Incredibly Delicious Date Bark

I make this very quick, easy, heath(ier) "candy" for myself all the time. It takes about ten minutes to throw together and only has four ingredients. I just pop it in the fridge to firm up, and voila, a delicious, decadent treat for any time I feel like eating a candy bar. The dates really do taste like caramel; the crunch of the nuts with the chocolate is a combo I crave all the time. 

For this recipe I tried out three different nut butters along with three different chopped nuts. Honestly, I like all of them very much....but the peanut butter with crushed peanuts is probably my favorite. The pistachio butter is really decadent. Try out any combination you can think of - it'll be great. And to make it nut free, use sunbutter with a sprinkle of sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds on top. Enjoy! 

Ingredients:

• 12 Medjool dates, pits removed and sliced in half lengthwise
• Nut butter of your choice: peanut butter, almond butter, pistachio butter, cashew butter, sunbutter (for nut free)
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips,  I use Enjoy Life chocolate chips because they are vegan
• Any nuts or seeds for the topping, crushed peanuts, almonds, pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, etc

Directions:

Lay a piece of parchment paper on the counter. Place the sliced and spread open dates (cut side down) and touching on the parchment. Place another piece of parchment paper on top. Use a rolling pin to press and flatten the dates. When you peel back the top piece of parchment they should be uniformly flat and slightly sticking together. 

Next spread an even layer of nut butter on top of the flattened dates. In the photo below I experimented by using three different nut butters (peanut, almond and pistachio). 

Place 3/4 cup of chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and stir. Place the dish back into the microwave and heat for another 30 seconds. At this point my chips were all melted and ready to pour. If your chips still need a bit more time try another 15 seconds and stir. Repeat until fully melted. Pour the melted chocolate evenly over the nut butter layer and smooth. Now it's time to add the chopped nuts of your choice. Sprinkle evenly on top. Place the date bark in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or until the chocolate is set and has hardened. 

I cut my bark into 9 pieces, but cut yours as small or large as you like. I keep my bark in the fridge or freezer. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do! It is one of my most favorite desserts!