Adapted from Inspired Edibles
Makes about 8 bars or 16 squares
1 cup raw almonds or any nut of choice
1/2 cup dried, pitted dates, that have soaked in boiling water for 2 minutes to soften (you can substitute dried cherries or figs)
1/3 cup walnut butter or nut butter of choice
3 tablespoons chia seeds
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon honey or pure maple syrup
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Note: To make walnut butter or any nut butter you simply process nuts until they form a ball in the food processor. Here is a detailed recipe for Walnut Butter.
Place almonds in blender or food processor and blend for about 30 seconds or until nuts are fairly well ground. Add drained dates, walnut butter, 2 tablespoons of chia seeds, vanilla and honey/maple syrup blending until the entire mixture is well combined.
Important: You want to make sure that the mixture is sticky - if it is too dry, add a touch more nut butter. If the mixture is too wet, add more dry nuts/seeds.
Place a piece of wax or parchment paper into an 8" x 4 loaf pan.
Pour mixture into loaf pan, cover it with wax paper and press it down and into the corners of pan using the bottom of a flat glass or flat dish or fingers.
Sprinkle the surface of the mixture with remaining tablespoon of chia seeds and cranberries...
press down gently so that they adhere to the surface.
Place the pan in the fridge and allow the mixture to gel into a singular slab for about 1 hour or so.
To slice bars: remove the pan from the fridge and gently lift the wax/parchment out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Slice the slab into 8 bars or 16 squares. Store any remaining portions in the fridge. They are sticky so you may want to wrap them in parchment paper.
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