Magic! Raw Seven-Layer Bars (Well, Seven-ish)

A friends mentioned she tried raw seven layer bars the other day (and said they were delish!), and so of course I had to invent a recipe for my own version. My mom used to call them Magic Bars, and I think the magic was that they were easy to make, with just a few ingredients, and the end product is greater than the sum of its parts. The raw ones are even easier – no baking! And I just kept using the same mini food processor for each step, without bothering to wash it out in between. Hey, it’s all going to the same place! This version is exceedingly better for you than the original, which uses graham cracker, butter, condensed milk, coconut (ok, I kept that ingredient), and various chocolate chip flavors and nuts. This one only has four layers, but I think in the original people were counting butter, condensed milk, and additional chip flavors as another layer…

Here’s the YUMMY recipe…

“Graham Cracker” Layer

1 cup of walnuts

1 cup of dates, pitted

Pinch of salt, dash of vanilla or some vanilla bean

Blend the above in a food processor until smooth and balled-up…press into a 9 inch pie plate (or other smallish pan).

“Chocolate Chips”

1/3 cup almond butter

½ of the third of a cup of agave nectar (use a few dates and a tablespoon of water if you prefer not to use agave)

¼ cup raw cocoa powder

Blend almond butter, agave nectar, cocoa powder in a food processor. Here is a little more magic…somehow these liquidy things get more solid when combined in a food processor. Blend until a doughy ball forms. Roll little balls…about the size of two chocolate chips together, and dot over top of walnut and date layer.

Nuts Layer (No “ ”, because we’re actually using nuts here)

Crush up 1 cup of pecans (or another nut of your choosing) in a food processor, with a pinch of salt, and fill in where the chocolate balls aren’t…here’s a photo of half with nuts, half without.

Coconut Layer

1 cup shredded unsweetened dried coconut

2 tablespoons coconut oil

Pinch of salt

1 tablespoon agave (it is fine to sub in a couple of dates here, as well)

Combine well in a food processor and press over the mixture already in the pie plate. Freeze or refrigerate until it firms up a little (if you can wait that long), and cut into bars to serve. Store in freezer or fridge. You can bring to room temp before cutting and serving if you would like the coconut soft, or serve from the fridge if you like it firm and crumbly...

This is rather sweet, but totally delicious. Raw appétit!