Homemade Cashew, Date, Chia & Cacao Snack Bars -Here’s a few I made earlier

As I spend a lot of my time out about for work and therefore having no choice but to eat on-the-go I am always looking out for portable snacks. If I can make them myself then that’s all the better and usually cheaper too.

One of my current favourites is these Cashew, Date, Chia & Cacao Bars. I had a look at one of my favourite shop bought brands recently and decided to have a go at making my own. The result was a success! The joy of this is you can play with your own ingredient combinations (I’ve tried versions using coconut, linseeds and hemp protein, for instance). I use a high-speed blender to make mine, but a good food processor should also work though would take slightly longer.

Ingredients:
(Makes about 8 bars)
1 cup pitted dates
1 cup cashews
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup chia seeds
¼ cup cacao powder
¼ cup water*

(*NB – you may want to add more water as you go, depending on your desired consistency for your bars but I’ve found it is best to start with less to avoid a soggy mix that won’t hold together!)

Getting the ingredients together

Method:

Add all the ingredients to your blender – I chopped my dates beforehand and pulsed in the blender a few times to break up the nuts and dates a bit more.

Blend until all the ingredients have combined and formed into a ball. (Gauge whether you want to add more water or not as you go along.)

Place your blended ball onto a sheet of greaseproof paper (large enough to wrap). Shape and press into a big square.

Wrap your square up and put in the fridge for 1 hour (minimum).

Cut into bars – I wrap mine individually and store in the fridge, ready to eat!

Enjoy