack some in your bag to take to work or eat after a yoga class. They provide you with a great burst of energy. They are the perfect combination of chewy and sweet with a little bit of crunch provided from the nuts.
It’s honestly so easy to make energy bars. Once you try, you’ll never need to buy them again. Making them at home allows you so much more freedom. You can pick and choose so you can include all your favourite ingredients.
Ingredients
2 cups medjool dates, remove the pits
1 cup almonds
1 cup walnuts
1 cup cashews
½ teaspoon vanilla powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
½ cup water (pour in slowly, to achieve the right consistency)
Method
Add all the ingredients to your food processor. Pulse until everything is well combined. You will know it is ready when all the ingredients have come together into one large ball. During this process you may need to stop the food processor and scrape down the sides.
For the recipe I used an 8 x 8 inch oven proof dish. Line your dish with cling film and scoop the mixture out. Flatten it out and spread so that it is evenly distributed. Place a piece of cling film over the top and press down to smooth the surface.
Place in the freezer for a couple of hours to set. Remove from freezer, peel away cling film, and cut into pieces.
Store in the freezer for up to one month. These energy bars can be eaten straight from the fridge and will be firm and chewy. This is my favourite way to eat them. You can also eat them at room temperature if you want to take them to work or school.
Note: If you prefer you can also shape the mixture into small balls. All previous steps of the recipe remain the same.
