🍫 Chocolate Chunk Trail Mix Bars (Vegan & Paleo) 🍫
Sweet..Salty..CrUncHy..CHOCOLATEY! If that got your attention, then you are going to LOVE these Chocolate Chunk Trail Mix Bars that I have been OBSESSED with! My boyfriend and I have each eaten 2 a day for the past month, and honestly don’t know how we’re going to cope without them when we start our #SeptemberWhole30 next week. This will be my last batch for a month so give them a go ASAP and let their legacy live on! I’ve used Almonds in the past, but found they were tougher to bite through and hurt some peoples teeth, so I switched completely to Cashews & Pecans to ensure these Bars will cure your sweet tooth and not crack it🦷
I’ve also incorporated Go Raw’s Mixed Seeds which are not only super healthy, but they’re also pre-salted, giving you the perfect amount of sea salt to balance out the sweetness! You could use Figs or Dates (cut up fine) in place of the Raisins, but I found the Raisins added the perfect amount of sweet and were the least amount of work! I’ve also used Hu Kitchen’s Crunchy Mint Bar instead of the Chocolate Gems in a pinch which completely switched up the flavor in itself! There’s SO MANY variations possible for these bars, so give them a try and see what you come up with!
INGREDIENTS:
1 Cup Cashews
1 Cup Pecans
1 Cup Raisins
1 Cup Go Raw Mixed Seeds
1 Cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
1/2 Cup Hu Chocolate Gems
1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/4 Cup Almond Butter
1/3 to 1/2 Cup Maple Syrup (depending on desired sweetness level)
1 tsp Flavored Extract (optional, use Vanilla, Orange, Mint, etc. to add even more flavor!)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Place your Cashews and Pecans in a food processor and pulverize for just a few seconds! Your goal should be to break down the nuts into small/medium sized pieces, not into crumbs. If any whole nuts are left behind, feel free to break them up by hand or just let them be! Set aside for now.
In a small sauce pan, whisk your Coconut Oil, Almond Butter, & Maple Syrup over low heat for about 1-2 minutes or until everything is evenly combined. Remove from heat, stir in your Flavored Extract if using one, and set aside.
Transfer your chopped nuts to a large mixing bowl and add in your Mixed Seeds, Shredded Coconut, Raisins & Pumpkin Pie Spice. Stir well to combine.
Take your small sauce pan and pour all of the contents over your dry mixture, stirring until everything is evenly combined. It’s better to over-stir than under-stir during this step!
Next, transfer your Hu Chocolate Gems to a small plastic bag, and smash them with a meat tenderizer to slightly break them up a bit. Add them to your mixture and stir one last time to combine.
Line a 9x9 baking pan with parchment paper and transfer mixture into the pan. Spread the mixture out evenly and push down hard using a flat kitchen utensil to ensure tightly packed bars! I even go as crazy as taking my meat tenderizer and pushing down gently over the entire tray. It might be excessive but my bars never fall apart! Really pack those corners in good too!
Transfer to the freezer to chill for 4 hours. Remove and cut them into 16 pieces using a sharp knife or metal spatula. Wrap them up and store them in the fridge for up to 10 days(if they even last that long🤤), or you could freeze them for up to a month! Enjoy!