What if I told you that you can easily create your own energy bars and never have to think about buying them again?
That’s exactly what happened to me. Once I began making these energy bars, I discovered the beauty and convenience of crafting them from scratch.
These energy bars are a delightful fusion of dates, prunes, almonds, and cashews. These wholesome ingredients are blended and pressed into cute, little, delicious bars—ideal for a quick and satisfying snack.
Crafted with only wholesome ingredients and no added sweeteners, these energy bars boost energy and essential nutrition, helping you maintain steady energy levels between meals.
Whether heading to work, sending your kids off to school, or going on a weekend hike, these homemade energy bars are your reliable companions.
Why you’ll love these energy bars?
Nutrient-packed: These energy bars are made with 4 nutrient-rich ingredients, each associated with many potential health benefits. They are designed to give you an energy boost, provide you with various nutrients and keep your blood sugar levels stable, preventing those unpleasant sugar crashes.
Easy to make: These almond and date energy bars use minimal ingredients and equipment, making them a super convenient homemade snack. There’s no baking involved; you only need to blend and press the ingredients together.
Convenient Grab-and-Go Snack: These quick and simple energy bars are a perfect choice for people on the go. Their compact size allows them to fit easily into your bag. You can easily have them at hand whenever in need of a quick and nourishing snack.
Customisable: They are incredibly versatile and can be tailored to your liking. You can easily adjust the ingredients and flavours to match your preferences or dietary requirements. Make sure to keep the ratio of nuts and fruit, and the adjustments are almost endless.
What goes inside these energy bars?
Dates: Delicious and naturally sweet, dates are fruits that grow on palm trees, native to the Middle East. You’ll often find them in two forms: fresh (typically in the refrigerated section near fresh fruits and veggies) or dehydrated (often sold alongside other dried fruits and nuts).
For this recipe, I’ve chosen fresh Medjool dates. But dried dates are a good alternative; I’ll explain how to use them later in the text.
Prunes: Prunes are dried plums with their pits removed. They have a deep red-brown colour, a chewy texture, and a sweet and savoury taste.
Almonds: Almonds are seeds from the almond tree, but nutritionally, they are considered nuts. For this recipe, you’ll need raw almonds with their skins.
Cashews: Like almonds, cashews are also seeds with the nutritional characteristics of nuts. They come from the cashew tree, native to Brazil. They have a kidney-like shape and are pale off-white.
In this recipe, you can use either raw or roasted unsalted cashews.
How do you make almond date energy bars?
Making these almond date energy bars is super easy. One more reason to have them always available in your fridge.
You’ll need either a hand blender or a food processor to prepare these energy bars. A hand blender is suitable for smaller batches, but a food processor is your best ally for larger quantities.
Blend the ingredients
Start by removing the pits from the dates and weighing them. Then, weigh the prunes and add them to the dates.
Weigh the almonds and cashews directly into the food processor or hand blender cup (1). Pulse the nuts a few times until they’re coarse. It’s best not to blend the nuts too finely in this step, as they will continue to blend with the fruits. In the end, the energy bars will have slightly larger nut pieces here and there for that satisfying crunch.
Now, add the dates and prunes to the coarsely blended nuts (2). Continue to blend until the mixture starts coming together (3).
Press the mixture
Once your mixture is blended to your liking, it’s time to shape it. Line the inside of a container with two overlapping sheets of parchment paper, allowing each sheet to extend slightly over the edges. I’m using an oven dish 34×23 cm in size.
Transfer the mixture onto the parchment paper and press it evenly using a spatula or a dough scraper (4). Once the mixture covers the whole bottom of the oven dish or a container, use the excess edges of the overlapping paper to cover it. Flatten the mixture once again using the dough scraper or your hands if needed. This will ensure a perfectly smooth surface.
Place the oven dish inside the fridge for at least half an hour. The mixture will firm up, making the cutting process much more elegant.
After the mixture has firmed up, remove it from the container onto a board along with the parchment paper. Cut it into 15 even pieces. Place your perfectly shaped bars between pieces of baking paper and store them in an airtight container inside your fridge.
Looking for alternative ways to shape these energy bars?
Absolutely! Instead of pressing the mixture, you have various shaping options.
A straightforward method is to mould the mixture into a cylinder. Wrap it in parchment paper and let it chill in the refrigerator. Once it’s set, you can easily slice the cylinder into evenly sized portions.
What if I don’t have fresh dates?
Can’t find fresh dates? No worries. You can also use dehydrated dates for this recipe, but first, you’ll need to rehydrate them.
- Pit the dried dates as you would with fresh ones.
- Place the pitted dates in a bowl and cover them with hot water. Let them soak for approximately 10 minutes, then drain them well.
- Don’t discard the date-soaking water; you can add it to your smoothies or overnight oats.
- Once the dried dates are nicely soaked, you can incorporate them into the recipe just like you would with fresh dates.
