Raw Cashew Coconut Tahini Bars

Oh. My. Goodness.

It’s the last day of July. Woah. Where did this month go??? Why/how is it already August?! I need summer to slow down. Please.

But. Seeing as we’re in the heat of summer. Me thinks now is a good time for a no-bake dessert. A vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, nutrient-packed, no-bake dessert.

A no-bake dessert, or more accurately, snack, that is all the above, and also: so filling, so easy, so addictive, so delicious, so chewy, so quick, and so awesome.

These raw cashew coconut bars literally take less than 5 minutes to make. That is, if you’re not going to toast your cashews. If you toast your cashews, which you should, because toasting them equals the most optimal flavor, you’ll be adding an additional 9 minutes to the calculation. But worth it!

These no-bake date bars come together in one machine: your food processor. You’ll simply be pulsing together the 7 ingredients this recipe contains until mostly smooth. And then pressing that mostly smooth mixture into a pan, freezing the mixture until it’s hardened enough to slice, cutting out bars of your desired size, and consuming.

These coconut tahini bars are the typa bars that are stored in your freezer and eaten straight from there. Yes, the plan is to be sinking your teeth into a frozen date nut bar.

The freezer component is most wonderful for several reasons:

• you can make these no-bake bars as far in advance as you’d like, as they’re going to last for months in your freezer

• you have an energy-dense snack ready at all times within a freezer walk’s distance

• the freezer makes these cashew bars incredibly chewy and stick-to-your-teeth

Forget the oven. Today we’re all about that freezer life.

So, what’s actually in these bars, eh?

• Cashews, of course. Raw or toasted. Your choice. The cashews are the base, the flour. And the fat. They’re everything, basically.

• Dates. Succulent, sweet medjool dates. They’re the only sweetener used in these bars.

• Unsweetened coconut. For tropical flavor and added texture and heft.

• Lemon zest. Bright, tangy, fresh lemon zest for all the summer vibes. And also, lemon + coconut = YESNESS.

• Tahini. Raw, creamy, rich tahini. For deeper, nuttier flavor and extra smoothness points and bringing the mixture together.

• Vanilla extract. Obviously.

• Salt. Obviously.

So quick and easy. No oven required. Raw and vegan and grain-free and refined-sugar free and dairy-free. Rich and filling and wholesome and chewy and addictive. Sweet and coconuty and slightly lemony.

Raw cashew coconut tahini bars - it’s a comforting, exciting thought knowing I have you waiting in my freezer.

Raw Cashew Coconut Tahini Bars

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Yield: 12-18 bars

1 cup raw cashews (toast till golden brown for optimal flavor)
18 (1 3/4 cups) medjool dates
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
Zest of 1/2-1 lemon (depending on preference)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons tahini

1. Line an 8” square pan with parchment paper, leaving some excess hanging over the edge for easy removal later.

2. In a food processor, pulse together everything except the tahini until mixture is crumbly.

3. Add in the tahini and pulse until mostly smooth and mixture sticks together.

4. Press mixture firmly into pan. Sprinkle with more lemon zest and shredded coconut if desired.

5. Freeze until hardened (20-30 minutes), and then cut bars of desired size. Store in the freezer and eat frozen!