No-Bake Pistachio Butter Date Bark

It’s summertime, which means our kids are out of school and getting geared up for summer activities. I imagine a lot of households are preparing for sports, vacation and summer camp!

At this time of year, our kids are working hard outside of school with all of these activities, and could use a pick-me-up treat. I wanted to share a recipe that could be a great after-dinner or midday-treat type of snack. Today, I’m sharing my delicious No-Bake Pistachio Butter Date Bark recipe! 

If you're a fan of Snickers Bars, you'll love our simple, no-bake Pistachio Butter Date Bark! It's our take on the trending Date Bark recipes that have been circulating online. We’ve borrowed bits from Eating Bird Food’s recipe (thank you @eatingbirdfood !) and Nuttinosh-ified it!

Let’s talk about brain power. A lot of our cognitive health starts with how we power it - with food! I’m excited to share this particular recipe today because dates are a superhero fruit when it comes to fueling our minds.

Dates are a great source of antioxidants (similar to blueberries or strawberries). Antioxidants are very important to our brain health and cognitive abilities like thinking, decision making, focus, and memory. Some of you can see where I’m going with this…therefore, dates are the perfect thing for kids to snack on when they’re hard at work on a summer project or after a sports game. They’re also an excellent way to get some natural sugar as an energy boost.

Pistachios and dates really are a match made in heaven. Dates are a nutritional powerhouse all on their own - packed with vitamins and antioxidants, and a great source of fiber and natural sugar. Matching this sweet fruit with the salty, protein-packed pistachio flavor and boom! Best snack ever to find in the lunchbox at day camp.

We all deserve a sweet treat once in a while, and this date bark recipe is perfect for satisfying a sweet tooth while also being a nutrient-rich dessert.

Let’s break it down! Here’s What You Need For Your Pistachio Butter Date Bark:

• Medjool dates are popular because of their larger size and softer texture when compared to other dates - making them perfect for a recipe like this.

• You know it! We used the original Roasted flavor for this recipe, but you can use your favorite Nuttinosh butter for a fun flavor twist.

• Using chopped pistachio nuts adds a great crunch factor to our bark (and who ever said “no” to more pistachios?).

• We use unsweetened dark chocolate in this recipe for its rich and complex flavor balancing with the dates and pistachios, plus more antioxidant power from the natural cacao! You can also swap for semi-sweet chocolate in this recipe.

• Using coconut oil will help us thin the chocolate to make it meltier.You don’t have to use coconut oil in the recipe, however your chocolate will be thicker, and might be more difficult to work with.

• We’ll add a sprinkle or two of flaky sea salt to finish, and enhance all of our wonderful flavors.

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No-Bake Pistachio Butter Date Bark by Anosha Singh

Prep Time: 10 min

Chill Time: 10-15 min

Total Time: 20-25 min

Makes approximately 10 servings.

Ingredients:

• 10-12 pitted Medjool dates
• 2 Tablespoons Nuttinosh Roasted Pistachio Butter
• 2 Tablespoons chopped pistachios 
• ½ cup unsweetened or semi-sweet dark chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• flaky sea salt

Directions:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay out the pitted Medjool dates flat on the baking sheet, ensuring that they are pressed in place. (Pro tip: You can also use a rolling pin to flatten the dates between two pieces of parchment paper into a thinner layer for the bark.)
2. Carefully spread Nuttinosh Pistachio Butter over each date. 
3. Sprinkle the chopped pistachio kernels over the pistachio butter-layered dates.
4. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine your chocolate chips with the coconut oil.
5. Use your microwave to melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil together - this should take around 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir every 20 seconds to ensure the chocolate doesn’t burn. 
6. Evenly spread the melted chocolate over the dates with a baking spatula.
7. To finish, top with a sprinkle of additional pistachio kernels and flaky sea salt. 
8. Place your baking sheet in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes, or until the chocolate has solidified and you have a set sheet of bark.
9. Once your bark is set, you can remove the sheet from the freezer and begin to break it into pieces - try to make even pieces, but it’s okay if some are slightly bigger than others!
10. Enjoy!
11. Be sure to store your leftover bark in an airtight container in the fridge.