from our cocoa kitchen · SURFSTR
No-Bake Chocolate, Date & Nut Bars
Soft dates bind almonds, hazelnuts, dark chocolate and cocoa into chewy bars with a crisp nib crunch. No oven or syrup is needed: a firmly pressed slab and a full hour in the fridge give neat, portable portions.
- Active preparation
- 20 min
- Cooking / baking
- 0 min
- Resting / chilling
- 60 min
- Total time
- 80 min
12 bars, about 50 g each · Easy · International
Editorial recipe adaptation. Not yet kitchen-tested. Check ingredient labels for allergens.
02 / bring it together
let’s make it.
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Line the pan
Line the base and sides of the 20 × 20 cm pan with two overlapping parchment strips. Leave enough paper above two sides to lift the chilled slab. No greasing or baking is required.
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Prepare the dates
Split the dates and remove every stone, checking the empty cavities. Weigh 300 g of the pitted flesh and chop it roughly. Use soft, pliable Medjool dates: hard, dried-out dates will not bind this formula as reliably.
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Chop the nuts
Roughly chop the 75 g almonds and 75 g hazelnuts to break up large pieces before processing. Keep both nut types in the batch. Unsalted nuts allow the 1 g salt addition to stay predictable.
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Chop the chocolate
Chop the 70 g dark chocolate into pieces around 5 mm across. Keep it solid; there is no melting or coating stage. Choose a 70% chocolate with no milk ingredients and check its soy and allergen information.
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Pulse to a coarse meal
Put the chopped nuts and 1 g salt into the food processor. Pulse briefly until the texture resembles coarse breadcrumbs, with small visible nut pieces. Stop before the nuts turn into oily nut butter.
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Add the cocoa and dates
With the motor stopped, add the 300 g dates, chopped chocolate, 30 g SURFSTR cocoa powder and 10 g water. Close the lid and process in short bursts. Stop and unplug before scraping the sides or working near the blade.
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Check the binding texture
Scrape the bowl, then pulse again until the dark mixture forms clumps. Pinch a teaspoonful: it should hold together firmly without loose powder. It is a dense date dough with nut flecks, not a pourable chocolate cream.
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Fold in the nibs
Transfer the mixture to the mixing bowl and fold in all 40 g roasted cocoa nibs with the spatula. Knead briefly with clean hands if needed so the crunch is evenly distributed. Do not grind the nibs into a paste.
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Press and chill
Transfer to the lined pan and spread right into the corners. Fold parchment over the surface and press firmly to an even slab about 1.3–1.4 cm thick. Refrigerate at 2–5°C for at least 60 minutes, until firm to lift.
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Cut into 12 bars
Lift out using the parchment. Cut into three equal rows and four columns, giving 12 bars about 6.7 × 5 cm. Wipe the knife between cuts. Portion at about 50 g each and keep chilled until serving.
The recipe in pictures
Commercial scaling
| Ingredient | 12 bars | 25 bars | 50 bars |
|---|---|---|---|
| soft Medjool dates, weighed after removing the stones | 300 g | 625 g | 1250 g |
| unsalted almonds | 75 g | 156.2 g | 312.5 g |
| unsalted hazelnuts | 75 g | 156.2 g | 312.5 g |
| 70% dark chocolate, without milk ingredients; check the label | 70 g | 145.8 g | 291.7 g |
| unsweetened roasted cocoa nibs | 40 g | 83.3 g | 166.7 g |
| SURFSTR cocoa powder, Dutch-process/alkalised, 20–22% cocoa butter | 30 g | 62.5 g | 125 g |
| water | 10 g | 20.8 g | 41.7 g |
| fine salt | 1 g | 2.1 g | 4.2 g |
Weights scale proportionally. For 25 bars use two 20 cm square pans; for 50 use four. Divide processing into small batches that fit the machine, combine evenly and press to the same depth. Chilling time and batch handling do not scale linearly: chill until each slab is firm, then portion by weight. Use a scale reading 0.1 g for salt.
03 / the numbers
nutrition, clearly.
Calculated estimates, not laboratory measurements. Any per-100-g values use the stated estimated finished weight.
| Nutrient | Per bar (~50 g) | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 878 kJ / 210 kcal | 1754 kJ / 420 kcal |
| Fat | 11.8 g | 23.6 g |
| Saturates | 3.4 g | 6.7 g |
| Carbohydrate | 20.9 g | 41.7 g |
| Sugars | 18.6 g | 37.1 g |
| Fibre | 4.7 g | 9.5 g |
| Protein | 4.1 g | 8.2 g |
| Salt | 0.09 g | 0.18 g |
Calculated estimates, not laboratory measurements. Per bar is one twelfth of the batch (about 50 g); per 100 g assumes an estimated finished weight of 601 g with all mixture recovered. Values use SURFSTR cocoa data, generic date/nut/dark-chocolate data and a roasted-nib label. Chocolate is represented by a 70–85% generic proxy; date saturates use a closely related date proxy because the Medjool record omits that value. Exact brands, bowl losses and added water can change results.
Practical tips, storage & substitutions
If the mixture is crumbly
First scrape and pulse again; the dates must be soft enough to become sticky. If your dates are dry, the batch needs a separate hydration trial rather than an unmeasured liquid addition. Extra water changes firmness, storage behaviour and the stated finished-weight basis.
Serving
Serve cool, or let a bar stand for 5 minutes if it is very firm. The small chocolate and nib pieces should stay distinct. These are dense snack bars; they should not have a cake-like rise or a glossy chocolate shell.
Storage
Keep airtight in the refrigerator at 2–5°C for up to 4 days. Separate layers with parchment. Freeze wrapped portions for up to 2 months; thaw in the refrigerator. Keep cool when transporting.
Substitutions
You may replace the almonds and hazelnuts with the same total weight of walnuts, but texture, allergens and nutrition change. Plain cocoa nibs are not caramelised nibs. A different cocoa fat level or a sweeter chocolate changes the result; the stated formula uses SURFSTR 20–22% Dutch-process cocoa.
SURFSTR · DUTCH PROCESS
it starts with cocoa.
SURFSTR Dutch-process cocoa contains 20–22% cocoa butter. Use the cocoa specified in the recipe: natural cocoa is not always a direct substitute.
Meet the cocoa