Chocolate Chip Cashew Date Bars - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 cup tightly-packed pitted dates
1 1/4 cups finely chopped cashews
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chocolate chips, or more to taste

Preparation

Place dates in a bowl and cover with several inches of cool water until soft, 30 to 60 minutes. Drain, squeeze out extra liquid, and reserve. Chop dates into a thick paste.
Combine dates with cashews, vanilla extract, and salt in a bowl. Fold in chocolate chips. Press mixture firmly into a parchment paper-lined 8-inch baking pan until compact. Refrigerate until set, 1 hour to overnight.
Cut into bars.