Chocolate Tahini Crunch Bars

Love a good homemade bar? These Chocolate Tahini Crunch Bars are the perfect plant-based bar made from pumpkin, sunflower, and chia seeds with tahini, rolled oats, and vegan chocolate chips. Perfect for meal prep!

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🍫 Ingredients + substitution tips

• Pumpkin and sunflower seeds: this recipe is nut-free and uses three types of seeds, but you could substitute in any nuts or other types of seeds
• Medjool dates: the dates serve as the sweet and sticky based of this recipe; if you need to substitute I would try prunes or even dried cranberries or raisins
• Tahini: I used a thicker tahini (some are very thin) so that the bars stick together well; any nut butter could be substituted
• Rolled oats: I used standard rolled oats but you could also use quick oats (do not use steel cut); use certified gluten free oats if needed
• Chia seeds: chia seeds thicken up and become viscous when wet so removing them does mean you need a binder in the recipe; you could try ground flax seed (you may need about 1.5 times the amount of chia seeds, and let me know how it goes if you try it)
• Chocolate chips: I used vegan dark chocolate chips but you could use any type of chocolate (chunks, etc.) or even carob chips
• Vanilla extract: a touch of vanilla adds flavor; if you need to substitute, I would use almond extract or a touch of maple syrup (this will add sweetness)
• Sea salt: a touch of sea salt adds balance to the bars; you can omit completely if you’d like
• Recommended tools: food processor, 9×5 inch baking dish

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🥣 How to make (step-by-step photos)

1️⃣ Step One: Blend the seeds

First, add the pumpkin, sunflower, and chia seed to a food processor or blender and pulse to chop. This will help blend the seeds so they mix well with the other bar ingredients.

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2️⃣ Step Two: Blend bar ingredients

Next, add dates to the food processor and pulse to completely mix. Then add the tahini and vanilla extract, and pulse again until completely mixed.

Finally, add rolled oats, salt, and chocolate chips and mix until combined.

👉 How should the mixture feel? The mixture should very slightly wet and very thick, not crumbly. If the mixture is crumbly then the bars will not set, so add a small amount of liquid like more peanut butter or even a tablespoon of water and blend ingredients again until the mixture is sticky but firm.

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3️⃣ Step Three: Add to a pan and chill

Add parchment or wax paper inside of a 9×5 inch baking pan so that the edges of the paper extend beyond the sides of the pan (so it is easy to remove after).

Then place the bar ingredient mixture in the pan and use your fingers to press it to the bottom of the pan.

Then place the pan inside the refrigerator for at least an hour to allow the bars to chill and the ingredients to harden.

👉 Tip: You can also make this recipe into balls similar to these, or even cut into smaller bite-size squares. I always suggest you try to make a recipe as-written the first time, then try out different variations to make it your own.

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4️⃣ Step Four: Cut and store bars

When the bars are done chilling, remove the pan from the refrigerator and lift the parchment or wax paper from the pan and lay flat on your countertop. Then cut the bars into 1-2 inch sections (should be about 6 bars, as recipe is written).

Then enjoy or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to eat, as the bars will become very soft when left at room temperature.

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🧊 How to store

1. Refrigerator storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to eat.
2. Freezer storage: Store in a freezer-friendly bag for 2 months, then pull the bars out to room temperature for a few hours before eating.