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Learn how easy it is to make no-bake healthy snack bars at home in just 10 minutes with the food processor!
Healthy Snack Bars with Chocolate Chips
These healthy Chocolate Chips Snack Bars are the perfect guilt-free solution for any sweet tooth. They are chewy, tasty, and beat any store-bought version since they have minimal added sugars and no weird, unpronounceable ingredients are involved.
My kids love that they taste a lot like the oat and chocolate chip bars found at the grocery store, and I love that they are made with better-for-you ingredients.
You make these snack bars in 10 minutes and store them in the fridge or the freezer for an easy grab-and-go snack you and your kids can enjoy at school.
Ingredients
With only 5 ingredients, these simple bars will be ready to eat in no time. You’ll find the measurements in the recipe card below, but first, here’s what you need to make this healthy treat happen:
- Raw cashew pieces: to make this recipe nut-free, use pumpkin seeds (pepitas) or sunflower seeds.
- Medjool dates: add tons of nutrition. If you want to swap dates for raisins, soak them in hot water for 5 minutes to rehydrate them.
- Vanilla extract: delicious flavor!
- Salt: just a pinch!
- Mini chocolate chips: chocolate chunks also work.
How to Make Healthy Snack Bars with Chocolate Chips
Real ingredients come together super fast in this healthy snack bar recipe with chocolate chips in every bite. No baking required! You just have to do this:
- Prep
Line a 9×9-inch pan with parchment paper. - Combine
In the bowl of the food processor, pulse cashew pieces and dates until they begin to form a paste. Add in vanilla extract and salt, and continue to process until the mixture is a cohesive paste. Add in chocolate chips and pulse to combine. - Make the bars
Spread mixture over parchment paper and with your hands, press down and spread evenly, to about ½ – ¾ inch thick. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours until firm. - Cut and store
Picking up the parchment paper, remove from the pan and cut into individual bars. Wrap individually and store in the refrigerator for about a week. Bars can also be wrapped and frozen.
What I like best about these healthy snack bars, besides how great they taste, is they come together super fast! Don’t believe me? Check out this quick video:
How to Pack Homemade Snack Bars for School
Healthy homemade school snacks stay intact in the lunchbox if you follow these packing tips:
Store properly
Once the chocolate chip snack bars are firm, remove them from the pan and cut individual bars. Wrapped them individually and store them in the fridge for about a week or in the freezer for up to a month.
Pack it separately
When you want to send one of these to school, just grab one and place it in the lunchbox in its own compartment so it doesn’t absorb the moisture of fruits or veggies.
Pack it frozen
If the snack bar is frozen, defrost will take just 5 minutes, so you can pack it frozen and it will be ready to eat when your kid opens the lunchbox.
More School Lunch Sides
Want to pack something sweet and healthy in the lunchbox? Add a homemade fruit cup, this strawberry fruit leather, or a refreshing smoothie. For the savory team, these homemade Doritos and these pizza egg cups are a terrific way to sneak nutrition in a way kids find appealing!
Healthy Chocolate Chip Snack Bars
Watch How It’s Packed:
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw cashew pieces*
- 12 pitted Medjool dates
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
Instructions
Prep:
- Line a 9×9-inch pan with parchment paper.
Make the dough:
- In the bowl of the food processor, pulse cashew pieces and dates until they begin to form a paste. Add in vanilla extract and salt, and continue to process until the mixture is a cohesive paste. Add in chocolate chips and pulse to combine.
Refrigerate:
- Spread mixture over parchment paper and with your hands, press down and spread evenly, to about ½ – ¾ inch thick. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours until firm.
- Picking up the parchment paper, remove from pan and cut into individual bars. Wrap individually and store in refrigerator for about a week. Bars can also be wrapped and frozen.
Andrea says
Seems awfully high in calories and sugar. Is it really healthy?!
MOMables-Laura says
Hi Andrea, compared to store-bought cookie dough bars, these are made with real ingredients and minimal added sugars from the chocolate chips. Low calorie doesn’t necessarily mean better for you.