Do you fancy a no-bake energy bar? These apricot-nut energy bars are easy to make ahead and jam-packed with nuts, dry fruits, peanut butter and coconut and coated in dark chocolate. Perfect to keep you fueled throughout the day and to satisfy your sweet tooth, too.
An energy bar literally gives you energy, but you have to know that energy comes from calories. Yes, that’s right. And, these calories are the fuel for your body. However, the same applies to all food. We eat food to get the energy for the day. And because it tastes so good. Wink.
Keep in mind that energy bars are a hearty snack, perfect to take with you, rather than a dessert. Wink. More, they are a great go-to treat for a long day or when in a hurry. I love these little bites on hand. So chewy, crunchy, sweet, nutty and so delicious.
What makes a great and delicious energy bar?
Think nuts, oats, fruits and peanut butter. Only good things packed in these bite-sized snacks. More or less, you can combine any nuts and dry fruits you have at home or which you like most. Creating a unique energy bar only takes a minute.
Everyone will love these apricot-nut energy bars. They are packed with iron, fibre and vitamins. Since they are also vegan, they are suitable for all of my vegan friends out there. Wink.
In order to keep all of these goodies together, I used homemade peanut butter on the inside and dark chocolate on the outside. It really doesn’t matter whether you use dark, milk or white chocolate. It works with all of them. However, dark chocolate is supposed to be the healthier one and a powerful source of antioxidants. Wink.
More, you might like also this avocado chocolate truffle recipe or these summer choco raspberry-coconut cups. Both recipes are simple but so delicious. These two, in contrast to apricot-nut energy bars, make a great dessert, too.
For this recipe, you’ll need a food processor and make sure you have a tray, plate or anything to hold the energy bars that fits your freezer. You can also use cardboard instead.
Moreover, when coating them with chocolate, I suggest taking two bars at a time out of the freezer, especially in the hot months. However, if you are quick in the kitchen and self-confident, go ahead and take them all at once out of the freezer, but still, coat them one by one. Wink.
You can store them in your fridge where they will stay fresh for several weeks.
Ingredients for 13-16 apricot-nut energy bars:
- 190 g dry apricots
- 75 g dry cranberries
- 150 g almonds
- 15-20 g peanut butter
- 70 g peanuts
- 145 g black sesame seeds (or white)
- 100 g shredded coconut
- 1-2 tsp of vanilla paste
- half pinch of salt
- 150-170 g dark chocolate
To begin, chop the dry apricots and cranberries. Roughly chop the almonds. Then, combine peanuts, almonds, apricots, shredded coconut, vanilla and a small pinch of salt in a food processor. Blitz for 15-20 seconds or until everything turns into small chunks.
At this point, add the peanut butter and sesame seeds and pulse again until combined. Then, either flip the mixture onto a tray (or plate) or simply remove the blade and keep the mixture in the food processor.
More, using your hands, form the energy bars. Take 2-3 tsp of the mixture on your palm and keep squeezing with your hands until you reach the desired form. If the mixture results too dry or is not sticking together, simply add a splash of water or add more peanut butter (but not too much).
Gently place all energy bars on a small tray or plate (that fits in your freezer) lined with parchment paper and put in the freezer for 3-5 hours.
Before you take the energy bars out of the freezer, chop the chocolate and melt it over a water bath. With help of two forks, dip one energy bar at a time into the chocolate, let the excess chocolate drip off and place it onto a parchment sheet. Let them harden for 5-10 minutes.
In conclusion, you can make some choco decoration by piping a thin chocolate line and “gluing” a peanut on top of each energy bar. Place them in the fridge for one hour.
You are going to love these sweet, chewy and crunchy treats. Take them with you at any time, either on a sports day, for breakfast or on a trip. These apricot-nut energy bars will boost your energy level to the sky (at least for a couple of hours). Wink.
Enjoy!
