Chocolate Pecan Date Tahini Bars! If you’re searching for no-fuss date bars that feels indulgent and ultr- satisfying, these are an absolute must.
These Chocolate Pecan Date Tahini Bars are seriously irresistible, think sweet dates plus crunchy pecans, layered together with nutty tahini, and topped with rich chocolate. They’re the kind of snack you crave when you need a little sweetness and energy to keep you going, without feeling like you’re stuck eating something boring. Every layer delivers a slightly different texture (chewy, crunchy, creamy, silky), which is exactly why these bars are so dang good.
Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.
Hi there, Ameera here!
Ohhhhh these are sooooo yummy, like, I genuinely could eat the whole pan. The combo of dates plus tahini is creamy and rich, the pecans add the perfect toasted crunch, and then that rich chocolate takes it over the top.
If you like dessert that’s sweet, satisfying, and secretly perfect for snacking (breakfast, mid-afternoon, late-night snack), you gotta give this one a try!
Tips for Success:
- Flavor Profile: These Chocolate Pecan Date Tahini Bars are absolutely delicious. Inspired by Clair Sharryn Roberto, these tasty bars are loaded with layers of dates, toasted pecans, tahini, and chocolate. They are the perfect snack when you need something to get you through the day.
- Medjool Dates: Medjool dates are naturally very soft and pliant. They work perfectly with this recipe because of this. If you have very dry dates, you may wish to skip this recipe as the dates will not hold together and soaking them may make them too gooey to hold up properly.
- How many Medjool Dates: The actual number of Medjool dates will vary based upon the size of the dates. The key is to open up the dates, remove the seed (and the nubbin on the end), and spread them open. Place them down onto the parchment paper-lined 8×8 pan with the outsides of the date down and the gooey side up. Then press down and get them to stick together. You may find that you may need extra dates to fill in the gaps. That is fine, just open up another date and tear it in half and fill in as needed. You want one solid date layer with no holes. Be sure to keep the outside of the date downward on the parchment paper to ensure easy removal from the pan.
- Runny Tahini: Be sure to use a runny tahini. Do not use a thick and clumpy tahini as it needs to be really runny to spread nicely.
- Pecan Substitutions: You can use other nuts with the understanding that the flavor and texture may be impacted accordingly. We have not tested any substitutions.
- Tahini Substitutions: Since tahini is an essential element in this recipe, we suggest no substitutions; however, if you really need to find a substitution, we suggest using a runny nut or seed butter that compliments the nut selected.
- Prettiness: For maximum presentation, patience is required to ensure each layer is made with patience and presentation in mind.
- Flaky Sea Salt: The flaky sea salt adds a nice play of sweet and salty to the bars. We strongly recommend it. We recommend waiting to place the flaky sea salt onto the bars until they have been in the freezer for at least 15 minutes to prevent the sea salt from melting into the chocolate layer.
Leftovers and Freezing:
Leftovers will generally keep 5 to 10 days in the refrigerator. Store in a covered air-tight container.
These bars freezes well.
Pantry Products:
- Tahini: We used Ziyad Premium Tahini (Sesame Paste). Feel free to use your favorite brand of tahini.
- Chocolate Chips: We used Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mega Chunks. Feel free to use your favorite semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips.
- Flaky Sea Salt: We used Saltwerk Hand Harvested Flaky Sea Salt. Feel free to use your favorite flaky sea salt.
Kitchen Equipment:
- 8×8 baking pan
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheet (for toasting the pecans)
If you try this sweet treat, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.
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Chocolate Pecan Date Tahini Bars
- Prep Time: 20 Minutes
- Cook Time: 8 Minutes (Pecans)
- Total Time: 28 Minutes (+Rest Time)
- Yield: 9 Bars 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These Chocolate Pecan Date Tahini Bars are seriously irresistible, think sweet dates plus crunchy pecans, layered together with nutty tahini, and topped with rich chocolate.
Inspired by Claire Sharryn Roberto
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cup toasted pecan halves, (divided)
- 16 to 20 Medjool dates, pitted *
- ½ cup runny tahini *
- 1 cup (154 g) vegan semi-sweet (or dark) chocolate chips, melted *
- Sprinkle flakey sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Line an 8×8 square baking pan with parchment paper, set aside. Be sure to have the parchment paper hang over both sides of the pan for easy removal.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the pecan halves on the parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for 4 minutes, then flip and roast for another 3 to 4 minutes, watch the pecans carefully to prevent burning. Remove from the oven and immediately place the roasted pecans on a plate to slightly cool.
- In the meantime, split open the dates, remove the seeds, and line the bottom of the 8×8 baking pan with the dates, place the outside of the date facing down onto the pan and leave the gooey insides facing upward. This keeps the dates from sticking to the parchment paper too much. Press the dates hard to create a huge cohesive layer of dates. This step can be sticky but keep squishing the dates downward to make them spread and to create a sold cohesive bottom layer. This will take several minutes. Try to avoid leaving any holes in the date layer. If needed, add more dates to fill in any gaps.
- Remove ¼ cup of toasted pecan halves and set aside. This will be used for the top. Place the remaining 1 cup of toasted pecan halves on top of the date layer and press hard. This will break the pecan halves which is fine and will make the pecans stick to the date layer. Create a single cohesive pecan layer. Use a square of parchment paper to press down onto the pecans to get them to stick to the dates.
- Next add the runny tahini and spread it out evenly over top of the pecan layer. Try to ensure that the entire layer is covered with the tahini. This layer is very thin.
- Next melt the chocolate chips by placing them in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds and stir vigorously. Microwave in 10 second intervals and stirring vigorously. Repeat until all the chocolate is completely melted. Once the chocolate chips are melted, pour the melted chocolate over top of the tahini and spread it out evenly. It’s okay if the tahini and chocolate slightly mix together.
- Take the remaining ¼ cup of toasted pecans and give them a rough chop, then sprinkle over top of the chocolate layer. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- After the first 15 minutes in the freezer have past, then remove and sprinkle with some flaky sea salt over the top, then place back in the freezer for another 15 minutes to allow the chocolate to set. After the bars have been in the freeze for a total of 30 minutes and the chocolate is fully set, remove from the freezer and lift the bars from the pan by holding onto the edges of the parchment paper and onto a cutting board. Cut into 9 pieces. Enjoy! Store the bars in the refrigerator or freezer.
Notes
Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.
Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
Servings: 9 bars
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