Date Bars With Chocolate & Tahini
These date bars with creamy tahini and dark chocolate are a rich, indulgent treat that requires no gluten, processed sugar, or time in the oven. Budget a couple of hours to freeze these not-too-sweet treats and you’ll have an afternoon pick-me-up at the ready.
Ingredients
- ▢ 40 large Medjool dates about 2 pounds, pitted
- ▢ ½ cup tahini
- ▢ 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
- ▢ 1 ½ cups dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Prepare the dish: Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper, making sure to have a good bit of overhang on the sides.
- Turn the dates into paste: Add the pitted dates to the bowl of a large food processor fitted with the S blade. Process on high briefly until the dates turn into a thick paste, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Assemble: Transfer the date paste to the baking dish. Using wet hands, spread the paste evenly across the bottom of the dish. Spread the tahini evenly on top of the date layer using the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the chopped walnuts evenly on top.
- Freeze: Freeze until the layers have hardened, about 2 hours (or overnight).
- Melt the chocolate: When the layers have fully hardened, make a double boiler. In a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat, bring a few inches of water to a simmer. Place the chocolate chips in a heat-safe bowl. When the water begins to simmer, place the bowl of chocolate chips on top. The bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. As the chocolate begins to melt, stir continuously, scraping the sides of the bowl until the chocolate is fully melted. Remove the bowl from the heat and set aside.
- Cut the date bars: Remove the date and tahini layer from the freezer. Holding the parchment overhang on opposite sides, pull it out of the pan and set on a large cutting board. Remove the parchment. Now, using a good knife or a bench scraper, slice in half from top to bottom. Slice each half in half to make six even pieces. Turn and slice each piece into six even portions to make 36 bars.
- Coat the date bars in chocolate: Arrange the bars on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle the chocolate over the top. It’s okay if the chocolate does not fully cover each bar entirely.
- Freeze again: Stick the tray of chocolate
Notes
- You can store these date bars in your freezer. Assemble in a container, tightly seal, and freeze for up to two months. Thaw a few bars at a time overnight in your fridge.
- Opt for a super smooth tahini for better texture. The smoothest, creamiest tahini I’ve found in the states is Soom, but any smooth variety you find will work well.