Chocolate-Date Squares

I am finding myself playing with raw fruit and nut bars a lot these days.  Partly because dried fruit is a very healthy way to sweeten a treat (you get to keep all the fiber and minerals from the fruit), partly because they are so quick and easy to make, partly because they are portable enough to pack in a lunch, and partly because they are so yummy!  This variation is a favorite of my 5-year old (even though they aren’t super chocolate-y).  This is enough to press into half of a 9”x9” pan (you can double this recipe if you have a large food processor, mine can only handle this much at a time).  You could also use a standard loaf pan, press it together on plastic wrap, or roll into balls.  If you want to boost the chocolate flavor, you could add ¼ cup chocolate chips at the same time as the dates.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hr to chill

Serves: 4

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup Medjool Dates (about 9-10 large dates), pitted
• ½ cup Unsalted Cashews
• ¼ cup Raw Walnuts
• ¼ cup Raw Pepitas (Shelled Pumpkin Seeds)
• ¼ cup Cacao Powder

1.    Place nuts and pepitas in a food processor and pulse a few times to grind fairly fine.
2.    Add dates and cocoa powder to food processor and process until finely ground and starting to clump together.  If it doesn’t clump together a little bit or the dough feels a little dry to the touch, add one more date and process again.
3.    Press into half of a 9”x9” pan.
4.    Chill for at least 1 hour before cutting into squares or bars.  Enjoy!