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Monday, May 12, 2014

Raw (ish) Maple Walnut Squares

Maple Walnut Squares
These Maple Walnut Squares are the perfect whole-foods way to satisfy that sweet tooth without ruining your health. When you want a sweet treat, reach for these!

They're wonderful for a packed lunch or for travel, as well as for enjoying at home.

They're so simple to make:

Maple Walnut Squares
Chop till very fine in food processor
1/2 cup Raw Walnuts
1/2 Cup Shredded or Flaked Coconut
1 1/2 Cups lightly packed Deglet Noor Dates* (I use an 8 oz bag from the grocery)
3/4 teaspoon Maple Extract
When the mixture is properly chopped, you'll be
able to pack it together - much like making snow balls
from the snow.

Fruits & Nuts chopped just right for a raw (ish) snack
Press down firmly into a small plastic, glass or metal food container (I use a plastic food container of about 4" by 6") . After firmly packed, cut into squares. If you prefer, you can form the mixture into bite sized balls.

These can be stored in the refrigerator, or for a few days at room temperature. They also freeze well if you so desire.

*I prefer Deglet Noor Dates to the very trendy Medjool for a recipe like this. Medjool dates are outstanding for snacking on alone, but when blended to form a square, bar, or ball, they tend to be too moist and form a pasty texture. Besides that, they're more expensive. The Deglet Noor- which is the normal American Supermarket Date - is much better for a recipe like this one. 

6 comments:

  1. These look amazing! I have a bunch of Walnut I want to use this week and this sounds perfect! Thanks so much!!! WOW!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your sweet comments - hope you enjoy them! : )

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  2. I wonder, if you only had Medjools, if you could just use one cup of dates in the recipe and have the squares be firm enough. We used to find Deglet Noors at Costco, and I used them in Christmas recipes, but the last couple of years they only had Medjools. If I had my druthers, I'd like to have the really dry dates for snacking...but I am very fond of dates almost any way they come!

    I made some similar goodies the other day when I was trying to use up some prunes. Prunes, coconut, dried apples, carob powder, walnuts and almonds. I didn't measure anything, so the resulting yummy snack is unrepeatable. I appreciate your measured recipe!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your kind comment & question. I don't know whether you could use less medjools or not, but if I were in your situation I'd probably add a 1/4 cup of oatmeal in with the nuts to dry it out a bit and see how that worked. It is a recipe that you don't really HAVE to measure : ) Alternately, I'm pretty sure that the grocery brands of dates, such as Sunkist, are Deglet Noor. Your recipe sounds lovely!

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  3. I am in total agreement regarding the dates. Medjool are yummo but the lesser costly, a little drier ones seem to work better in these types of recipes.

    Going to give this one a try!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for your encouraging comment! Hope you enjoy them : )

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