Maple Pecan Date Bars
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Medjool dates pitted
- 1 cup toasted pecans chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
- 1/2 teaspoon maple extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
Line 8-inch square dish
- Line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper.Spray paper with cooking spray.We like to leave little tabs on two sides of the parchment paper for taking the bars out of the baking dish.See the photo below.
Toast the Pecans:
- Preheat oven to 350 F.Place pecans on a baking sheet and bake for about 8-10 minutes, just until beginning to brown.They will smell fantastically aromatic as they are toasting. Keep an eye on them, because you can burn pecans in the blink of an eye!Remove from oven when toasted and cool.Once cooled, finely chop. Set aside.
Puree the Dates:
- Remove all pits from the dates. If you buy pitted dates, just be sure to check that there are no stragglers in there!
- Make sure all of the pits are removed from the dates, or buy pitted dates. (If using pitted dates, I always like to check to make sure they’ve all been pitted before putting them in the food processor because inevitably there is a straggler.)
- Place pitted dates in the bowl of your food processor.Process into a chunky paste.If there are some chunks left, no problem, they will easily incorporate into the bars.
- Remove puréed dates to a mixing bowl.Stir in the toasted, chopped pecans, salt, maple extract, and lemon juice.Mix well. The mixture will be sticky.
Turn Mixture into Prepared Dish
- Turn the mixture into the prepared baking dish and press down with your fingers or a flat spatula so that the entire dish is covered with about ¼-inch of the date mixture.If using your fingers, you may need to coat them with a little oil to keep the mixture from sticking to them.
- Refrigerate until firm.Cut into rectangles or squares and wrap each in parchment paper or plastic wrap until ready to eat.
- These bars store well for a few weeks in the refrigerator.