Pistachio Nut Bars

Pistachio Nut Bars
vegan ~ plant-based ~ gluten-free ~ dairy-free ~ paleo

Makes: 7 Bars or 21 Bite-sized pieces
Total Time: 25 minutes (includes Prep) + 4 Hours Soaking Time
Difficulty: Easy
Author/Credit: Jessica Williams/Vegan Rescue

Pistachio Nut Bars! Yesterday was National Pistachio Day! And what perfect timing for us over here in the Philly area, who are bleeding green. We had a Championship game, and our Philadelphia Eagles won! We are going to the Super Bowl, so exciting!!

I love the beautiful bright green color of pistachios. But you gotta get to them first. I created two pistachio recipes yesterday. These Pistachio Nut Bars and a Pistachio Panna Cotta with white chocolate. Both were a labor of love, mostly because of the pistachios. I shelled them, then soaked them. Then, removed the skin revealing the beautiful green color before utilizing them in both recipes. It did take some time for those steps. You can certainly purchase pistachios already shelled. But sometimes there is something meditative about some of these steps. Whenever I make homemade hummus, I also peel the skin off the chickpeas/garbanzo beans after cooking them too. The creaminess is so worth it!

So, back to these Pistachio Nut Bars. They are so clean and full of great ingredients. I soaked the pistachios for better digestion, but you can also soak the other nuts if you choose. The addition of the chocolate is completely optional, but it certainly elevates the flavor. -Similar to a Kind Bar. For the chocolate, I used Enjoy Life brand mini chocolate chips. You can adjust the coconut also in this recipe. I always use finely shredded coconut and always store it in the freezer. The coconut lasts so long this way. These were cut into seven bars. You can certainly cut each of those bars into threes, making about 21 bite-sized snacks. These bars are vegan, gluten-free, plant-based, and paleo. Enjoy!

Ingredients
Base:
3/4 Cup of Pistachios (soak for 4 hours)
1/4 Cup Walnuts
1/4 Cup Sunflower Seeds (hulled/unsalted)
1/2 Cup of Finely Shredded Coconut Flakes
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp Nutmeg
Pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt
1 Tbsp Raw Honey or Maple Syrup
8 Medjool Dates, pitted

Topping:
1/4 Cup of Pistachios, shelled, chopped/pulsed
3 Tbsp Raw Almonds, chopped/pulsed (about 30 almonds)
2 Tbsp up to 1/4 Cup Raw Pecans, chopped/pulsed (about 15 pecans)
2 Tbsp Finely Shredded Coconut
2 Medjool Dates, chopped

Optional Topping:
1/2 Cup of Chocolate Chips (I used Enjoy Life Brand)
2 Tbsp of Non-Dairy Milk (I used Soymilk)

Directions:
For the bottom layer:
-In a food processor, add your soaked pistachios, walnuts, coconut and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, salt). Pulse first, then blend until all ingredients combine for about 3 minutes. The nuts should start releasing their oils and it all comes together.

-Next, add in the dates and honey or maple syrup. Then, continue to blend again for another 2 minutes. The mixture will bind together almost more paste-like.

-Line a pan 9-inch x 5-inch loaf pan (or other small-sized pan) with parchment paper.

-Remove the nut bar base from the food processor and add this into the lined pan. Press down the base layer to flatten. You can use any excess parchment paper to help press down without sticking.

For the topping:

-Back to the empty food processor, add the next topping ingredients: pistachios, almonds, pecans, and shredded coconut. Pulse this in food processor a couple of times. This topping should still be chunky.

-For the dates, hand chop them instead of adding them into the food processor. They tend to become paste-like when adding into the food processor. For the topping, I want them to remain chunky.

-Next, press your chopped dates onto the base mixture and sprinkle on the remaining toppings from the food processor. Again, press down to it becomes one with the base.

-Refrigerate for a minimum of an hour. These can be eaten right away, but I prefer to refrigerate so they are easier to cut.

-Note: If you are adding the chocolate topping. -In a microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips with your non-dairy milk. Heat in 30 second intervals until smooth.
-You can drizzle, dip or cover your Pistachio Nut Bars with the chocolate if you prefer. See pictures.

-Enjoy!

Here are some pictures to show the process of preparing the pistachios for the Pistachio Nut Bars.

The lengthy prep time is deceptive. Since the recipe itself is quick. The preparation of the pistachios is time consuming, but well worth it. Here you’ll see that I shelled the pistachios, then soaked them. After soaking them, I then removed the skin to reveal the bright beautiful pistachios for these Pistachio Nut Bars.

Unrelated to the pistachio process, but part of the Pistachio Nut Bar recipe… I had planned to use ground cinnamon for this Pistachio Nut Bar recipe but did not have any ground cinnamon. I ran out cinnamon and forgot that I had used the last of it making my Zucchini Bread. Check out my Zucchini Bread recipe here. This was my most recent recipe, however, you can find another version of my Zucchini Bread recipe here. BUT I still had cinnamon sticks. Did you know you can grate cinnamon sticks using a microplane to make ground cinnamon? Check it out –

Enjoy these amazing Pistachio Nut Bars – they are healthy and delicious!

For more Raw recipes – check out my Raw Energy Balls. Here is the recipe link.

I also have a Raw Energy Bites recipe – link found here.

I also have some tarts and cheesecake!! – Check out my Raw Lemon Tart!

These Pistachio Nut Bars are healthy, crunchy, and gives you a boost of energy. These are so clean and full of wholesome ingredients.