If you are looking for an energy bar that is vegan, raw and refined sugar-free, you are in the right place. These Raw Nut & Cranberry Bars are simply delightful, not to mention that they take only 20 minutes to put together. Perfect to take to work to enjoy as a snack, or as a much-needed fuel for your endurance training!
We first fell in love with raw bars when we tried Nakd bars. And whilst the Peanut Butter Delight and Chocolate and Orange bars were always my favourite shop-bought bars, I always felt that they were missing one thing for me - a bit of texture! I was ready to rectify that as soon as I started making my own bars. I chop up half of the nuts into coarse crumbs and then another half is left in bigger chunks for a satisfying crunch.
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This recipe calls for two types of nuts: almonds and pecans. Whilst you can experiment with different nuts, I like to add a firmer type of nut as well as a buttery type for a full spectrum of textures and flavours. Shredded coconut adds another layer of texture too!
You may be tempted to skip the salt in these bars, and it may be right for you. However, I find date-based bars too sweet for my liking. And whilst adding tart cranberries balances the flavour a bit, I feel like a pinch of salt goes a long way to make them taste amazing!
How to Make Raw Nut & Cranberry Bars?
Place half of the almonds and half of the pecans in a food processor (we love Kenwood) and pulse to coarse crumbs. Then add the rest of the nuts and pulse a couple of times again. Adding some of the nuts later ensures you have some bigger chunks of nuts for texture. Tip the nuts into a large mixing bowl.
Add the pitted dates, dried cranberries, desiccated coconut, salt and coconut oil to the food processor and whizz until the mixture starts clumping together. If your dates are quite dry, you may need to add a tablespoon of water.
If your food processor is large enough, add back the nuts and pulse just enough to distribute the nuts. It will not work in a smaller food processor. In this case, add the date mixture into the bowl together with the nuts and knead with your hands as if you would a bread dough to combine.
Line a square 20x20cm (8x8 in) dish with baking parchment. Tip the mixture into the dish and firmly press down to even thickness, making sure you get the mixture into all four corners of the dish.
Place it in the fridge for 4 hours to firm up before slicing into bars. We slice it into 18 small bars, as they are quite calorific and filling.
You can wrap the bars individually and store them in the fridge for 4-5 days, or freeze and consume them within 4 months.
For other snack ideas, have a look at our favourite recipes below:
Raw Nut & Cranberry Bars
Equipment
- 20x20cm (8x8in) dish
Ingredients
- 290 g whole almonds
- 60 g pecan nuts
- 290 g dates
- 130 g dried cranberries
- 50 g desiccated coconut
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Instructions
- Place half of the almonds and half of the pecans in a food processor and pulse to coarse crumbs. Then add the rest of the nuts and pulse a couple of times again. Adding some of the nuts later ensures you have some bigger chunks of nuts for texture. Tip the nuts int oa large mixing bowl.
- Add the pitted dates, dried cranberries, desiccated coconut, salt and coconut oil to the food processor and whizz until the mixture starts clumping together. If your dates are quite dry, you may need to add a tablespoon of water.
- If your food processor is large enough, add back the nuts and pulse just enough to distribute the nuts. It will not work in a smaller food processor. In this case, add the date mixture into the bowl together with the nuts and knead with your hands as if you would a dough to combine.
- Line a square 20x20cm (8x8in) dish with baking parchment. Tip the mixture into the dish and firmly press down to even thickness, making sure you get the mixture into all four corners of the dish.
- Place in the fridge for 4 hours to firm up before slicing into bars.
- You can wrap the bars individually and store in the fridge for 4-5 days, or freeze and consume within 4 months.
Nutrition
VANESSA WASHINGTON says
I would like to try this recipe but where I live, dates are hard to find. What can I substitute?
Ieva Greber says
I must say, I have never tried these with anything with dates as a base, but my best guess is that you can substitute the dates with soft dried figs or prunes, using the same weight as the dates. Figs will give a slightly seedy texture and a mild honey-like flavour, while prunes will make the bars softer and a little fruitier. Let me know if you find a good substitute - would love to know!