American · dessert, snack

Dark Chocolate Walnut Date Bars

Name: Dark Chocolate Walnut Date Bars
Total time: 165 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1½ cups walnuts; 2 cups chopped pitted dates; ¼ cup natural peanut butter; 2 tsp vanilla extract; ¼ tsp kosher salt; 4 oz (113 g) dark chocolate, melted; 1 tbsp unrefined coconut oil, plus a little for brushing the pan; ¼ cup chopped walnuts, for the top; a sprinkle of flaky sea salt

Dark Chocolate Walnut Date Bars — from Everyday Food's cooking video

Watch how it’s made · 6:56

Video by Everyday Food on YouTube · Open on YouTube

165 minServes 16210 kcal a serve

Vegan
Gluten-free ingredients

Contains: Peanut, Tree nuts. Check labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes.

Sweetened by dates, so each bar has under 2 g of added sugar (from the dark chocolate), and walnuts add plant omega-3 and fibre. They are rich, so one small bar is a serve.

Printable PDFA4

The printable card is ink-friendly, fits on one page and has a QR code back to this recipe.

Ingredients 9

1½ cups walnuts
2 cups chopped pitted dates
¼ cup natural peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp kosher salt
4 oz (113 g) dark chocolate, melted
1 tbsp unrefined coconut oil, plus a little for brushing the pan
¼ cup chopped walnuts, for the top
a sprinkle of flaky sea salt

Method

Tap a time to watch that step in the video.

Pulse the walnuts, dates, peanut butter, vanilla and kosher salt in a food processor for about a minute, until the mixture clumps around the blade. 0:12
Tip onto a lined tray and press into an even 20 cm (8-inch) square. Chill for about 20 minutes. 1:29
Cut the square down the middle into two 20 × 10 cm (8 × 4 inch) pieces. Brush a loaf tin with coconut oil, line it with baking paper and press one piece into the base. 2:51
Melt the chocolate with the coconut oil. Spread half over the first layer and chill for 10 minutes. 3:28
Lay the second date layer on top, spread over the rest of the chocolate, then scatter with chopped walnuts and a little flaky salt. 4:07
Chill for about 2 hours until very firm, then lift out and cut into small bars. 5:06

Tip. Makes about 16 small bars (our estimate; the cook cuts them into fingers or squares). Time includes about 2½ hours chilling. Keep them in the fridge.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.

One serve gives you 1 of 16

Energy210 kcal880 kJ

Protein3.8 g8% of a day

Fibre3.1 g11% of a day

Carbohydrate20 g17 g net · 15 g sugars7% of a day

Fat14 g3.6 g saturated18% of a day

Sodium50 mg2% of a day

Where the energy comes from one serve

Net carbs 33%
Protein 7%
Fat 60%

For comparison, low-carb eating usually gets under 26% of its energy from carbs, and ketogenic eating under 10%. Why this is here

Vitamins & minerals % of a day, one serve · tap for more

Omega-3 High73%

1.2 g a serve, mostly from walnuts (85%). Omega-3 fats support the heart and brain. Oily fish give EPA and DHA; walnuts, flax, chia and canola give ALA, which the body converts only a little.

Magnesium Source13%

53 mg a serve, mostly from walnuts (33%). Takes part in hundreds of reactions — energy, muscles, nerves, blood sugar and bones. Nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains are good sources.

Show the other 13

Iron8%

1.5 mg a serve, mostly from dark chocolate (58%). Carries oxygen in your blood. Iron from plants absorbs better with vitamin C in the same meal — lemon, tomato or capsicum.

Vitamin B68%

0.1 mg a serve, mostly from walnuts (44%). Helps turn food into energy and make brain messengers. Chickpeas, fish, poultry, potatoes and bananas are good sources.

Zinc7%

0.8 mg a serve, mostly from walnuts (41%). Needed for immunity, wound healing, taste and growth. Meat, seafood, legumes, seeds and whole grains supply it.

Potassium6%

260 mg a serve, mostly from pitted dates (49%). Balances sodium to help control blood pressure and keeps muscles and nerves working. Beans, potatoes, leafy greens and fruit are rich sources.

Folate5%

18 µg a serve, mostly from walnuts (59%). Needed to make DNA and new cells — especially important before and in early pregnancy. Legumes and leafy greens are rich sources.

Vitamin E3%

0.5 mg a serve, mostly from natural peanut butter (73%). An antioxidant that protects cell membranes. Nuts, seeds and plant oils such as olive oil are the main sources.

Calcium2%

31 mg a serve, mostly from pitted dates (38%). Builds bones and teeth and helps muscles and nerves work. Dairy, calcium-set tofu, sardines with their bones and some greens supply it.

Selenium2%

1.3 µg a serve, mostly from walnuts (40%). Part of the body's antioxidant enzymes and needed for thyroid hormones. Seafood, eggs, meat and Brazil nuts are rich sources.

Vitamin K1%

1.4 µg a serve, mostly from dark chocolate (37%). Needed for blood clotting and bones. Leafy greens and herbs are very rich in it. If you take warfarin, keep your intake steady and talk to your doctor.

Vitamin B121%

0 µg a serve, mostly from dark chocolate (100%). Keeps nerves and blood cells healthy. Found almost only in animal foods and fortified foods (some plant milks, nutritional yeast), so vegans need a reliable source.

Vitamin A0%

1.6 µg a serve, mostly from pitted dates (83%). Keeps eyes, skin and the immune system healthy. Orange vegetables and dark greens give beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A.

Vitamin C0%

0.2 mg a serve, mostly from walnuts (85%). An antioxidant needed for collagen, immunity and iron absorption. Long cooking destroys some, so raw herbs, citrus and capsicum help.

Vitamin D0%

0 µg a serve. Helps you absorb calcium for bones and supports muscles. Few foods have much — oily fish, eggs, UV-exposed mushrooms, fortified milks. Sunlight is the main source.

Estimated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central values; % of a day uses the food-label daily values. How this works

Browse all 953 recipes

Recipe and video by Everyday Food; the method summary, nutrition estimate and diet notes are Notbroken’s. General information about food, not dietary advice.