These chocolate-covered fruit and nut bars are wonderful pantry-friendly healthy snack bars that combine whole foods to make an appetizing gluten-free, vegan breakfast or snack. They are easy to prepare and customize, so you can use whatever you have in your pantry. The whole family will love these delicious energy bars, which are great for breakfast or a pick-me-up snack. I sure do make them all the time, along with these healthy granola bars.
Watch how to make it
Why you’ll love these bars
Quick snack: These healthy bars are perfect as a grab-and-go breakfast, snack, or treat. Clean ingredients: You control what goes into this recipe. There is no added sugar or other “filler” ingredients similar to store-bought options. Customizable: You can choose the dried fruit, nuts, and seeds to fit your taste and what you have in your pantry. Plus, you can play around with the ingredients every time you make them, so you will never get bored of them. Healthy: These bars are naturally protein-rich, provide energy, and keep you satiated. They are also gluten-free, refined-sugar-free, and vegan – perfect for many dietary requirements.
How to make chocolate fruit and nut bars
Prepare the bars: Chop the almonds and the bigger dried fruit. I like my snack bars to be chunky, so I chop everything by hand. However, you can blend the ingredients if you want a chewier bar (this also helps the mixture become stickier as it blends). Line a small baking pan with parchment paper (or use a silicone mold for individual bars). Then, add all the chopped nuts, fruit, and seeds. Mix the ingredients well in the tray, pressing the mixture together to form a sticky dough. Then, press down the mix with a flat object (or the bottom of a glass/cup). Press down as tightly as possible. Check the recipe video—I show how I pressed it down. Everything needs to be as tightly packed as possible to hold its shape and stay together when chopped. Depending on the size of the tray, you can either spread the mixture throughout the whole tray or stack it all on one side if the bars are too thin. Coat the bars in chocolate: Once pressed into your tray/mold, freeze the mixture for 30 minutes. Once chilled, it will become easier to manage and can be cut easily into bars. In the meantime, prepare the chocolate by melting it in a double boiler or the microwave into short bursts. Cut the bars into your desired size, then pour some chocolate over each bar. Set them aside until the chocolate hardens. It should be quick, as the bars were chilled in the freezer. The fruit and nut bars are now ready to enjoy or store for later. Alternative coating options: Pour the melted chocolate over the uncut fruit and nut mix in the tray. Place the tray back in the freezer to set, then cut it into bars. You can also cut the bars into bars and dip them in the melted chocolate to coat them on all sides. If you try these chocolate covered healthy fruit and nut bars, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d appreciate a recipe card rating and would love to see your recipe recreations—tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
