Thursday, November 21, 2013

Orange-Car​damom Date Nut Bars

1425540_10152080801316663_706446332_n It’s Improv Cooking Challenge reveal day and this month for the Improv Cooking Challenge our hostess Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker challenged the participating bloggers to make any recipe of their choosing using the specified ingredients of orange & cardamom.  My very first thought were of some delicious orange & cardamom Christmas cookies which I haven’t had in years, but as I’m not eating wheat, gluten, sugar or sweeteners these days, they weren’t going to happen.  But, I did have my heart set on something sweet which would fit into my current diet and after a little looking around I found this wonderful recipe for Orange-Cardamom Date Bars with a Nutty Crust. 

1426136_10152080801216663_979848146_n I made only one small ingredient change to better fit our diets and I simplified the process of making the bars.  The bars are delicious and sweet with no added sugar or sweeteners and the flavor of the orange and cardamom works perfectly with the flavors of the nuts and dates.  Even though there’s no cooking or baking involved, the nuts make a wonderful crunchy crust and the date puree in the center is creamy and delicious.  A wonderful little treat if you’re looking for a healthy sweet dessert or snack.

1474647_10152080801431663_582691904_n Orange-Cardamom Date Nut Bars (adapted from here)

Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan with the coconut oil.  Working over the bowl of a  food processor, peel the oranges and remove and discard all the white pith and the membranes.  Add the dates and process to a smooth puree. Scrape the puree into a bowl.  Rinse and dry the processor bowl.  Add the almonds to the empty processor bowl and process until very finely ground. Add the pecans, cinnamon and ground cardamom and pulse until the pecans are coarsely chopped. Add 1/4 cup of the date puree and pulse until the mixture holds together. Using oiled fingers, press half of the nut mixture into the prepared pan in an even layer. Spread the date puree over the crust. Crumble the remaining nut mixture evenly over the filling; pressing down to compact it. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until firm enough to cut.

Cut into 24 squares and serve.

Enjoy!

My previous Improv Cooking Challenge entries:

 

Posted by Lisa~~ at 8:45 AM
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5 comments:

  1. KristenNovember 21, 2013 at 9:19 AM

    YUM! I want to make this now. What a great combination. Larabar needs to make an orange cardamom variety.

    ReplyDelete
  2. MelodyNovember 21, 2013 at 9:57 AM

    Oh my goodness! Those look like a terrific gf Thanksgiving dessert -- I'll have to borrow your recipe. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lesa @ Edesias NotebookNovember 21, 2013 at 5:15 PM

    Sounds tasty! It's refreshing to see a healthy dessert recipe this time of year!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Karen - Cinnamon FreudNovember 22, 2013 at 11:00 PM

    Yum, these look gooey and wonderful! Love dates in desserts

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousNovember 25, 2013 at 8:39 PM

    These bars sound wonderful! They remind me of Larabars. These sounds like a healthy, unique dessert.

    ReplyDelete

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