Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Dark Chocolate-Walnut Date Bar 5.0 (9) This rich, decadent dessert is deceptively good for you. Prep Time: 20 mins Total Time: 2 hrs 40 mins Servings: 8 Jump to recipe There is so much to love about this easy dark-chocolate walnut-date bar. It's free of gluten and dairy, making it a great treat for those with dietary restrictions. Another plus is that it requires zero baking (though you will have to melt a bit of chocolate using your stove or microwave). There’s no added sugar in this recipe either; the bars are naturally sweet thanks to a hefty amount of nutrient-rich dates. Walnuts and peanut butter provide filling protein, and heart-healthy dark chocolate adds a deep, decadent richness. Whether you serve it for dessert or simply keep slices in the fridge for a midday pick-me-up, these chocolatey date bars are sure to please. 27 Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes Everyone Will Love Credit: Sidney Bensimon Key Ingredients for Decadent Date Bars Dates: Sweet, plump Medjool dates will lend a soft, almost-gooey texture to these bars. Buying them pitted will cut down on prep time, though removing the pit is incredibly easy. Be sure to chop them before adding to your food processor so the machine doesn't have to work as hard to break them down. Walnuts: You'll need 1 3/4 cups of walnuts for this recipe. Since they'll be ground up with the other ingredients, it's fine to buy pieces rather than halves Chocolate: Semisweet chocolate is balanced and dark, with less bitterness than bittersweet varieties. Look for a cacao percentage of 50 to 60 percent for a deep, decadent taste that will balance out the sweetness of the dates. Coconut oil: Adding a touch of coconut oil to melted chocolate adds a glossy finish and improves its texture once hardened. Raw, unrefined oil will have a more pronounced coconut flavor; for something more neutral, swap in a refined option instead. Peanut butter: Peanut butter adds a toasty flavor while upping the protein quotient of these bars. We like using natural peanut butter, which is free of stabilizers and other additives, but you can use whatever you have on hand. 2 Easy Ways to Melt Chocolate Use a double boiler: Bring an inch or two of water to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Combine chocolate and oil in a heatproof bowl and set it on top, making sure the bottom of the bowl isn't touching the water. Stir frequently until melted and completely smooth. Use the microwave: Combine chocolate and oil in a microwave-safe bowl and cook in 30-second increments, stirring after each one, until melted and smooth. How to Create a Parchment Sling To ensure the finished result lifts easily out of the loaf pan, you'll want to create a parchment sling. This is simple to do and requires only a pair of scissors or a sharp knife. Trim a piece of parchment paper to the length of the loaf pan and about three times the width (so roughly a 9x15-inch rectangle).Brush pan with a bit of coconut oil, being sure to evenly coat all sides as well as the bottom.Lay parchment in pan, letting paper hang over the two long sides. When it's time to remove the bar from the pan, simply grasp the parchment and lift it out. Directions Credit: Jake Sternquist Prep loaf pan: (no image) Brush a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with oil and line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on long sides. Combine walnuts, dates, and peanut butter in food processor; form into square and chill: In a food processor, pulse 1 1/2 cups walnuts, dates, peanut butter, vanilla, and kosher salt until finely chopped and mixture holds together. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and lightly knead to pack together; pat into an 8-inch square. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes. Credit: Jake Sternquist To ensure the chilled date mixture fits perfectly into the loaf pan, it's worth getting an accurate measurement with a ruler for this step. Melt chocolate and oil; press half nut mixture into pan: Meanwhile, melt chocolate with oil. Halve nut mixture and press one part into loaf pan. Drizzle with half of chocolate. Refrigerate until chocolate just begins to set, about 10 minutes. Credit: Jake Sternquist Repeat layers; top with nuts and salt and refrigerate: Press in remaining nut mixture and spread with remaining chocolate. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup walnuts and flaky salt. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. Credit: Jake Sternquist Credit: Jake Sternquist Let sit at room temperature before slicing and serving: To serve, let stand at room temperature 10 minutes, then remove from pan using parchment before slicing. Credit: Jake Sternquist How to Store Dark Chocolate Walnut-Date Bars These bars can be refrigerated, covered tightly with plastic, for up to one week. Let them sit at room temperature for a few minutes before eating for a softer texture. Variations Try a different chocolate: For a less sweet flavor, opt for bittersweet chocolate. If you prefer things on the sweeter side, use semisweet chocolate with a lower cacao percentage or swap in an equal amount of milk chocolate. Switch up the nuts: Use almond butter in place of the peanut butter. You can also swap in peanuts, pecans, or cashews for the walnuts. 5 More Date Recipes to Try Date Truffles Lemon-Date Bars Flourless Chocolate Date Cake With Salted Caramel Glaze Date Bon-Bons With Pistachio Paste Dates and Blue Cheese Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.