Cashew Date Bars
These cashew date bars are actually ‘bites’, perfect for little hands or a little snack that will help keep you full until your next meal!
All you need is cashews, dates, and cocoa, plus a food processor and something to shape your mixture into, and you’re well on your way to making cheaper, healthier, and more delicious cashew bars than what you can find in stores!
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These ‘bars’ are super simple to make and take less than 5 minutes of prep time, before letting set and then enjoying!
Ingredients to Make Cashew Date Bars (or bites)
Dates: Dates are vital to this recipe, they sweeten it up and provide many health benefits. They’re also great for constipation, things we know as moms.
Cashews: Cashews are delicious, creamy, and combine well with the dates to make bars, or bites. But, they also have many health benefits, such as helping to stabilize your mood due to the tryptophan they contain, tryptophan turns into serotonin, and serotonin helps your mood. So, feel free to call these bars happy bars!
Cocoa Powder: Cocoa powder is optional, just depends on if you want these to have a chocolatey flavor or not.
Vanilla: Vanilla is totally optional, it simply enhances the flavor, but it still tastes amazing without it.
How to Make These Cashew Date Bites
*Note that these instructions can be printed below
Step one: Add all of the ingredients to a food processor and process for 2-3 minutes or until well combined. Every 30-60 seconds you may need to scrape the sides of your food processor.
Step two: Separate into the sections of an ice cube tray, press down, and let set in the freezer for about an hour.
Step three: Pop out and enjoy!
Expert Tips for Bar Making
I’ve made these loads of times, my kids have made sure of that! In fact, if I mention them at all, like telling them I finally published the recipe on here, then I’m 100% certain I’ll be making them later today.
Since I’ve made them so many times, I have a few tips;
- Let them set. These are extremely gooey before letting them set in the freezer, so let them set before enjoying them.
- Let them thaw. Even though you need to let them set in the freezer, you will have to let them thaw slightly before biting into them, may seem counterintuitive, but just do it.
- Use silicone molds. I like to use silicone ice cube molds to make these, feel free to use any small silicone molds you may have. If they’re large silicone molds, like a silicone loaf mold then press the mixture into a thin layer at the bottom and then cut into strips or bite sized pieces once it’s set.
- Don’t eat them all at once. I hope this is common sense, but don’t eat this entire recipe at once, not only is it extremely high in calories and fat (the good kind of fat), but you should only be consuming a handful of nuts a day, no more. This recipe calls for 1 ½ cups of nuts, so take it easy, share them, save them in the freezer, and no more than 1-2 bites in a day (or about 1/12th of the mixture – which would be about 2 tablespoons of cashews).
Alternative Ways to Make this Recipe
As I’ve hinted a few times already, you should use what you have without having to go out and buy a special thing to make these in. This is the ice cube mold I personally use, because I have them. But if you don’t, that’s ok.
If you want to make bars, not bites, then use a loaf pan, either a silicone one, or line a regular one with parchment paper. Then cut the bars once they’ve set.
If you don’t have anything to let them set in, then make them into cashew date balls, simply roll them into balls before letting them set in the freezer (on top of a cookie sheet or something else). This will be the stickiest way of making these, but it will work.
Or, take a cookie scoop and scoop them onto a tray instead, just be sure place them on top of a silpat or parchment paper so they don’t stick to the cookie sheet. Then let set in the freezer for an hour.
The only non-negotiable item you need for making these, other than the ingredients, is a food processor. If you ever plan on making your own bars, then this little machine will come in handy and end up paying for itself in the long run, or not so long run with the price of food right now.
I’ve had my food processor since my middle child was an infant. It’s traveled cross-country with us multiple times. I bought it back when we were barely making ends meet, but it was so worth it with all of the things I use it for, the amount of money it’s helped me save, and the fact that it’s still working, just like my toaster from the same brand that I’ve had since college and still works like brand new – this company knows how to make small appliances that last!
Serving Suggestion
Again, try to keep to 1/12th of the mixture per day per person, as too many nuts in a day isn’t great for you, but having nuts in your day is one of the leading factors to living a long and healthy life.
Storing Suggestions
Freezer: Keep in the freezer in a freezer safe container until you want to eat one. Then let thaw long enough for you to be able to easily bite into it and enjoy!
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Cashew Date Bars
Shawna ClapperEquipment
- food processor
- Ice cube tray (preferably silicone)
Ingredients
- 2 cups Dates pitted
- 1 ½ cups Cashews unseasoned
- 2 tablespoon Cocoa Powder
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract optional
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a food processor and process for 2-3 minutes or until well combined. Every 30-60 seconds you may need to scrape the sides of your food processor.
- Separate into the sections of an ice cube tray, press down, and let set in the freezer for about an hour.
- Pop out and enjoy!
Video
Notes
If you don’t have a silicone ice cube tray, feel free to use a bread pan lined with parchment and then cut the bars once set and not sticky.
Store in the fridge or freezer.
Would it matter if the cashews are soaked (either overnight, or in boiling water for ten mins)?
Any particular type of dates?
I usually use the cheaper dates (deglet) because I always have them on hand, but I have used medjool dates too, and they work just as well. Sometimes the deglet ones get hard when stored in the fridge, so I’ll sometimes soak those.
I have not tried soaking the cashews, or boiling them, for this recipe. It makes sense that it might work, and would be easier to process them, the only reason I see them not working is if there’s too much liquid. I’ll test it out this next weekend and get back to you 🙂
I tried soaking the cashews for this recipe over the weekend; they take much longer to freeze and are much softer, even after freezing for 24 hours, than when not soaking them – they never froze completely. They are also a bit stickier, but if you prefer a softer bar (or bite) then I’d recommend soaking them 🙂