Snacks / 45 min
Spiced pear walnut energy squares
Dried pear, oats, walnuts and warm spices press into chewy, sliceable snack squares with no baking required.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 16 squares
Dried pear brings floral sweetness to these pantry-friendly squares, while walnuts and oats add a pleasantly crumbly chew. A food processor does the work, and a short chill makes clean slicing easy.
Ingredients
- 1 cup soft dried pears, chopped
- 1 cup pitted dates
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ¾ cup walnuts
- 2 tablespoons sunflower seed butter
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Method
- 1. Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment. Pulse oats and walnuts in a food processor until finely chopped but still textured.
- 2. Add dried pears, dates, seed butter, spices, lemon juice, water and salt. Process until the mixture clumps.
- 3. Press firmly into the pan, chill for 30 minutes, then lift out and cut into 16 squares.
Estimated nutrition
- calories
- 155 calories
- fat
- 7 g fat
- carbohydrate
- 22 g carbohydrates
- protein
- 4 g protein
- fiber
- 3 g fiber
Approximate values per serving. Nutrition varies with ingredients, brands and portion sizes.
Substitutions
- Use dried apples or apricots instead of dried pears.
- Almond butter or tahini can replace sunflower seed butter.
- Pecans can replace walnuts.
Good to know
Use soft dried fruit for a cohesive texture. If the pears feel leathery, soak them in hot water for 5 minutes and pat them dry first.
Questions, answered.
How should I store the squares?
Refrigerate them in a sealed container for up to one week, or freeze them for up to two months with parchment between layers.
What if the mixture will not clump?
Add water one teaspoon at a time and pulse again. Very dry fruit may need a few extra minutes to soften in the processor.