Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew KIND Copycat Bars

Sweet and salty chocolate fruit and nut bars are a great snack or dessert on the go! They have plenty of protein and good fats to keep you full for hours.

Since today is the last day of #Choctoberfest with Imperial Sugar I thought I’d make a fun copycat recipe to share with you all. Be sure to enter the Giveaway here if you haven’t already! Today is the last day! We have tons of free chocolate goodies to giveaway to one lucky reader.

I absolutely love KIND bars for a quick little snack and find them quite filling when I don’t have time for a full meal. They are so expensive though so I thought I would make a no-bake copycat bar that has even MORE protein using some awesome hemp seeds from Just Hemp Foods. I didn’t know too much about hemp before our #Choctoberfest event but after Just Hemp graciously sent us some wonderful products (Thank you!!) I decided to do some research. Look at all the cool products they sent me!

Just Hemp Foods have a variety of products including hemp seed oil (can’t wait to put this over a salad!), hemp protein powder, hulled hemp seeds and toasted salted hemp seeds. Hemp seeds have tons of omega 3, 6, and 9 fatty acids and plenty of vitamins and minerals. And to top it off they are a plant based protein! Hemp seeds are great in smoothies and salads and add a nutty little crunch to your dish. Follow Just Hemp Foods on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for ideas on how to use hemp seeds and updates on their products! In these bars, the seeds pair perfectly with the nuts and add a little more nutty flavor.

These bars taste SO similarly to the real KIND bars and at a fraction of the price! I looked at the ingredients on the back of a KIND bar and tried my best to mimic the same ones. Now, without further ado, here is the lovely step-by-step:

First, line an 8 inch pan with aluminum foil leaving a couple of inches overhanging on each side and spray with cooking spray. The bars are quite sticky so it will be easier to lift them out this way.

In a large greased bowl, mix together almonds, honey roasted peanuts, cashew pieces, Just Hemp Seeds (both salted and hulled), dried cranberries, dried cherries, raisins and rice krispies.

I love the addition of the toasted and salted hemp seeds for a little salty crunch!

In a small saucepan, combine the honey, light corn syrup, Imperial Sugar, vanilla, and salt and bring to a boil, continually whisking for about 2 to 3 minutes.

Now, pour the syrup mixture over nut mixture and stir to combine. Transfer into the lined pan and spread out evenly. You can use the bottom of a greased glass or your fingers to make sure all of the gaps are filled.

Allow the bars to cool for about 20 minutes. Them, take the mixture out of the pan using the overhanging foil and place on a cutting board. Cut into 10 even bars and allow to cool completely.

Next, we have our chocolate component! I used about 2 ounces of Trader Joe’s Pound Plus Dark Chocolate bar with 1 tsp vegetable oil and melted it in the microwave in 30 second intervals. The oil will keep the chocolate nice and glossy.

Drizzle the bars with the chocolate using a spoon or put the melted chocolate into a ziploc bag, snip off the end and pipe the chocolate onto the bars (which is what I did). You can also dip them into the chocolate as well.

The nut and fruit bars are good on their own but the chocolate sends them over the edge. It cuts through some of the sweetness and stickiness of the bars and is the perfect snack. I love how the hemp seeds provide a little nutty and salty crunch in these bars! They are a little sticky but a delicious kind of messy!

Disclaimer: Just Hemp Foods donated their products for this event. I did not receive any other compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

Check out all of the other bloggers’ chocolate recipes below.

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Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew KIND Copycat Bars

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes

Yield: 10 bars

Sweet and slightly salty fruit and nut bars with chocolate.

Ingredients

• ½ cup roasted almonds (can roast in the oven if needed)
• ½ cup cashew pieces
• ½ cup honey roasted peanuts
• 1/3 cup rice krispies
• 2 tablespoons hulled hemp seed
• 2 tablespoons salted and toasted hemp seeds
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup dried cherries
• 2 tablespoons Imperial Sugar
• ¼ cup corn syrup
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 ounces dark chocolate
• 1 tsp vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Line an 8 inch pan with aluminum foil leaving an overhang over the side for easy removal.
2. In a large greased bowl, mix together the hemp seeds, rice krispies, cherries, raisins, cranberries, and nuts.
3. In a small saucepan, combine the corn syrup, honey, vanilla, Imperial Sugar, and salt and bring to a boil, continually whisking for 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Pour syrup mixture over nut mixture and stir to combine. Transfer into the lined pan and spread out evenly using your fingers or the bottom of a greased glass.
5. Allow mixture to cool for about 20 minutes then use the foil to pull out the bars.
6. Cut into 10 even bars and allow to cool completely.
7. To make the chocolate drizzle, place the dark chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and in 30 second intervals (checking each time) melt the chocolate.
8. Drizzle over the bars or place chocolate into a ziploc bag and snip off the end to pipe onto bars.
9. Spoon the chocolate drizzle over the bars and let sit at room temperature until the chocolate has set.

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