‘Going nuts’ for pistachio bars

Ever the punster, Mark showed up at my elbow while I was shelling pistachios Tuesday morning and asked:

“Will the taste testers go nuts for this? Or will it turn out to be dated?”

Ha-ha. My husband and fellow test cook could see that pistachios and dates were the main ingredients in the no bake snack bars I was making in the TL test kitchen, which also is our home kitchen, and he couldn’t resist a little play on words.

“I’m hoping they’ll go nuts,” I said, adding the chances might improve if I topped the bars with the melted chocolate the recipe writer had mentioned as an option.

Guess what? It worked.

“It’s a home run to me,” page designer Ashley Bringmann said a few hours later in the newsroom, noting she loves pistachios and appreciated the chocolate on top.

When reporter Margaret Roarty arrived, Ashley assured her, “They are so good. I know you’ll love it, Margaret.”

And, Margaret, a self-professed fan of granola as well as pistachios, loved the pistachio snack bars, too.

Columnist Bill O’Boyle asked for a detailed list of ingredients, and when I told him the bars were simply dates ground into a paste with pistachios, old-fashioned oats, vanilla, raisins and dark chocolate added, he said, “That’s all good stuff. So it’s not surprising that it tastes pretty good.”

“I think it’s DEE-licious,” reporter Jen Learn-Andes said, emphasizing that first syllable. “It tastes like it’s full of healthy things.”

The recipe came from the website Shaw Simple Swaps, where food blogger and dietitian Liz Shaw provides lots of plant-based recipes. So, yes, the recipe had been designed with health in mind.

“I enjoyed it a lot,” editor Aaron Miller said. “It’s surprisingly sweet and chewy compared to what I expected. It reminds me of a pistachio cake my mother makes.”

The sweetness comes from the naturally occurring sugar in the dates and in the raisins, which I used instead of dried cranberries, plus there is some sugar in the dark chocolate morsels.

And, at home, Mark liked the balance of flavors and textures, especially the way the saltiness of the nuts (I used roasted, salted pistachios) complemented the chocolate.

Here is the recipe from shawsimpleswaps.com.

Pistachio No Bake Snack Bars

15 pitted dates

1/3 cup filtered water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup no-shell pistachios

1 cup rolled old fashioned oats

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

1/4 cup dried cranberries low sugar

Instructions

Heat the dates by (option 1) adding to a microwave safe dish, covering with water and heating in the microwave for 2-3 minutes OR (option 2) adding to a heat safe dish and covering with boiling water, allowing to stand for 10 minutes. Drain and discard water.

To a food processor fitted with a metal blade, add dates, water, vanilla, and salt. Process 75 seconds until pureed. Add in pistachios and oats, pulse in 15 second intervals 2 to 3 times until crumbly, coarse consistency achieved.

Scoop the mixture into a bowl, then fold in the dark chocolate chips and cranberries.

Line an 8 x 8-inch pan with parchment paper.

Using a spatula remove dough from processor and pour into the pan. Press down firmly to evenly distribute dough in the pan with another piece of parchment paper.

Place pan in the freezer with parchment paper on top and free for at least 30 minutes before cutting.

Slice into 12 bars and store in an airtight container in the freezer. Enjoy straight from the freezer.

Notes from Liz Shaw:

Bars are best eaten frozen from the freezer. They will become soft and break easier if kept on the counter or fridge (though still delicious crumbled over yogurt.)

For an added flavor note, toast both the pistachios and oats. Lay in a single layer on a lined baking sheet and toast at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes, stirring halfway through (keep a close eye, and nose, on them.)

Ingredient tips & swaps:

Pistachios: This recipe was developed with raw, unsalted pistachios. If you only have roasted and salted available, use them but do not add any additional salt. They can easily be substituted for almonds or walnuts. For a nut free version, pumpkin seeds would be great.

Dates: I prefer Medjool to other varieties but any will do (and don’t use any other dried fruit here for the base). Just make sure they’re pitted before adding to the food processor.

Oats: Old fashioned works the best (get certified gluten free if needed).

Dried Cranberries: Try to use unsweetened dried cranberries. Swap with raisins or dried blueberries.

Salt: If you’re fancy, use sea salt. But for more iodine, use iodized table salt.

Vanilla Extract: You can use almond extract for a flavor twist, just use half as much as the recipe calls for since almond extract is a bit more potent.

Dark chocolate: Sub with your chocolate variety of choice: semisweet, milk, or even white would be nice. Oh, and go ahead for dairy free to make these vegan.

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