I’m not a big date lover. For some reason dates remind me of dried figs and dried figs remind me of what my Dad used to tell us: Figs are filled with small, disgusting worms that crawl around inside your throat after you’ve eaten them.
I apologize for telling you that. You’ll probably never eat figs again either.
But all the same, dates aren’t figs. They might remind you of figs, but they aren’t filled with disgusting worms like figs are. And even though I don’t like them plain, they are terrific in these no bake bars. A great quick, high protein, refined sugar-free snack.
Makes: About 4 bars (you might want to double the recipe)
Time: 5-10 minutes
Ingredients:
¼ cup pecans
¼ cup almonds
8 dates
1 tablespoon peanut butter
½ an ounce of 100% chocolate
In your blender or food processer blend the pecans, almonds, and dates until finely chopped. Pour into a bowl.
Add one tablespoon of peanut butter and stir until the mix comes together. If it’s still a little bit crumbly after the peanut butter is completely stirred in, add a little bit more peanut butter.
Chop the piece of 100% chocolate into little pieces and add that to the mix. I’ve found that the 100% contrasts really well with the sweetness of the dates, but if you want you can use regular chocolate instead. If you choose to use regular chocolate, mini chocolate chips would work best!
Stir the chocolate into the mix, then press the bars out on top of some parchment paper. Shape into a large rectangle, then cut into smaller rectangles. Wrap in parchment paper and store the bars in a plastic container until you’re ready to eat them.
These look very nice but I’m sorry to break the news to you that dates are extremely high in sugar called fructose. It might be “natural” but it’s still sugar, so this is far from being a sugar-free recipe!!
Hi Kris,
That’s the sad thing about sugar, isn’t it? You just can’t get away from it.
I meant to say “Refined Sugar Free,” in this recipe, so I’m sorry if I ended up saying “Sugar Free.” I’ll check it right away and fix it. And, yes, though I do try to limit my date intake because they are so high in sugar, I still definitely prefer dates over your everyday granulated white sugar! 🙂
Hi is there any way that you can skip the dates? My husband and I don’t particularly like the. Can you also make this with almond butter?
Yes, you can substitute almond butter for peanut butter. You could substitute raisins for the same amount of dates, but you’ll be getting a very different, definitely more raisin-y bar. I’d recommend that you just try it with the dates…I’m not super fond of dates myself, but ground up finely in these bars, the dates just taste like caramel!
These are delicious – I’ve made them 3 times now! (fructose or not!) ;-D
Great, simple, tasty recipe – thank you for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed them!