Chocolate Almond Quinoa Snack Bars (+ Video)

These chocolate almond quinoa snack bars are fudgy, with a little crunch from toasted quinoa, and a sprinkling of sea salt on top. A great meal prep snack to enjoy throughout the week.

Another recipe I'm super excited to be finally sharing with you! This one has been in draft since Feb. 10. I'm so glad I'm feeling better after a couple of rough months of morning sickness.

I kind of forgot to share some other big news with you...we bought a house!

Like...a real 'grown up' house, with my dream kitchen...so much counter space, big windows looking into the back yard (which backs onto a green space), and into the family room. There were eleven offers on the house and we are still pinching ourselves that our offer was accepted! We don't take possession until July, and it's going to be three looong months...and I guess now we have the small task of selling our current house.

Well, enough about the house news, and more about these beautiful chocolate almond quinoa snack bars, amiright?

Don't forget to pin this recipe to save it for later!

After the success of these No Bake Energy Bites 7 Ways, I have been trying to think of other easy snack recipes. A few months back, I tried Pinch of Yum's Chocolate Snack Bars and it was love at first bite! I thought it would be fun to come up with my own chocolatey snack bar recipe.

These snack bars are super fudgy, thanks to the dates. Dates + cocoa powder + food processor = fudgy amazingness. For serious.

And...have you heard of toasted quinoa? It's pretty sublime, too. Simply toast up your quinoa in the oven for a few minutes and raw quinoa becomes nutty crunchy deliciousness.

You are going to need a food processor for this recipe to blend your dates into the perfect texture. If you are looking for a basic, affordable food processor, you might like the one I have...no bells or whistles, and it's going on 4 years with no issues whatsoever.

These chocolate almond quinoa snack bars come together in under 30 minutes, and are perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth during the week...basically these are perfect to add into your weekly meal prep routine!

I drizzled the tops of these snack bars with some melted chocolate and sprinkled with some coarse sea salt...I am just a sucker for salty + sweet.

I'm just going to have to distract myself from new house excitement by making another batch of these chocolate almond quinoa snack bars...because I'm getting itchy feet, and my little orange kitchen is starting to feel pretty small!

Happy Thursday, friends!

Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped these chocolate almond snack bars. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.

Tips for perfect chocolate almond quinoa snack bars:

• you will need a food processor for this recipe, and I highly recommend the one I have
• after blending, your mixture should come together when rolled in the palm of your hand. If it doesn't, try adding another couple of dates.
• looking for an easier recipe? Check out these seven No Bake Energy Bites flavors!
• or how about these Coconut Black Bean Brownies, which can also be made in a high powered blender!
• looking for more meal prep snack ideas? Check out these Creamy Greek Yogurt Fruit Dips (3 Ways), these Fudgy Black Bean Brownies, or these 7 No Bake Granola Bars, or this round up with 36+ Healthy Snack Recipes

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

Chocolate Almond Quinoa Snack Bars

5 from 8 votes

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 8 minutes mins

Total Time: 28 minutes mins

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These chocolate almond quinoa snack bars are fudgy, with a little crunch from toasted quinoa, and a sprinkling of sea salt on top.  A great meal prep snack to enjoy throughout the week.

15

Ingredients

• ▢ ⅓ cup quinoa uncooked
• ▢ 1.5 cups dates pitted (around 15)
• ▢ ½ cup almond butter
• ▢ ½ cup almonds
• ▢ 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• ▢ 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• ▢ 1 tablespoon coconut oil melted
• ▢ ⅓ cup chocolate chips
• ▢ coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Instructions 

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spread quinoa out on a baking sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes, until toasted and golden. Start checking at 6 minutes to make sure they don't burn.
• Remove from oven and transfer to a bowl to cool.
• In a 7-cup food processor, combine the dates, almond butter, almonds, maple syrup and cocoa powder.
• Pulse 10 times, then blend on high for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture is in small uniform bits as pictured above. Mixture will be 'doughy'.
• Add melted coconut oil and blend for 10 seconds until it is evenly dispersed.
• Important: Scoop up some of the dough in your hand. If it firmly sticks together, proceed with the rest of the recipe. If it is crumbly, add another tablespoon of coconut oil and blend again.
• Add the toasted quinoa and pulse 10 times to mix it through.
• Press into a 9 x 9 inch baking dish lined with parchment paper. Using your hands, press the mixture into the dish, flattening it and working it into the corners. You can flatten it evenly using the back of a drinking glass.
• (Optional): melt the chocolate chips in 15 second increments in the microwave, stirring each time. When completely melted, transfer the chocolate to a small plastic bag, snip the corner, then drizzle over the bars.
• Sprinkle with coarse sea salt to taste.
• Freeze for 30 minutes, then remove from the freezer, cut into 15 bars, transfer to a storage container, and store in the fridge for up to one week.

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Nutrition Information

Serving: 1bar, Calories: 206kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Sodium: 19mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 21g

Author: Denise Bustard

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

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