Apricot and almond bars

With racing season in full swing, it’s nice to have some extra bars stached in the freezer so I don’t have to worry come race day. I’ve been making a bunch of different bars to fuel for day-long races and this one is one of my favorite as it’s easy to bake, tasty and nutritious.

Ingredients

• 1½ cup almond meal
• 1 cup dates, pitted
• 1 cup dried apricots
• 1 tbsp coconut butter softened
• 2 tsp mandarine juice
• pinch sea salt
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

1. In a food processor, pulse the pitted dates, dried apricots and sea salt until the dried fruits are mashed into a paste. They may try to ball up in the processor, in which case you’ll want to stop and break up the mixture with a spoon before continuing.
2. Break up the fruit mixture and pour into a ball.
3. Add the nuts to the dried fruits mixture.
4. Mix with a wooden spoon until the almond meal is incorporated evenly into the fruit mixture.
5. Add th juice and softened coconut butter until smooth.
6. Line an 8- or 9-inch square baking dish with cling film.
   Transfer the mixture to the baking dish, and use your a jar top to press it into an even layer.
7. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top of the flatten mixture and fold in half.
8. Reflatten and wrap in cling film.
9. Chill the baking dish in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, then use a sharp knife to cut the fruit-and-nut blend into squares or bars. Wrap each bar tightly for individual servings.