This recipe is one of my favorite “treats” to make. It’s one of those sweet treats that I don’t feel guilty for indulging in.
What do I love about these?
- Lots of protein in the nuts & seeds which means its not only delicious but filling
- Just enough sweetness to cure a sweet tooth craving
- Easy to make, and I generally have everything I need on hand
- The recipe is flexible so that if you’re out of one nut or seed you can generally sub another (no pecans? try cashews, walnuts, or macadamias…or more almonds!)
You can make them without the chocolate on top – though I never like to recommend such things. 😉 But leaving off the chocolate is a nice way to cut back the sugar and make this a great protein type bar. You may find that with leaving the chocolate off that you want to add a touch more honey. Play with it and see what works for your taste buds.
I’m listing the basic recipe here and in the notes, I’m listing some substitution ideas as well as some that may work but I haven’t tried yet. Experiment with it and enjoy!
Chocolate Covered Nut Bars
Ingredients
- 1½ cup almonds I use raw, but roasted should work
- 1 cup pecans
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- ½ cup almond or sunflower seed butter natural, unsweetened
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick, melted
- 1.5 T honey
- 1 T vanilla6 oz dark chocolate about 1 c
- 1 T butter
Instructions
- Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper.
- Combine the nuts, seeds, salt & nut butter in a food processor and process until it is finely chopped (about 20 seconds). Add in your melted butter, honey, and vanilla; continue to process until completely combined and starts to stick together in a ball.
- Dump the dough into your lined dish and pat into place using your hand or a spoon. Chill in the freezer for about 20 minutes. While it chills, melt the dark chocolate together over low heat. I have also microwaved it in a glass dish at short 5-10 sec intervals until it is almost completely melted. Remove from heat and stir to finish the melting process.
- Pour the chocolate over the bars and spread out. Chill in the freezer again until the chocolate is firm – I normally give it a good 30 min to make sure the bars are nice and firm. Remove from the freezer and use the edges of the parchment to lift it out of the pan. Using a sharp knife, cut into bars. I find that it works best to initially use a “saw” motion across the top of the chocolate to work through the chocolate without breaking it. I normally cut mine 6×6 but do whatever your heart tells you is right. Store in a sealed container in the fridge.
Notes
Recipe modifications/substitutions:
Coconut oil can be used instead of butter.
Other nuts (cashews, walnuts, macadamia, etc) can be used for the nuts. Though I do recommend using at least 1 c almonds.
While I haven’t tried it, I’m guessing pepitas and shredded coconut would be a nice addition/substitution for some of the nuts/seeds. Just make sure you keep enough nuts as too much coconut might not be enough to make it stick together.
You can also sub natural peanut butter for the nut butter if you eat peanuts (they are not paleo).
Coconut oil can be used instead of butter.
Other nuts (cashews, walnuts, macadamia, etc) can be used for the nuts. Though I do recommend using at least 1 c almonds.
While I haven’t tried it, I’m guessing pepitas and shredded coconut would be a nice addition/substitution for some of the nuts/seeds. Just make sure you keep enough nuts as too much coconut might not be enough to make it stick together.
You can also sub natural peanut butter for the nut butter if you eat peanuts (they are not paleo).
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