This is one of those recipes where the sum of its parts is much greater than the individual ingredients. That said, the ingredients themselves are pretty darn good.
These Date Snickers Bars can be a healthy snack, or a great dessert. I often have one (and sometimes two) as a nice sweet treat after dinner. They really hit the spot if you have a sugar craving, and I love that they’re made with simple ingredients. These disappear very quickly in our house.
When you roll the dates between parchment, try your best to get a seamless layer of dates. I always end up using an extra date or two, cut into small pieces, to fill any small gaps. After I add the peanut butter, I put the pan in the freezer for 10 minutes or so, to allow the peanut butter to harden a bit. That makes it easier to spread the melted chocolate on top, keeping distinct layers. Once you spread the chocolate on, sprinkle the tops of the bars with the peanuts and salt quickly because if you let the chocolate harden (and it will want to harden fairly quickly, being on top of very cold peanut butter), the nuts and salt won’t stick.
I buy a lot of dates these days! For this recipe, the best are pitted Medjool dates, and I use dark chocolate chips as the chocolate layer. I also use natural creamy peanut butter with no additives.
Date Snickers Bars
Recipe from Natasha’s KitchenIngredients
- 20 Medjool dates, pitted
- 3/4 cup dark or semisweet chocolate chips
- 2/3 cup natural creamy peanut butter, stirred
- 1/2 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 tsp Malden sea salt, or more to taste
Instructions
Flatten the dates: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pit the dates (if they’re not already pitted) and open them so the sticky centers are facing up. Arrange the dates side by side on the parchment paper to form a rough rectangle shape. Cover with a second sheet of parchment paper and use a rolling pin to press the dates into an even layer, ensuring all spaces are filled.
Spread the peanut butter: Remove the top layer of parchment paper and spread the peanut butter evenly over the dates. Put this in the freezer for about 10 minutes so the peanut butter layer firms up a bit. It will make spreading the chocolate easier.
Melt the chocolate: In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate until melted. Stir the chocolate every 30 seconds; it usually takes 60 to 90 seconds to fully melt.
Drizzle the melted chocolate over the peanut butter, then use a spoon or offset spatula to spread it into an even layer over the peanut butter.
As soon as the chocolate is spread, sprinkle chopped peanuts and the salt over the melted chocolate and gently press them into the chocolate.
Refrigerate the bar uncovered until the chocolate is firm, about 1 hour. Alternatively, you can freeze it for 30 minutes. Once the bark is set, use a knife to cut it into Snickers-sized bars.
