Fruits and Nuts: A Paleo Dessert Bar

I love this recipe because it is so versatile and easily adaptable to each individual’s taste. The basis of the recipe is chopped nuts and dried fruit, and you can use whatever you have on hand, or whatever you think sounds tasty.

2 cups mixed nuts (I used almonds, walnuts, and macadamias)                                              
¾ cup dried fruit (I used cherries)     
½ cup nut butter                                                                                                                                   ¼ cup coconut oil                                                                                                                            Scant ¼ cup honey

Rough chop nuts in food processor. Mix with fruit. Heat honey, coconut oil, and nut butter in a saucepan. Mix the liquid with the chopped nuts and fruit, press into 8×8 parchment lined pan, put in your fridge to set, then cut into squares and enjoy. Super easy, and super tasty! Just be careful; these are so tasty, and so calorie-dense, that it is very easy to overdose. (I speak from experience.) If you do happen to have any leftovers, though, remember to store them in the fridge – these bars can get awfully gooey and messy if left at room temperature for very long.

There are so many possibilities for variations. For the fruit you could use raisins, dried cranberries, dates, dried apricots, you name it. The nut butter could be almond butter, macadamia nut butter, or hazelnut butter. And throw in whatever sorts of nuts you like; pecans or hazelnuts could be very tasty. I think that a tropical variation could be amazing: macadamia nuts and maybe some unsweetened flaked coconut for the nut portion, then a tropical fruit like chopped dried mango, pineapple, or apricots, and macadamia nut or coconut butter. Use your imagination, try something new and different, use this as an opportunity to clean out your pantry!

I am sharing this recipe at the Hearth and Soul blog hop, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays, Gluten Free Wednesdays, and Wandering Wednesdays.