Homemade Dried Fruit & Nut Bars

Earlier this week, I stared into my pantry and refrigerator, wondering what to do with my odds and ends. I felt like baking, and wanted to make a snack rather than a full-fledged dessert. Besides, I felt compelled to use my dried fruit “stash.” Inspiration struck when I saw this David Lebovitz post on a holiday treat. He adapted an Alice Medrich recipe and called it fruitcake bars. I turned David’s recipe into a template for Homemade Dried Fruit and Nut Bars. 

David’s post specifies the types of fruits and nuts to use. His mouth watering photos of ingredients include moist-looking dried dates and apricot morsels.  He artfully arranged them in bowls and cups, a tempting prelude to the finished bars. What I found in my pantry, however, were leftover bits of this and that. Some were a bit moist. But others were well past their prime.  And as for the nuts, which I keep refrigerated after I open them, those were no better. 

Luckily, though my beloved used to criticize me for overbuying, he doesn’t now. What he considered borderline hoarding behavior in the past, he now appreciates. My past buying sprees mean that we have a variety of potential ingredients for these Homemade Dried Fruit & Nut Bars. And he gets to munch on the bars as we contemplate which show to binge-watch next.

They are deliciously dense and chewy. Simple too. I added a top layer, because I can never leave well enough alone. If you’re in my camp on that, use chocolate to satisfy the chocoholics (like my Grownup Homemade Granola Bars), or use another topping, like coconut. Or keep it simple, with just the dried fruit and nuts. Either way, you’ll enjoy these. 

While I have provided a recipe, think of it as a template. Improvise with what you have and be creative. All that matters is that you have some dried fruit in any condition (see the note for moistening stale dried fruit), nuts of any type, sugar, and the other ingredients or a reasonable substitute. You can even add a few pumpkin seeds if you have them. 

Let them cool completely in the pan, then cut into small squares with a cleaver like the one pictured below or a large sharp knife. I got my cleaver from an incredible store, The Wok Shop in San Francisco, thanks to a recommendation from Grace Young. And though you may not have an in-person visit in your future, you can spend hours virtually there, shopping at their online store. 

Want to try it with almond flour instead of wheat flour? Sure – go ahead and try it. Make it vegan with an egg substitute? I haven’t tried but you definitely should if that’s your preference.