Dried Fruit Healthful Squares
Updated Apr. 08th, 2024
They’re chewy, they’re nutritious and you can eat them on the go! These dried fruit and nut squares are the best possible thing you can snack on, because not only are they jammed pack full of beta-carotene and vitamins, they are full of healthy omega-3 fats! Store them in your freezer and grab one when you are craving something naturally sweet (that’s right, they’re even sugar-free!) or take them hiking for when you need a natural boost!
- Dairy Free
- Corn Free
- Sugar Free
- Vegetarian
Ingredients:
| 3 tablespoons chia seed | juice from ½ lemon (approximately 3 tablespoons) |
| nuts and seeds: | ||
|---|---|---|
| ½ cup raw walnuts | 3 tablespoons raw, hulled sunflower seeds | 2 tablespoons hemp hearts |
| dried fruit mix: | ||
|---|---|---|
| 200 grams pitted medjool dates (approximately 13) | 3 tablespoons lucuma powder | 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger |
| 100 grams dried apricots (approximately 20) | 1 tablespoon maca powder | pinch sea salt |
Directions
- First, combine your chia seeds and lemon juice in a bowl. Mix and set aside to soak for five minutes.
- Using your food processor or blender, combine your nut and seed ingredients and pulse until roughly chopped. Place into a large bowl and set aside.
- Combine your dried fruits and chia seed mixture into a food processor or blender and pulse until well combined. This will make sticky, thick dough. Once that is well combined, slowly add in your nut mixture so everything combines nicely.
- Place mixture into an 8x8 pan – making sure to line the pan with parchment paper first. Using a spatula, smooth mixture and press it firmly into the pan.
- Allow the squares to set by placing them in the fridge for a few hours. Once they have firmed up, remove from the pan, cut into squares and serve right away or store in an airtight container in the freezer.
Make It This Way
This recipe can be changed to suit your specific tastes. Get creative by swapping out some of the nuts or dried fruits with your favourites.
If you don’t have fresh ginger, you can always swap it out for roughly 2 teaspoons of dried ginger.
Try This
These squares are great for hiking, and also can be made using a dehydrator. Instead of placing in the freezer for storage, place the cut squares in the dehydrator on the lowest setting for 4-6 hours! Store normally.
Yum, I love this recipe for dried fruit healthful squares, I love squares that can be made quickly and that are chewy and soft, which these seem to be! I love dates as a snack on their own and apricots as well so combining them together to make these dried fruit healthful squares is such a great idea! I love finding new food combinations too so this was really helpful, thank you so much for sharing!
Hello,
Finding new flavour combinations is always exciting, we're glad you've been enjoying our recipes! These are healthy, delicious & a great way to get some added fruit into your day. The whole family will enjoy them!
Stay healthy !
This is a cool recipe idea and very practical, too, with how quickly it seems it can be prepared. I like the idea of adding superfood powders to the mix of natural superfoods and think it could add a nice punch of flavor (as well as bonus nutrition) spiking in some black pepper and adding tumeric (I can imagine this having a coloring effect as well). Walnuts must really shine in this recipe with their balanced, mellow, and nutty flavor. Great recipe idea, NN; I am so very happy to have discovered your recipe section! :D And, I am beyond thrilled that you have a whole minisection on vegan recipes!!!! :D
Hello Rachel,
You can really make this recipe your own by adding different superfood powders we offer. You can use blueberry, açai, the options are endless. We hope you love these as a nutritious snack!