Julie Clark
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Paleo Nut Energy Bars
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Packed with nuts, dates and a hint of cinnamon, these Paleo Nut Energy Bars are great for an afternoon snack.
Paleo Nut Energy Bars
Today I’m sharing with you something on the healthier side. After the sweet rolls, chocolatey cookies and rich cheesecakes that I’ve been sharing with you lately, we all need something we can eat and feel good about afterwards.
Enter: Paleo Nut Energy Bars. Gluten free, grain free, sugar free and dairy free. And yet still slightly sweet and cinnamony.
I came across a recipe called “Rocket Fuel” in a cookbook titled Everyday Paleo Family Cookbook. I loved this cookbook because it is filled with just what it says…paleo recipes that you can fix for your family with everyday ingredients. Although I’ve only seen one, I can imagine that they are all worth buying.
I took that recipe for rocket fuel and changed it up just a bit to make energy bars that I could make up a batch of and pull out when I needed them. Whether it is for breakfast, a pre-workout energy boost, a later afternoon I-can’t-wait-until-dinner snack, these energy bars have become a regular in our house.
How to Make Energy Bars
Ready in under 30 minutes, the paleo snack bars are super easy to whip up. You’ll use your Ninja Express Chop or food processor (anyone want to buy me that for Christmas?) to chop up pecans, walnuts, almonds and dates into small pieces. I find sometimes that the dates are hard to chop up because they are sticky. If I put a few dates in with the nuts while they are chopping, it seems to help them get chopped into nice little pieces much better. I have also used kitchen scissors to cut the dates into tiny pieces. That works just as well!
You’ll mix up all of those protein-packed nuts and sweet dates and add in egg whites, cinnamon and a touch of vanilla.
I make our bars in a 9×13 pan. Line it with oven-safe parchment paper or aluminum foil and spray the it with some coconut oil spray so that the bars don’t stick to the paper.
Press the mixture into the pan and bake it at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes. When the bars are done, you can pull up on the wax paper and use a pizza cutter to slice your energy bars into the size bars that you’d like. I cut mine into 16 rectangles.
Energy Bars Sweetened with Dates
Dates are rich in natural sugar and carbohydrates, which gives these best paleo energy bars such an awesome kind of sweetness. Yes, I know that dates should be eaten in moderation on a paleo diet due to their sugar content, but we are a family of runners and they are a good, quick dose of carbs when we are preparing for a long run. Please do check the ingredients label on your dates. Many from the store have added sugar, but you can find them without added sugar. The only thing listed on the ingredient label should be: Dates!!
How to Store Energy Bars
I store my paleo nut bars in the freezer. Like, way back in the freezer, hidden from sight so that the kids don’t eat all of them. And even though I like them at room temperature, eating them cold makes me feel like I’m having a special treat. They’re so good.
Enjoy!
Paleo Nut Energy Bars
Packed with nuts, dates and a hint of cinnamon, these Paleo Nut Energy Bars are great for an afternoon snack.
Servings 16
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 17 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients.
- To prepare the 9x13 pan, line it with parchment paper or aluminum foil and spray it with cooking spray. Press the nut mixture into the bottom of the pan.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes. Allow the bars to cool for 5 minutes, then pull on the wax paper to remove them from the pan. Use a pizza cutter to slice the bars into rectangles of the size you'd like.
Notes
You can use a mixture of whatever kind of nuts you'd like. We've used cashews before, too. I normally use egg white that come in a carton instead of separating the eggs and having a bunch of yolks left over.
Nutrition
Calories: 227kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 19mg | Potassium: 231mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 1.1mg
I am currently on my January Whole30 and whipped up a batch of these instead of buying RX or Lara Bars. I omitted the vanilla extract to keep it compliant and added a cup of almond butter and 2 tablespoon of cocoa powder. They turned out delicious! Everyone I shared them with have asked me for the recipe. *Once cooled, I melted a 100% cocoa bar and drizzled it on top w shredded coconut to make it super treat. Thank you!
These look amazing and I can’t wait to make them and send to my college freshman who needs snacks throughout the day with his crazy schedule and lacrosse meets, and with barely anytime to eat! Hoping to add a bit more egg to keep them from crumbling, and he does have a freezer in his dorm! Thanks!
Thank you, I am excited to try the bars with ground flax seed, and roasted almonds
Just made these and I love the taste and texture but now wondering the best way to store them.
These are tasty! I used ground flax seed meal and water instead of egg whites, just to spare some egg in my diet. They turned out more crumbly than I’d like, but when frozen, they stay together better and still taste good. I might just need to use a little more binding ingredient next time. Thank you so much!
I absolutely LOVE these. I’m getting ready to try the Whole 30 Monday and was looking up something that was like a granola bar, but compliant with the plan. (Although vanilla extract isn’t exactly, vanilla bean powder would be) These are amazing, I will be making these on a regular basis, Whole 30, paleo, or whatever it is I am currently into.
I gave my mom one and she’s asked 4 times in 2 days when I’m going to make more???? Thank you!
Blondie-eats.com
Can you post the nutritional information please. Trying to count my macros and really want to try these.
How many Eggs do I use?
I tried this but altered it a bit and the bars did not fall apart. I used almond butter and egg whites and raisins, since I had no dates – but plan to use dates the next time. Not a lot of the mixture – but the one egg white held it together. I may try heating it for 30 minutes at 165 degrees so as not to damage the fats in the nuts.
Do you know the nutritional values of the bars?
Do you start with raw nuts? Or should I roast the raw nuts a bit first? Or soak them first, but not roast them? Thanks!
Oh yum! Eating as we type — yuuuummy! Perfect addition to my kids (me too!) lunches. Thank you. Have you tried adding fruit? I was thinking dried cherries, maybe apple?
Let me make sure I have this right- Do you beat the egg whites for this recipe?
Energy bars are awesome, first time making this type of item, I added dried cranberries also used pistachios. Will make again.
Have you tried this with seeds (like chia or pumpkin)?
If I am allergic to eggs, what can I use instead?
They sound good.