Chopping the almonds and the bigger dried fruit. I like my snack bars to be quite 'chunky' so I hand chop everything. However, you can blend the items together if you want a chewier bar (this also helps the mixture become stickier, as they blend).
Line a small baking tray with parchment paper. Then add all the chopped nuts, fruit and seeds in it.
Mix the ingredients well in the tray or alternatively add these to a large bowl and mix with your hands, pressing the mixture together to form a sticky kind of 'dough'.
Press down the mixture 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 so it holds its shape and stays together when chopped.*
Depending on the size of the tray, you can either spread the mixture throughout the whole tray, or you can stack it all on one side, if you find the bars are too thin otherwise. **
Once pressed into your mould, freeze the mixture for 30 minutes. Once chilled it will become easier to manage and can be cut easily into bars.
Melt the chocolate over a double boiler then cover each bar with chocolate. ***
Set aside till the chocolate hardens. It should be pretty quick as the bars were chilled in the freezer.
How to store the bars:
You can store the fruit and nut chocolate bars in the fridge for up to a week, or the freezer for up to two months. I usually separate my bars with a bit of parchment paper, so they don't stick together and keep in an airtight container in the fridge.
Video
Notes
Note: Remember these ingredients are just suggestions and you can swap out the fruits, nuts/seeds and even chocolate choice according to what you'd prefer. Just stick to the same ratio of fruit vs nuts so the bars stick together.* By pressing down, the fruit will release some of their juice and the mixture will become sticky. If it’s not sticking together, you can add 1-2 Medjool dates, a bit of nut butter or some honey (or another natural sweetener like maple syrup or agave). This should help keep the fruit and nut base stick together.** You can also use a silicone mould with individual 'bars'*** You could also pour the chocolate directly over the fruit/nut mix in their tray/mould and then place back in the freezer to set before cutting into bars. Note: The total time does not include the chilling time.