Key Lime Date Bites

My husband and I recently drove to Colorado (yes, again; we seem to do this 2-3 times a year, which is why we’re moving back there!), and for the trip, I packed the car full of goodies. Into the cooler went Naked smoothie drinks, snap peas, baby carrots, garlic and herb dipping spread, sandwich makings, apples, cheese, and an assortment of breakfast/protein bars. A few of those bars happened to be Lara Bars, and one of them was their Key Lime version. It contained dates, cashews, almonds, coconut, and lime juice. I couldn’t believe it. That’s it? Just five ingredients?! Totally raw and with no preservatives? How nice! But it was basically just a date bar, and I’m really not a fan of dates. In addition to being a high glycemic food, I just don’t find dates that tasty. I gave the bar a try though, and it was good. Too much to eat at once, but good. Surprisingly good. Good enough that I wanted to make my own version, in the form of need-a-quick-pick-me-up sweet bites. This is what I came up with.

Ingredients:

12 oz. fresh dates
¼ cup key lime juice
¼ cup sliced or slivered almonds
¼ cup shredded coconut
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
sprinkle of Chinese Five Spice (optional)

Guidelines:

Pit the dates.

In a food processor, combine all of the above ingredients. Pulse until a semi-smooth texture is achieved. If your mixture isn’t as smooth as you’d like, try adding a bit more key lime juice. Honestly though, I wouldn’t worry about. Date and almond chunks just add to the texture.

Spread the mixture into a lightly oiled bread pan. Freeze or refrigerate for several hours, then score the bars by running a knife down the center length-wise, then cut the bites into desired widths.

For best results, keep chilled. The bites are sticky, and room temperature bites are even stickier! If you don’t like the stickiness, try adding some oat flour into the mixture. I haven’t tried this, so I can’t vouch for the results. If you try it, let me know how it works.