Chocolate Chip Matcha No-Bake Bars (Vegan GF)

Chewy and sticky no-bake granola style bars filled with oats, seeds, coconut and dates with lots of wonderful matcha powder. Studded with chocolate chips and drizzled with more chocolate, these bars are naturally vegan, GF and can be refined sugar free.

I am a bit matcha obsessed and, as you may know, my favourite part of the day is my morning matcha latte. There are so many matcha powders on the market, but I’ve tried so many bad ones – the ones that give matcha its “grassy” misconception. The dark powders that are rough in texture are not the ones you want to use. On the flipside, the more vibrant and finer the powder, the better! A couple of my favourites are Matchaeologist (affiliate link and code nourishinglove15 for 15% off) and I’ve recently been introduced to Hearthy Matcha (use code NOURISHING15 for 15% off until end of October 2020) who only use the finest matcha from Japan. It is 100% organic and they also help towards local reforestation projects which is amazing.  Another brand that I like is Clearspring but other bigger name ones I have tried have left my wanting more… 

Back to these Chocolate Chip Matcha No-Bake Bars, they are so easy to make in 10 minutes all in one blender. Pop the mixture into a dish, freeze until set before slicing into bars and drizzling with chocolate. They make a delicious grab and go snack to pack with you on a day out, as part of a picnic, for dessert or with a cup of (matcha) tea.

We only need 8 simple ingredients to make these Chocolate Chip Matcha No-Bake Bars:

• Medjool dates:  these are the best and stickiest dates, but you can use dried dates instead.  Rehydrate them in boiling water to make them blend more easily.
• Cashews and Almonds: I use half and half for these bars as the cashews add a creaminess and mellow flavour while the almonds add a sweet nutty taste. Play around with other nuts, if you like.
• Desiccated coconut: I love adding coconut to raw bakes as the texture is chewy and fine, without tasting like coconut.
• Oats: make sure you use GF-certified oats if necessary and any size of oat flake will do here. Add these to the blender with the other ingredients to form a fine meal that creates a deliciously chewy dough.
• Mixed seeds: these add a boost of goodness to the bars and some extra flavour and texture. For this no-bake, I chose hemp, chia and flaxseed, but you can use others, too.
• Matcha powder: the essential part of these Chocolate Chip No-Bake Matcha Bars. As mentioned above, the better the quality, the better the taste. These do not taste like grass at all, and my family (who would never drink matcha) love these bars.
• Chocolate: the second essential element. Use chocolate that is free of refined sugar, if needed. I save the chocolate chips for the inside of the bars and regular chocolate for drizzling on top. The darker the better, in my opinion, but use your favourite!

That’s all there is to it. These Chocolate Chip Matcha No-Bake Bars are best kept in the fridge after making them where they will last about a week – perfect for packing into your lunch every day or for a mid-morning energy snack. They are naturally a source of plant-proteins, healthy fats and fibre while being vegan, gluten-free and free od added sugars.

If you are looking for more no-bake recipes, how about my:

• No-Bake Cookie Dough Bites
• Strawberry and Coconut Tarts
• Double Chocolate Tahini Fudge Bars
• Chocolate and Pistachio No-Bake Cookie Dough Bars
• Easy Vegan Rocky Road

Chocolate Chip Matcha No-Bake Bars (Vegan GF)

• Servings: 8
• Time: 15 minutes plus chilling
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Chewy and sticky no-bake granola style bars filled with oats, seeds, coconut and dates with lots of wonderful matcha powder. Studded with chocolate chips and drizzled with more chocolate, these bars are naturally vegan, GF and can be refined sugar free.

Ingredients

• 200g medjool dates, pitted weight
• 90g cashews
• 90g almonds
• 20g desiccated coconut
• 25g oats (GF if needed)
• 3 tbsp mixed seeds (e.g. hemp, chia, flax)
• 1 tbsp matcha powder
• 60g chocolate chips
• 50g melted chocolate
• Extra seeds, to decorate

Directions

1. Soak the dates in boiling water for 10 minutes and drain.
2. Add the cashews, almonds, coconut, oats and seeds to a food processor and blitz to break down the mixture – leaving some larger lumps. Pulse in the matcha powder.
3. Add the dates and blend until a sticky dough forms. Stir through the chocolate chips.
4. Line a dish (approx. 10cm x 20cm) with parchment paper and pour in the dough, pressing down firmly to form an even compact bar. Freeze for 1 hour.
5. Cut into 8 bars and drizzle with the melted chocolate and some extra seeds, if desired. Set in the fridge for 20 minutes. Store in the fridge.

I look forward to hearing what you think of these Chocolate Chip Matcha No-Bake Bars so please leave a comment below. Tag me in your no-bakes, too, as I love seeing them. I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With matcha bars of love x

This post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own but the original IG post and recipe was sponsored by Hearthy Matcha.