Almond Butter Date Candy Bites

I recently had one of those crazy surreal moments when you realize, “hey, that’s me they are talking about!” Every now and then I check out my google analytics. This tells me what states/countries my readers are from, what they are reading, what time of day I get the most action, and where people are clicking on to my blog. Sometimes Facebook, instagram, Google…the usuals…but then I saw a few people on my site from weareeaton.com. So I went on the site to see what it was about. Ashton and Brianne Eaton -Yes!! Ashton who just won Gold for the second time at the Olympics of the Decathlon and Brianne who won bronze in the Heptathlon!! Hmmm…strange, I thought. Why would someone click on my site from theirs?

After about a minute or two playing around on their website I came across this article about desserts  I had to pick my mouth up off the floor and read it maybe 5 times over. I was completely and totally star struck that they even knew who I was! I had been watching them both compete in the olympics that week and was so inspired by this power couple and all they do. And to know that they have made any of my recipes was such an honor. It really put things into perspective and reminded me how important my mission is. This is why I do what I do  – I create recipes with athletes in mind using whole real foods ALWAYS.As I read through the post it reminded me how awesome those raw candy bars I made were and I figured it was time for a new addition. These almond butter crunch bites are the perfect bite to satisfy your sweet tooth. They have a little crunch with a lot of flavor. And this is a very versatile recipe because you can use your favorite nut butter and nuts. You have even make it nut-free by using sun-butter and extra puffed rice cereal in place of the nuts.Don’t let anyone know how easy it is to make these because they look really complicated and are so simple! They are chewy and crunchy at the same time – everything you would find in a typical candy bar. After feeding them to my friends and family they described them as “a peanut chew candy but with almonds.” Yum! For the chocolate I used Lily’s stevia sweetened chocolate bar – my favorite chocolate. It’s vegan and stevia sweetened and has that rich chocolate flavor and melts perfectly, which gives this candy bar that chocolate shell perfection. You can find it at most health food stores. (Wholefoods always has it!) I like keeping a few bags of the chips and a few bars on hand in case I ever have a recipe inspiration and need some chocolate.Let me know what you think!

• 2 cups pitted dates
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1 cup chopped almonds
• 1 cup puffed grain cereal (I used puffed kamut)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch sea salt
• 6 oz Lily’s stevia sweetened chocolate
• 2 teaspoons melted coconut oil

1. In a small bowl combine dates with warm water to cover. Let sit for at least 5 minutes or longer to soften the dates. This will make it easier to blend the dates. You can skip this step but it may be more difficult to get a smooth paste.
2. Once your dates are soaked, add dates, almond butter, vanilla extract and sea salt to a food processor. Process until smooth.
3. Now add chopped almonds and cereal. Pulse ingredients with your date mixture but be sure not to over process. You want it to be chunky. Note: if the mixture is too dry to hold together, add 1/3 cup water and process again.
4. Line a small pyrex with parchment paper. You want the bars to be about an inch thick so you can use a larger pyrex and not fill it all the way. Once your pyrex is lined with parchment paper, press mixture into pyrex making sure it’s even throughout.
5. Meanwhile, melt chocolate over a double broiler and add melted coconut oil. Mix well until smooth, then pour over date mixture that you have evenly pressed into your pyrex.
6. Freeze for at least 30 minutes then cut into 1 inch cubes for the perfect bite. You should get around 20 mini bites. Store in the freezer serve frozen and enjoy.