No-Bake Cinnamon Apple Date Bars

A simple blend of nuts, fruit and cinnamon make these bars my new snack go-to. No-Bake Cinnamon Apple Date Bars are naturally sweetened with dates and take just a few minutes to prepare – without heating up the oven!
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Sometimes a new recipe idea formulates in the back of my mind, and I jot it down. That’s what happened here. And after wayyyy too much time went by, other recipes, other ideas, other events… I finally tried it out. And GEEZ. WHY DID I PROCRASTINATE THIS ONE. Seriously forget any other snacks I’ve ever posted on here. This is the new star.

The idea sprouted from the first time I used dates to make a snack bar style item, in the amazing Nutty Espresso Bars from Paleo Scaleo. We made those a few times, and then a really sad series of events occurred: We ran out of the pitted Medjool dates; Trader’s Joes stopped selling pitted dates; I’m way too lazy to take the pits out of dates; I never made the bars again 🙁

UNTIL…

Costco to the rescue!

They started selling organic pitted Medjool dates. And I grabbed them without a thought.

The dried apples are from Trader Joe’s – just be careful not to buy the sweetened ones. I haven’t tried making these bars with fresh apples, but honestly I don’t even want to. Using the dried pre-sliced apples saves so many steps. Not to mention the taste is phenomenal and I just don’t think it can be messed with. Dates are so naturally sweet and sticky that absolutely no processed sugar is added to these babies!

A food processor is required for this recipe, so bust it out! Use the food processor to chop the nuts first, then add all the remaining ingredients except water. Pulse for a while until everything is pretty blended, then drizzle the water into the bowl of the processor and pulse a few more times. The mixture should start to stick together and easily hold when squeezed in your hand.

Finally, use some parchment paper to help flatten out the mixture in an 8×8 baking pan also lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then cut, and ta da!! The best snack bars you’ve ever made at home. No oven required!

Here’s How to Make the No-Bake Apple Cinnamon Bars (1 min 25 secs):

Other Recipes from Project Meal Plan:

• Meal Prep Chipotle Grilled Chicken with Seasoned Black Beans and Zucchini
• Creamy Avocado Mint Green Smoothie Recipe
• Veggie Packed Greek Yogurt Tuna Salad (No Mayo!)

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To make this recipe, I used:

Thank you so much for checking out the No-Bake Cinnamon Apple Date Bars! Do you use dates in any recipes? Let me know!! I’m looking for new ideas. Be sure to use #projectmealplan on social media if you make this recipe! And follow me on Pinterest for meal inspiration every single day.

– Danielle

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