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These homemade fruit and nut bars are a delicious healthy snack made with dried fruit, nuts, seeds, and chocolate. They are easy to make and perfect as a grab-and-go alternative to store-bought protein bars.
These chocolate-covered fruit and nut bars are wonderful pantry-friendly healthy snack bars that combine whole foods to make an appetizing gluten-free, vegan breakfast or snack. They are easy to prepare and customize, so you can use whatever you have in your pantry.
The whole family will love these delicious energy bars, which are great for breakfast or a pick-me-up snack. I sure do make them all the time, along with these healthy granola bars.
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Why you’ll love these bars
- Quick snack: These healthy bars are perfect as a grab-and-go breakfast, snack, or treat.
- Clean ingredients: You control what goes into this recipe. There is no added sugar or other “filler” ingredients similar to store-bought options.
- Customizable: You can choose the dried fruit, nuts, and seeds to fit your taste and what you have in your pantry. Plus, you can play around with the ingredients every time you make them, so you will never get bored of them.
- Healthy: These bars are naturally protein-rich, provide energy, and keep you satiated. They are also gluten-free, refined-sugar-free, and vegan – perfect for many dietary requirements.
Ingredients
- Dried fruit: I love adding dried soft barberries, apricots, and figs. You can add goji berries, cranberries, dates, dried cherries, raisins, etc.
- Raw nuts: My go-to is almonds, but walnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, etc., work, too. You can also add shredded coconut to the mix.
- Seeds: I use sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. You can also add chia seeds or your favorite options.
- Chocolate: I love using 100% dark chocolate, but you can choose your favorite.
How to make chocolate fruit and nut bars
Prepare the bars: Chop the almonds and the bigger dried fruit. I like my snack bars to be chunky, so I chop everything by hand. However, you can blend the ingredients if you want a chewier bar (this also helps the mixture become stickier as it blends).
Line a small baking pan with parchment paper (or use a silicone mold for individual bars). Then, add all the chopped nuts, fruit, and seeds. Mix the ingredients well in the tray, pressing the mixture together to form a sticky dough. Then, press down the mix with a flat object (or the bottom of a glass/cup). Press down as tightly as possible. Check the recipe video—I show how I pressed it down.
Everything needs to be as tightly packed as possible to hold its shape and stay together when chopped. Depending on the size of the tray, you can either spread the mixture throughout the whole tray or stack it all on one side if the bars are too thin.
By pressing down, the fruit will release some of its juice, and the mixture will become sticky. If it’s not sticking together, add 1-2 Medjool dates, nut butter, honey, maple syrup, or agave. This should help keep the base sticking together.
Coat the bars in chocolate: Once pressed into your tray/mold, freeze the mixture for 30 minutes. Once chilled, it will become easier to manage and can be cut easily into bars. In the meantime, prepare the chocolate by melting it in a double boiler or the microwave into short bursts.
Cut the bars into your desired size, then pour some chocolate over each bar. Set them aside until the chocolate hardens. It should be quick, as the bars were chilled in the freezer. The fruit and nut bars are now ready to enjoy or store for later.
Alternative coating options: Pour the melted chocolate over the uncut fruit and nut mix in the tray. Place the tray back in the freezer to set, then cut it into bars. You can also cut the bars into bars and dip them in the melted chocolate to coat them on all sides.
How to store
You can store the fruit and nut chocolate bars in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to two months. I usually separate my bars with parchment paper so they don’t stick together. Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge.
More healthy snack recipes
If you try these chocolate covered healthy fruit and nut bars, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d appreciate a recipe card rating and would love to see your recipe recreations—tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
Chocolate Fruit and Nut Bars
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup barberries dried, or goji berries or soft cranberries
- 3 dried apricots
- 2 dried figs
- 1/4 cup almonds raw
- 1 Tbsp raw sunflower seeds
- 1 Tbsp raw pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate to melt for coating
Instructions
- Chop the almonds, apricots, and figs into chunks or, if preferred, blend them to make chewier bars.
- Line a small baking tray with parchment paper. Alternatively, use a silicone mold for individual bars.
- Add the chopped nuts, fruit, and seeds and mix them well, pressing the mixture together to form a sticky dough.
- Press the mixture tightly with a flat object (or the bottom of a glass or cup)—everything needs to be as tightly packed as possible. Depending on the size of the tray, you can either spread the mixture throughout the whole tray or stack it all on one side if the bars are too thin.
- Place the tray in the freezer for 30. minutes – chilling the bars makes them easier to cut.
- In the meantime, melt the chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave into short bursts. Stir well until fully melted and smooth.
- Cut the bars into your desired size, then pour some chocolate over each bar. Set them aside until the chocolate hardens. The fruit and nut bars are ready to enjoy or store for later!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
