Issue #177: No-Bake Chocolate Pecan Date Bars

Sources for the Best Dates, A Simple, Satisfying Snack

Unlike my husband Nate, I don’t need a giant, gooey, sweet dessert to feel sated after a meal. For me, a small piece of dark chocolate does the trick—I’m currently nibbling my way through a gift selection of fantastic single-origin bars from Dandelion Chocolate in San Francisco.

For some variety, I’ve tried to concoct a few different, simple, not-too-sweet, healthful snacks to eat after dinner or to go with a cup of tea. I’ve experimented with all sorts of different granola bars, for instance, but I can’t seem to get them to hold together satisfactorily without an ungodly amount of sugar or other sweetener, which I’d prefer to avoid.

So, when these simple, no-bake, chocolate, pecan, tahini, date bars came into my Instagram feed courtesy of @panaceas_pantry, I took notice. She called them “Raw Snickers,” which seems a little dirty sounding to me. Still, I love all the components. How great would they be all together?

A typical Bateel date shop in Dubai.

For starters, I love dates. So does Nate. They are like little caremel-flavored candies from nature. Whenever we visit our friends Judi and Marcus in Dubai or they visit us, we stock up on dates from the elegant Bateel shops that dot the Middle East. In addition to many different varieties of dates, which they let you sample, they sell beautiful date-based bonbons. If less genteel, “local” dates from California (see Rancho Meladuco or Shields) and Arizona (see Sphinx) are equally delicious, dare I say, maybe even more so?

The scene at Shield’s Date Garden in Palm Springs, circa 2018.

Funnily enough, when I first went to make these bars back in early September, all of my favorite American sources above were out of dates. It was the end of the year and stores of the 2023 harvest had been depleted. Since then, the 2024 harvest has begun, and now fresh, sweet, plump dates are back in stock. Order some today. They are amazing.

For the chocolate, I used fèves of Valrhona Guanaja 70%. After all, if this is going to replace my daily dose of Dandelion, I don’t want to skimp. The heavy cream is not necessary, but it makes the chocolate more pliable, so it will slice without cracking. Fresh pecans, which I toast for extra flavor, and Soom organic tahini round out the recipe for me. The flake salt on top is key, in my opinion, making the combination of flavors feel a little more grown up. Maldon is the most common, but I prefer Swedish Falksalt, which has bigger flakes. Kosher would do in a pinch.

RECIPE: No-Bake Chocolate, Pecan, Tahini, Date Bars

• 3/4 cup (4 ounces) pecan halves

• 16 fresh, plump jumbo Medjool dates

• 3/4 cup tahini, well mixed

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 5 ounces dark (around 70%) chocolate, chopped

• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

• Maldon, Falksalt, or other flaky salt

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment or waxed paper. Place the pecan halves on a baking tray and set in the preheated oven for 7 or 8 minutes, until they begin to brown and you can perceive a distinct nutty aroma. Cool.

Meanwhile, remove the round stem cap at the top of the dates, if present, and split the dates to remove the pit, butterflying them open. Lay the dates cut side down, side by side in the bottom of the prepared pan to cover as much of the surface area as possible. Using the bottom of a small cup, the back of a large spoon, or your fingertips, press the dates to flatten and smush them together, leaving no gaps. Be sure to get them into the corners of the pan. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the tahini and butter. Set over low heat and cook to melt the butter and liquify the tahini, mixing to combine. Allow to cool about 10 minutes. Pour this mixture evenly over the dates. Scatter the toasted pecans evenly over the surface of the tahini and place the pan in the freezer to set, about 1 hour.

In a microwavable bowl, combine the chocolate and the heavy cream. Melt in 15-second increments, stirring between each. (Alternately, you can melt the chocolate with the cream in a double boiler.) Let cool for 5 minutes. Pour the chocolate over the frozen pan of goodness and quickly spread it out evenly with a small offset spatula before it sets. Sprinkle with some flaky salt. Place back in the freezer for 30 minutes to set.

Using the parchment, lift the whole thing out of the pan onto a cutting board. Heat a small knife blade under running hot water and slice into 16 or 24 bars. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will last a month or more, longer if frozen. Allow to come back to room temperature for 10 minutes or so before eating.