Description
Prepare to have your sweet tooth SATISFIED.
Ingredients
- 16 pitted medjool dates
- 3/4 cup natural creamy peanut butter
- scant 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup, optional
- pinch salt
- 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 teaspoon avocado oil
- flaky sea salt, for topping
Instructions
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If your dates have pits, remove the pits. Lay down a piece of parchment paper and use your fingers to break open each date, laying them side by side in a 4 x 4 square.
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Cover with another sheet of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to roll the dates, flattening and squishing them together until they are a large, thin, flat rectangle.
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In a bowl combine ¾ cup peanut butter, ½ cup protein powder, ½ teaspoon vanilla, 1 tablespoon maple syrup and a pinch of salt. Mix until well combined, the mixture will have a thick, dough-like consistency
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Spread the peanut butter mixture on the dates, spreading it into an even layer, all the way out to the edges (I use my fingers!)
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Sprinkle on ¼ cup peanuts and gently press them down into the peanut butter layer. Place the parchment on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for 30ish minutes (or more, if you’re not in a hurry to get this in your belly).
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Add ¾ cup chocolate chips and ½ teaspoon avocado oil to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until fully melted, about 1½ to 2 minutes total.
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Pour the melted chocolate over the date bark and use a spatula to spread it into an even layer, reaching all the way to the edges. Immediately top with flaky sea salt, then transfer to the fridge or freezer until the chocolate is fully set.
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Slice or break into pieces and ENJOYYYYY.
Notes
Protein powder: I use Optimum Nutrition vanilla whey protein powder, the kind from Costco in the big bag. The taste is subtle and offers a nice sweetness in addition to the boost of protein.
If you do not want to use protein powder, you can substitute almond flour to get a similar texture or simply omit it and use a layer of straight peanut butter. If you don’t use protein powder the peanut butter layer won’t be as thick, but it’ll still be delish!
Peanut butter: I used the Kirkland organic natural creamy peanut butter for this recipe. Although I didn’t test the recipe with an emulsified peanut butter like Jif or Skippy I feel confident that it will work. You may want to omit the maple syrup if you’re using peanut butter with added sugar.
Refer to the above blog post for step-by-step photos, ingredient suggestions and answers to frequently asked questions.
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 2-inch by 2-inch piece (1/20th of the recipe)
- Calories: 178
- Sugar: 18.8 g
- Sodium: 58.3 mg
- Fat: 8.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 22.8 g
- Fiber: 2.5 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 8.2 mg