Quinoa Snack Bars with Dates and Cocoa Recipe

A few days ago, I stumbled upon a random video on Facebook showing how to make "quinoa popcorn."

The instructions were simple: just toast the quinoa for a few minutes in a hot pan until it starts popping.

Wow, sounds like a hit, right?

So I went into the kitchen, pulled out some quinoa I had sitting in the cabinet, and tried it myself.

And guess what? It really pops!

But unlike corn kernels, popped quinoa stays tiny, so you can't really snack on them one by one while watching Netflix.

So, I changed direction and thought about how I could incorporate them into something delicious.

A quick web search revealed that you can make sweet treats out of them, like these quinoa snack bars.

They are an excellent pre-workout snack, perfect for when you're craving something sweet or want to offer guests something special...

What’s great about this popped quinoa is that you don't need to cook it in water first; it becomes crunchy and fun to chew.

The combination with date paste and cocoa makes this snack especially indulgent and rich in antioxidants.

A perfect blend of a treat and a superfood.

A bit about Quinoa Snack Bars with Dates and Cocoa

The base of the bar is toasted white quinoa that has been popped. I haven't tried substituting with red quinoa, but I assume it would work similarly.

To bind everything together, I used vacuum-packed date paste. You can definitely use the same amount of pitted, ground dates instead.

A tasty and healthy addition is natural almond butter with no added sugar. You can substitute this with the same amount of raw tahini or peanut butter.

Want a recipe for quinoa patties? Click here!

Nutritional Values:

One quinoa date bar out of 16 (weighing 40g) contains:

• 160 calories
• 5g protein
• 8g fat
• 17g carbohydrates

Quinoa Snack Bar Recipe

Prep time 15 minutes

Servings 16 units

Calories 160 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 cup Quinoa 180g
• 1/4 package Vacuum-packed pitted dates 150g
• 2 tablespoons Cocoa powder 14g
• 1 teaspoon Cocoa nibs 15g
• 250 g Natural almond butter (no sugar added)
• 2 tablespoons Water

Instructions

1. Heat a wide pan.

2. Add the quinoa and spread it evenly across the pan, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn.

3. After a few minutes, the quinoa will start to jump and pop. Continue stirring throughout.

4. Once the quinoa has slightly browned and has a wonderful nutty aroma, remove from heat and transfer to a deep bowl.

5. Add the rest of the ingredients and knead well until you get a uniform dough.

6. Transfer to a small pan (about 20cm x 20cm) lined with parchment paper.

7. Using a glass or your hands, firmly press the dough down into the pan.

8. Place in the refrigerator for half an hour.

9. After half an hour, remove from the pan, cut into 16 pieces, and enjoy!