Does the thought of baking scare you? Well, this fool-proof recipe is for anyone and everyone, requires no baking and tastes brilliant!
One of my most popular recipes on the blog is my Macadamia and Coconut Protein Balls recipe and I think that is mainly because it’s so easy make, but also nutritious and pretty darn delicious to boot – reader’s after my own heart! I do love the simple things in life when it comes to my food and tend to cook with everyday ingredients that everyone will have in their store cupboard. Obviously, I love to bake, but sometimes the measuring and mixing, let alone the mess and washing up can be a little off-putting. Well, this recent recipe (inspired by Emily) is done and dusted in a matter of minutes and is gentle on the washing up…all you need is a food processor and a baking tray!
Still not convinced by how easy these are to make? Check out the recipe below, it’s a simple throw everything and whizz up affair – my favourite kind of stress-free cooking!
- 300 g pitted dates
- 125 g chopped hazelnuts
- 4 tbsp oats
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 3 tbsp unsweetened coconut
- 3 tbsp chia seeds
- 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
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Pulse the dates in a blender or food processor until well chopped. Add in all of the other ingredients and mix together in a blender until a crumbly mixture appears to form. Spoon out the mixture into a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and spread evenly with a back of a spoon. Once nice and smooth, pop the baking tray in the freezer for 1 hour or more until the bars have firmed up.
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Portion in to roughly 8 bars and serve.
These are best stored in the fridge or freezer so that they remain firm.
There are no added sugars in these bars, all of the sweetness is entirely natural, coming from the dates. Of course, the cocoa powder adds a bit of an indulgent taste, but it is really optional and wouldn’t affect the taste of the if it were to be left out. I love the slight crunch that the coconut and chia seeds bring, let alone the nutritional advantages such as healthy fats from the coconut and omega-3 fats, fibre and protein from the chia seeds. The oats are a hearty addition to make them more satisfying on the go and the coconut oil is another source of healthy fats, which is helping to hold everything together.
Other than a green smoothie, I think these are the most easiest form of snack that I have made so far. Although they don’t contain any protein powder, they still pack a punch in keeping you going in between meals, boy I made sure that was a priority when I was creating the recipe. There is nothing worse than eating a snack bar that doesn’t fulfill your cravings and leaves you hungry an hour later – a story that is far from the truth with theses tasty treats! Happy no baking lovely people! =)
Remember to check out my recipe page for more healthy snack bar ideas and share any on Pinterest that you may like.
Does the thought of baking frighten you? Do you prefer to make you own healthy snacks? What is your favourite go to snack bar?
You are right is an easy no fuss baking lol, love it. I am all for simplistic cooking x
They sound lovely. I think when it is hot like this no bake is the way forward too!
Where do you get your shredded coconut from? I can only ever find dessicated.
Thanks Maria! I always get my shredded coconut from Sainsbury’s – it’s either down the baking aisle or with the dried fruits etc. 🙂
Ooh! I’ve been looking for a no-bake bar to take on the commute to a new job this week – this looks great!
These look healthy and delicious I have chia seeds so will try this.
Thank you Nayna! 🙂
These look lovely and very dense and fudgy! I like the added nutritional benefit too. 🙂
Thanks Dana! 🙂
I really need to get on the no-bake wagon. These look fab.
I highly recommend it. 🙂
I make bars like these every week, I just whack whatever is on hand in the food processor and see what comes out. Actually my batch last week were very similar to this with coconut and hazelnuts featuring. I tend to use more oats and less dates though.
I love the surprise of just throwing everything in at once and not knowing what you are going to get.
Yum, I love raw bars like this, super simple and super tasty!
I totally agree, simple is best! 🙂
Ooh I could make these, I have all the ingredients at home. They look amazing, kinda similar to Nakd bars.
They are very similar, thanks Lucy. 🙂
Yum! The hazelnuts & chocolate must give a great nutella-ish flavour 🙂
They really do! 🙂
I am such a terrible baker. I think it’s because I’m quite ‘slap-dash’ in the kitchen with my cooking. I vaguely follow recipes, and this doesn’t quite work with baking.
These look great. Probably not something I’d eat personally but I know my hubby would love them.
I think the perfect no bake recipe to your liking would suit you down to the ground Anna, but I’m sure you’re a great baker. 🙂
These look delicious!
Thank you! 🙂
These look amazing Jemma, I love seeing no bake recipes as they are so much nicer to make in summer – the last thing I want to do is put the oven on when it is hot!
Thanks Claire, yes no bake is perfect for the hot weather. 🙂
Chia seeds are the ‘in’ ingredient at the moment, it seems like everyone’s using them!
I do enjoy baking and making real meals, it’s always so much more satisfying and I always think home-made tastes nicer.
These look really, really good. I am always looking for new ways to use chia seeds, so I will be definitely giving these a go 🙂
I made these today! Can’t wait for the hour in the fridge to be over – I wanna eat them! 🙂
Yay! Hope that you like them. 🙂