S’mores and Summer just seem to go hand in hand. Nothing quite like them as a treat or dessert.
When I decided to become vegan, I thought my love affair with s’mores would be coming to an end. That was until I found out there were vegan marshmallows and chocolate chips with no milk in them. I felt like I had died and gone to heaven.
The vegan marshmallows are made by a company called Dandies. They taste great, but I have to be honest with you, they are a little expensive. Our kids actually like the Dandies brand more than normal marshmallows. The vegan chocolate chips we like are made by Trader Joe’s. You really can’t taste the difference between them and ones with milk.
This is another awesome recipe from local nutritionist Sara Sullivan. The s’more bars only have five ingredients, so they are pretty quick and easy to make. Not only are they delicious, but the walnuts and dates in this recipe are very good for you. Dates are rich in several vitamins and high in fiber. Walnuts help lower cholesterol and has an ample presence of antioxidants.
I know cooking the marshmallows with a stick over the fire is fun, but try these s’mores bars that require no fire or cooking at all. Hey, you can always prepare them inside and then eat them sitting around the fire outside. Enjoy this Summer treat with a twist and of course that vegan thing.
Ingredients
1 cup chopped and pitted fresh Medjool dates
1 cup raw walnuts
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 dark chocolate chunks or chips that contain no dairy
1/2 cup vegan marshmallows
Directions
Chop dates and walnuts in food processor. Keep mixing until a sticky dough has formed and the pieces of nuts and fruit are all similar sized pieces. Add the sea salt and mix. Then add the chocolate chips and vegan marshmallows. If the marshmallows are not mini ones, cut them up in pieces. Mix them up until combined. Be careful not to process at this point. Shape into equal sized bars, place on parchment paper, chill for an hour and serve.