Vegan Chocolate, Date & Almond Bars

Preparation

1. Preheat an oven to 350 F and line an 8 inch loaf pan with parchment paper
2. In a bowl, combine almond flour, maple syrup, and coconut oil until a dough forms. Press the dough evenly in the loaf pan. Bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden around the outside. Let cool.
3. Pour the water over the dates and let sit for 5 minutes. Blend the water and dates together until smooth.
4. Spread the date paste on the almond crust in an even layer. Chill in freezer.
5. Meanwhile, melt chocolate in a microwave on 50% power, stirring occasionally, or double boiler. Once the chocolate in melted, pour it over the date paste, spread evenly and return to freezer to set.
6. Cut the bars into desired size when they chocolate is set and the date paste has hardened into a caramel texture.

Lauren Miller, Drexel Food Lab

Ann's Tips and Tricks

We recommend using bittersweet dark chocolate chips as they are quick and easy, but you can also use block cooking chocolate if you prefer it.