Raw. Vegan. Vegetarian. Gluten free. Grain free. Nut free. Dairy free. Egg free. Soy free. Refined sugar free. Delicious. These nut-free chocolate chip Lara Bar–style bars satisfy your sweet tooth without refined sugar while delivering fiber and a boost of protein.
Happy Recipe Redux Day! This is only my second month participating in this wonderful community, and I’m genuinely excited to share a spring-inspired snack. The April theme is SPRING CLEANING, and I’ve been slowly working through my apartment—purging closets, sorting papers, and generally clearing space.
My pantry, however, doesn’t need much cleaning. Living in a small NYC kitchen means I keep pantry staples to a minimum and shop frequently. That said, I wanted to use up and celebrate an ingredient I always keep on hand: seeds.
I love sprinkling seeds on everything and making seed crackers, but I’d been meaning to create a nut-free energy bar for people who avoid nuts. These bars use seeds and seed butter as the base, plus dates for natural sweetness and a handful of chocolate chips for texture and flavor.
The method is simple and quick. Process dates until they form a sticky paste, add a mix of seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, chia, or hemp work well), stir in seed butter, and fold in chocolate chips. You can pulse the seeds to your preferred texture—leaving some whole adds pleasant crunch and increases satiety.
Once the mixture comes together, press it firmly into a pan (a loaf pan works well) and smooth the top with a sheet of wax paper. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes to set, then slice into bars. They store well in the fridge and make a convenient grab-and-go snack.
These bars are raw, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, and naturally sweetened. They’re ideal for nut-allergy-friendly households, anyone avoiding refined sugar, or anyone who wants a wholesome treat that keeps energy steady between meals.
Chew this.
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What’s on your spring cleaning to-do list?
Happy Tuesday!
XO