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Healthy Chocolate Bars

Name: Healthy Chocolate Bars
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Healthy
Ingredients: 1 cup of dark chocolate chips; 1 tablespoon of coconut oil; 12 dates, pitted; 1/2 cup tahini; 1/2 cup almond butter; 1 tablespoon ground flax; 1 cup chopped hazelnuts; 1/2 cup chia seeds; 1 teaspoon vanilla

Happy January! As most of us are still trying to recover from the chaos of the holidays and set positive, healthy goals for the new year, I am so excited to share these delicious, healthy chocolate bars to add a little sweetness to your day and keep you on track with your healthy goals! I am absolutely obsessed with these chocolate bars right now. They are the perfect cure for a healthy dessert or a sweet afternoon pick-me-up, plus they are LOADED with protein, fiber, and omega 3. Who says eating healthy is boring? This easy dessert recipe is incredibly flavorful, requires no baking, and can be whipped up in about 15 minutes. You can see why it has quickly become my go-to dessert!

Protein Packed Deliciousness

These healthy chocolate bars are loaded with nuts and seeds—almond butter, tahini, ground flax seed, hazelnuts, and chia seeds. The base layer is literally a delicious gooey blend of nuts, seeds, and smashed dates to add a little sweetness. Think of it as a homemade energy bar, the real deal—without the added sugar and highly processed ingredients of course. Plus this healthy chocolate bar recipe is really flexible, you can experiment and use your favorite nut butter, nuts, and seeds combo. There is no right way. I’ve been experimenting with these bars for the past couple weeks trying different nut combos, even adding hemp seeds at one point. This version has been voted the family favorite!

No-Baking Required

One of the many reason why I love these healthy chocolate bars is because they don’t require baking. This makes prepping these speedy quick, plus they are great in the summer when you want a sweet treat but don’t want to turn the oven on and heat up the house. Even though these don’t need baking, they are still a decedent rich dessert. I love using a really dark chocolate chip for the top. The chocolate chips and dates add just the right amount of sweetness, but not too much. Plus I love the crunchy texture the chia seed adds.

What Kind of Dates?

In stores you can usually find both medjool and deglet dates, and either type will work just fine in this recipe. Medjool dates tend to be a little larger and softer and I personally prefer their flavor best, but I’ll gladly eat both. I absolutely love dates. I often buy dates at Costco because we go through them so fast, but these tend to be a little on the dry side. You can definitely use them in this recipe just make sure to give them a good soak in hot water before hand. I’ve added this step into the recipe instructions, because more often than not dates are a little dry here in the U.S. Here’s a link to my favorite dates, you can usually find them at any Whole Foods. Fun fact, did you know dates can shorten the length of labor?

Not All Sweets Are Created Equal

I am human, sometimes in the evening I just have a little sweet tooth, I don’t want to bake a cake or anything fancy, or worse dive into some junk food. I can feel pretty good about myself after eating one of these healthy chocolate bars. Packed with nut butters, nuts, chia seed, and flax seed these morsels of deliciousness are packed with protein, fiber, plant based omega 3. There is no added sugar in these bars, besides what is in the chocolate chips. Most of the sweetness is from the natural sugars in the dates. Even though dates are sweet, they are a low-glycemic food, so no sugar crash after this tasty snack! It cures my sweet tooth, but is about as healthy as it gets for dessert. Eating healthy doesn’t mean you can’t have a sweet every now and then, its all about eating real whole foods that fuel your body, not just filling it with empty carbs and sugar. Looking for other deliciously healthy sweet treats? Check out my other healthy sweets recipes.

How to Make Healthy Chocolate Bars

This recipe is super easy, seven simple steps and your done! They do need to chill for about 45 minutes though. I like to make these while I’m prepping dinner, then they are pretty much ready for eating by the time we are finishing up.

Soften the Dates

First, soak the dates in boiling hot water to soften them. I like to heat up water in my electric kettle and just pour a couple cups of it in a bowl with my pitted dates. I let this sit for about 10 minutes and then I use a strainer to remove the water. Add the dates back to the bowl and smash them using a fork. You’re trying to get smooth date paste, but it’s okay if it’s a little chunky.

Prep the Chocolate

Healthy chocolate bars While the dates are soaking, prep the chocolate. Setup a saucepan with a double boiler. Fill the saucepan about 1/3 full of water and place the double boiler on top. Kick the heat up to medium. The double boiler does not need to be touching the water, the idea here is to warm the chocolate with steam. Add the chocolate chips and the coconut oil to the double boiler. Don’t let the water get to a boil, you don’t want it to splash into your chocolate.

Add the Remaining Ingredients

Healthy chocolate bars Pivot back to your bowl of dates. Once the dates are smashed up, add the remaining ingredients to the bowl: tahini, almond butter, flax seed, chia seeds, chopped hazelnuts and vanilla. Mix everything together with a spatula. Then cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of a baking dish, approximately 9×12″. Place the parchment in the bottom of the dish and then add the gooey nut butter mixture to the dish. Press the mixture into the dish with your hands to create an even layer.

Finish with Melted Chocolate

Check on the double boiler. Give the chocolate mixture a stir to fully incorporate the coconut oil. If the chocolate chips are fully melted, pour the chocolate over the gooey nut butter layer. Use a spatula to move the chocolate around and get an even coat. Don’t forget to lick the chocolate spatula, chef always gets the first taste! Finally, put the dish in the freezer for approximately 45 minutes, or until the chocolate has hardened up again. Cut the bars into bite size little snacks and serve. Yum!