NO-BAKE CHOCOLATE CHIP BROWNIE BARS

These No Bake Chocolate Chip Brownie Bars are the perfect snack for your summer travels, playdates, and beach days that can satisfy the whole family! They are easy to prepare and so delicious. Make them today to keep the fun going all day long!

It’s summertime and that means travel time! For all you supermoms out there, these No Bake Chocolate Chip Brownie Bars are the perfect snack recipe for your summer travels that can satisfy the whole family! They are so delicious and easy to prepare. I just made them for my recent trip to San Diego and they were the perfect snack for my husband and I in the car. This meant that we didn’t have to stop the car when we were hungry, but Baby Ty was sleeping soundly! #parenthacks 

Not traveling this summer? They are great to take with you anytime you or your kids need a snack – playdates, hikes, beach days, shopping extravaganzas, work, or the gym! Basically, these No Bake Chocolate Chips Brownie Bars will let you and your family keep the fun going on long summer days. 

This recipe is inspired by my love for Larabars and my refusal to pay $1.29 per tiny bar at Trader Joe’s. I used all of the same ingredients as the Chocolate Chip Brownie Bars, except for walnuts, as I did not have this fine nut on hand. Feel free to add some if you would like and let me know how they turn out!

I first made a version of this recipe six years ago, when I was a poor college student and decided to “outsmart the system” and make Larabars of my own. I could not afford to buy Larabars, so I figured I would just make my own. Just blend the ingredients together. How hard could it be? 

Well, it turns out harder than I thought. I did not have a food processor at the time and did not think about what effect putting dates in a cheap blender would have. I used my mom’s plastic blender to make them, threw all the ingredients in, and pressed blend. The blender struggled a bit….clearly evident to most of my senses – visually the ingredients ceased to move, the blender was making a high pitched sound it was not supposed to make, and it smelled like something was burning. Did I stop the blender at this point? Nope. “Blend, damn it! Work!!” I thought to myself. Oddly enough, my thoughts did not make the blender work. My stubbornness however, kept my finger glued to the blend button, until….SILENCE. The high pitched sound stopped and everything was still. I tried pressing the blend button again, and again, and again. Nothing. I think I have made a huge mistake. Mom – if you’re reading:

1. I am sorry. 
2. This is actually how I broke your blender. 
3. I hope you like the new blender I bought you six years later. 
4. I am also sorry it took me so long to buy you a new blender. 

Luckily, I met a nice guy and he asked me to marry him, as this gave me the opportunity to create a wedding registry….first on the list, a food processor. Drew, I promise I did not say yes so that I could be gifted a $40 food processor. I do love it though. But I love you more. 

Though apprehensive to attempt a Larabar recipe after such a traumatic experience, I was inspired to try them again, as we are traveling quite a bit this summer. I am also really trying to stick to our budget, while keeping us healthy. I wrap each bar in parchment paper and put them all in a sealable container. The only catch to this recipe: they are not very firm, so keep them out of the heat when you can. I like to refrigerate mine when possible. 

These bars taste chocolatey and sweet. Though they are sweet, there is a little pop of saltiness at the end created by the sea salt. It is a delightful combo. 

Now, on to the actual recipe! Use a food processor (NOT a blender!) and blend all of the ingredients together until mostly smooth. I keep my dates in the fridge, so they become pretty firm. If your dates are too firm, simply boil some water and pour over the dates for one minute and they will soften. Drain the water and add the dates to the food processor. 

CAUTION: Make sure your dates DO NOT have pits in them!! I did not read the fine print on my date container, which stated that they “contain pits”! 

You may need to stop the food processor and scrape the mixture off the edges with a spatula and then get back to processing. I needed to do this a couple of times before the mixture was processed enough. I like the crunch of the almonds in mine, so I made sure not to blend it until completely smooth. 

Scoop the mixture out and place on parchment paper. You can form rectangular bars with your hands or you can place the parchment paper over the mixture to flatten and mold them into bars that way. Place them in the fridge for 10 minutes for them to firm up and enjoy!