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Dark Chocolate Pistachio Bars are naturally sweetened and filled with good-for-you ingredients! Plus they are simple to make and adapt!
Hey everyone! It’s Chelsea back from Chelsea’s Messy Apron.
These are SUCH a great snack to keep you on track with healthy eating! They are so delicious you won’t be missing all those sweets from the holidays because these taste like a dessert! And…the chocolate topping doesn’t hurt that 🙂
One of my favorite all-time snacks is a Chewy Dipps bar. But those are basically glorified candy bars…SO enter these. These bars are naturally sweetened and filled with good-for-you ingredients! Plus they are simple to make and adapt! If you aren’t a pistachio fan, you can switch them out for any nut. And you could also add a different type of chocolate such as milk chocolate or semi-sweet. If you change the chocolate to milk or semi-sweet, they won’t be as healthy as dark chocolate, but still a lot better than a store-bought granola bar!
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Dark Chocolate Pistachio Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup packed pitted dates
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup quick 1-minute oats
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- ¾ cup shelled and chopped pistachios
- ½ cup miniature dark chocolate chips
Granola Bar Topping
- 1 cup dark or milk chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
Instructions
- Line an 8x8-inch pan with parchment paper or foil with an overhang for easy removal. Don't spray with cooking spray as it makes these greasy. Set aside.
- In a small blender jar or a food processor, pulse the 1 cup packed pitted dates to create a very thick and sticky paste. (If your dates aren't moist, soak in warm water and then drain and dry very well) Scoop out the date paste and place it in a bowl.
- Slightly warm up the ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter and ⅓ cup pure maple syrup in a large bowl in the microwave for 15-20 seconds. Add the date paste to the bowl and stir well. Add in the 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Stir in the ½ cup quick 1-minute oats and the 1 cup old-fashioned oats. Add in the ¾ cup shelled and chopped pistachios and ¾ cup shelled and chopped pistachios. Knead with your hands to get it all well mixed.
- Press the mixture into the prepared baking pan and set aside while assembling the melted chocolate.
Granola Bar Topping
- In a large microwave-safe bowl combine the 1 cup dark or milk chocolate chips and 2 teaspoons coconut oil (measured when the oil is in a hardened state).
- Microwave in 15-second increments stirring between each increment until melted.
- Pour the chocolate evenly over the bars and tilt the pan around to move the chocolate in an even layer on top.
- Cover the chocolate-coated bars and place them in the fridge until they are set. Remove from the pan and cut into bars and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What is granola bar topping?
Why the mix of quick oats and old-fashioned?
That moving photo is so fun!! These bars look especially tasty and pretty darn healthy. I might just have to make them today.