Morning in the mountains of Kentucky

So, it’s been too long since I last posted. My apologies for that. It has been a very busy semester, but a satisfying one. Summer break has begun…as well as gardening time! I’m not going to complain about either. Summer break is a time to rest, relax, and revive before another hectic, but wonderful semester begins. Gardening time means a lot of hard work, but also very tasty and healthy vegetables follow and make all of the hard work very worth while. Gardening is one of the most therapeutic and satisfying forms of work that I can think of. Each time I breath in the beauty of the mountains, gardens, and nature’s bounty that surrounds me in the mountains of Kentucky…I am revived, rejuvenated, and renewed. A sense of peace consumes me as I walk through our garden awaiting the fruits of our labor, fresh ripe organic veggies.

Our vegetable garden

With that being said, I am super excited to bring one of my new favorite vegan sweet-treats to you. I have worked diligently to perfect my recipe before adding it to the blog. My family has been “guinea pigs” for this delicious sweet treat and I must say that it has quickly become a favorite of theirs as well. Chocolate chip vegan date bars are very satisfying, rich, and delicious. I hope you and your family enjoy them as much as my family does.

Ingredients:

2 cups organic fresh medjool pitted dates
1 cup natural organic smooth peanut butter
1 1/2 cup organic semi-sweet or dark vegan chocolate chips
1/2 cup organic unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup organic gluten free oats
1/3 cup organic pure maple syrup (can substitute with sorghum, or honey for non-vegan bar).

My favorite chocolate chip date bar

Process:

Rough chop dates and add them to a food processor (I use a ninja and works great). Fine chop the dates and add all but one tablespoon of the peanut butter, 3/4 of the chocolate chips, coconut and oats. Slowly add the maple syrup. Mix completely until mixture forms a smooth ball. Press the date mixture into a pan lined with parchment paper and spread the reserved tablespoon of peanut butter over the mixture and refrigerate. While the mixture is cooling and setting in the fridge, heat most of the remaining chocolate chips in the microwave and drizzle over the date mixture. You may add a few chocolate chips to the top of the mixture as well. I also like to lightly sprinkle the top with shredded coconut, but I love the taste of coconut. Allow bars to chill up to two hours for the best results. Cut into desired size and enjoy!

Tips/Ideas:

Date mixture can also be rolled into balls, rolled in the shredded coconut, and drizzled with the melted chocolate chips. The presentation is different, but the taste is same! The bars or date balls lasts for weeks in a covered container in the refrigerator, if you can resist them that long.

Vegan chocolate chip coconut date balls

I hope that you enjoy this sweet healthy vegan treat as much as my family enjoys it. I am super excited to share my recipe for my vegan frozen treat! Our grandchildren love it! I love it, and it’s plant-based and healthy! Until the next post, which will hopefully, be soon…bon appetit from the mountains of Kentucky.