Chewy, sweet, crunchy, and chocolaty – what’s not to love about these 3 Ingredient Date Nut Squares? Take the guesswork out of healthy snacking with the wholesome goodness of these lovely homemade treats!
We love dates! Correction: John.e and I love dates; McKenna, not so much. I can’t blame her though. I was the same way when I was her age. It wasn’t until my… ahem… 40s, that I began to appreciate the wonderful flavours of dried fruits and berries. Now, our pantry always had dates, figs, raisins, blueberries, cranberries, apricots, etc. They make a great snack and I bake with dried fruits and berries at least once per week.
For this recipe, you’ll need to use medjool dates. Medjool dates satisfies your sweet tooth while providing energy, vitamins and minerals needed to maintain overall health. Medjool dates have been cultivated for thousands of years for their sweet, rich flavor. They’re a type of fruit that grows on date palm trees in hot, dry climates such as the Middle East, Africa and California.
Dried fruit, such as medjool dates, contain more calories in a smaller volume than fresh fruit because a large amount of water has been removed, so be careful of your portion size because it’s easy to overeat these sweet fruits, which may lead to weight gain. However, they are a fat-free food, making them a good alternative to high-fat desserts.
Dates contain small amounts of almost every essential mineral j- potassium, manganese and copper, which are present at 8 to 10 percent of the daily value. And the vitamins which are present in dates include: vitamin B-6, niacin and pantothenic acid. These nutrients play a role in red blood cell production, energy metabolism, growth and development and skin health, the nervous system and the digestive system. Eating dates as part of a healthy, well-balanced diet helps you meet your daily requirements for these vitamins.
If those things are not reason enough to make a batch of these 3 Ingredient Date Nut Squares, maybe the health benefits from the nuts might convince you. I used a mixture of pecans, almonds, and walnuts. But, you can use all of one particular kind or mix them up even further.
When using medjool dates, take a minute of your time to sort through the dates before tossing them into your food processor. Sometimes, the dates will still have the pit intact and you’ll want to remove that. We really don’t need that much crunch! Ha! I’ll spare you the details of how I once placed dates in my food processor and hit the pulse button, shortly thereafter, smelling and seeing smoke from the processor’s motor. That’ll teach me to use my mini KitchenAid food processor instead of a full-sized version.
3 Ingredient Date Nut Squares are so simple to prepare, and delicious to eat. Once you’ve cut them into squares, place them in a container lined with parchment paper. Dates are extremely sticky! I layered mine in the container with parchment paper in between each layer. Keep them refrigerated and at eye level, because these babies are the perfect snack any time of the day!
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3 Ingredient Date Nut Squares
Ingredients
- 1 cup medjool dates, pits removed
- 1 1/2 cups nuts of choice, almonds, cashews, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, etc. 1 1/2 cups in total!
- 1 cup dark chocolate melting wafers
Instructions
- Line a 9x9 pan with parchment paper and set aside. (Ensure the parchment paper goes up the entire side of the pan with an excess amount over top. This will make for easy removal.)
- Add the dates and nuts to a food processor and pulse - do not over pulse - try to leave the dates a little chunky and the nuts as well.
- Spread the mixture evenly in the parchment lined pan and press down firmly to seal the ingredients together.
- Over a double boiler, melt the chocolate and pour over top the date and nut mixture. Smooth out the chocolate and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.
- Remove from fridge, allow pan to sit on a wooden cutting board for 5 minutes.
- Using the excess parchment paper, lift to remove the date nut squares from the pan.
- Use a sharp knife to cut into 12 slices.
- Keep refrigerated.
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“I come from a family where gravy is considered a beverage.” Erma Bombeck
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