Secret Recipe Club: Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

.  Yep, you betcha.  It's SRC time once again!

And who was my wonderful assignment this month?  Well, it was none other then The Mommy Bowl, by Ms. Deanna.  This assignment was actually quite interesting, which is one of the main reasons I am so absolutely in love with SRC.

If you've glanced through my recipes, you'll see a common theme throughout: butter, butter, sugar, and...more butter.  Am I right, or am I right?  I am.  But The Mommy Bowl is centered around gluten- and dairy-free recipes, so needless to say LSM is basically the antithesis of what Deanna is all about.  But HEY!  That's what SRC is ALL about!  So thank you for this match up ☺

I struggled a bit on what to make from The Mommy Bowl, but only because I had no clue where to get some of the ingredients.  Dang, I give props to Deanna for the extra effort of finding supplies.  I'm lazy so I guess I could never do the -free anything route.  

But then I spotted these suckers: Chocolate Pecan Pie Bites.  Uh, how could anyone pass these up?  Obviously I couldn't.  And yes, you'll notice Deanna's title says 'bites' but I felt like being extra adventurous and made these lovelies into bars [wink, wink on the 'adventurous part'].  I was so intrigued by this recipe not only for the extremely short ingredient list but because I've always been interested in making my own snack bars but have just never made the plunge.  

Point two of why I love SRC: I get a chance to try out things I normally wouldn't.  

So what exactly do these taste like?   I know your curiosity is killing you right now.  Okay, I'll be honest.  Robbie was not a fan.  But I think it was a mental thing because he knew there were dates in them.  However, I actually thought they were quite tasty!  And knowing they're healthy and natural makes them that much more enticing.  Hollyann and another co-worker also tried them out and really loved them!  But they were both also women.  So maybe just make these for the female gender....

Anywho, Deanna describes these bars as reminiscent of Lara Bars.  I would have to agree and I can't really think of another bar they resemble.  They're very soft and chewy, with a deeply nutty flavor from the pecans, slight sweetness from the dates, and just an ever-so subtle hint of chocolate.  And a dash of salt to bring it all out.  I found that they were a fantastic snack to have around for a little pick-me-up during the day.  Nom, nom, nom.

So thanks Deanna for this wonderful inspiration to make my own bars, this was such a fun experience and I owe it all to you!  To a wonderful April!  .

My Notes:

• Deanna's original recipe called for a slightly smaller amount of ingredients, but since the package of pecans came a bit bigger, I opted to use them all (which I reflected in my ingredient list below).
• Deana's original recipe also called for scooping the mixture into balls, however, I randomly felt like making bars.  Either way works though!
• I suggest keeping the bars/bites in the refrigerator, the colder they are the better they stay together.

Adapted from The Mommy Bowl

Ingredients:

6 oz. raw pecans

6 oz. pitted dates

1/2 tsp. salt

1-1/3 tbsp. cocoa powder

Water (if necessary)

Directions:

1. Place parchment paper in 9x5-inch loaf pan; set aside.
2. Place pecans, dates, salt, and cocoa powder in food processor.  Process until finely chopped and mixture clumps together.  If mixture does not come together, add water, one teaspoon at a time, and pulse until combined.  Firmly press mixture evenly into loaf pan.  Place in refrigerator until firm.  
3. Pull bars out of pan using parchment paper.  Cut as desired.

Yield: 8 bars