Blueberry Bliss Bars
I love this versatile recipe which I adapted from an original recipe by my friend Sarah B at mynewroots.org. The nut and date base and silky cashew filling is ultra satisfying and much more nutrient dense than your typical cheesecake. 
Yield:
- Use a 8×12″ brownie pan to yield bars or squares to feed a crowd (or stock your freezer). If you’d like to turn this into a cake you could alternatively use a 9″ round springform pan and decorate the top with extra blueberries… or chocolate.. or bee pollen.. or sliced mango… Just sayin’!
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight
- 2 cups raw almonds or Brazil nuts (or combination of the two) – don’t soak these!
- 16-18 soft medjool dates, pits removed
- 1 cup unrefined virgin coconut oil, melted
- 3/4 cup blueberries
- 3/4 cup maple syrup
- Juice of 1 medium lemon (about 1/4-1/3 cup)
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lecithin granules (optional stabilizer)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Procedure:
- Line an 8×12″ brownie pan with parchment paper (or line the bottom of a 9″ round springform pan).
- To a food processor with S blade add almonds and/or Brazil nuts plus 1/4 tsp sea salt and pulse until small chunks form. Don’t over process or you’ll end up with almond butter! At the chunky stage gradually add the pitted medjool dates a few at a time until all have been incorporated into the nuts to form a doughy consistency that holds its shape if pressed together. If too crumbly add a few more dates.
- Using clean hands press the nut/date mixture into the bottom of your pan to form a base for the bars. Optional: place pan in freezer while preparing the filling to allow it to set.
- Drain and rinse the cashews, discarding the water used for soaking. Add the drained cashews to a blender along with coconut oil, blueberries, maple syrup, lemon juice, vanilla extract, remaining 1/4 tsp sea salt and optional lecithin granules. Blend for 1-2 minutes scraping down sides of blender until fully combined and silky smooth.
- Pour cashew/blueberry mixture into cake pan covering the base you prepared in step 3, smoothing with a spatula to form an even layer. Return to freezer for for 2-3 hours or longer until fully set. Overnight freezing is best especially if you use a smaller, deeper pan resulting in a thicker product (like a 9″ round cake).
- Remove from freezer and lift sheet of bars out of cake pan using parchment paper and place on a large cutting board. I find this combination is easy to cut right out of the freezer but if you find it too hard allow it to soften on your counter for a few minutes. Cut into bars or squares of any shape and size. Tip: this is a nutrient dense, protein and fat rich recipe so a small serving goes a long way to satisfy.
Tip: the optional lecithin granules act as a stabilizer so the bars hold their shape better when out of the freezer.
Storage: it’s best to store the bars in your freezer until serving. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to one month. LOL. As if they will last that long.
Aranka Jones 
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