Carrot Cake Date Bark

I’ve been on a healthy-ish kick. Call it aging + eating desserts for a living + making desserts for a living + loving dessert long after I put “work” down for the day. When I spies the Snickers Date Bark recipe that’s going around the internet, you know I couldn’t help but ask myself…WHAT IF? With all things spring on the brain, the carrot cake flavor story was my first alley-oop and I’m officially obsessed. What flavor will come next– only time will tell :)

Swap in freeze dried strawberries, cherries, what you like to mix things up! 

Carrot Cake Date Bark

Makes one 8x8” pan, 9-12 pieces 

18-22 ea Dates (depending on size), pitted and halved

⅔ cup Almond butter (though any unsweetened nut butter will do)

1 tablespoon Tahini

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

¼ teaspoon Salt

⅔ cup White chocolate, chopped

1 tablespoon Oil

2 teaspoons Carrot powder

Pinch Salt

Almond Butter

Honestly any unsweetened nut butter will do, even peanut butter. Though I find the more mellow the nut butter, the more room for the carrot cake flavory story to sing.

Tahini

This sesame seed paste gives the layer a little more roundness and acidity which is nice. If you don’t have, nbd.

Cinnamon

I myself am a mellow spice in my carrot cake gal, but you can amp your spice quantity and type up- bring pumpkin pie spice, ginger, nutmeg, etc to the party. All ways are welcome.

White Chocolate

If you’ve only got white chocolate chips- RESPECT!, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in as you melt for fluidity and 

Carrot Powder

Literally just freeze dried carrots ground down. Plus you KNOW I’m a fan of freeze dried corn ground into a powder. Freeze dried anything is easy to procure these days online or at natural/speciality stores. Permission to get creative (i.e. roast carrots, puree and fold into the almond butter-tahini layer, etc). 

Grease or line a 8x8-inch pan. Flatten and press the dates into the pan until they cover the bottom entirely.

In a small bowl, mix almond butter, tahini, cinnamon and salt together until smooth, then spread evenly over the surface of the dates. 

In a microwave safe bowl, melt white chocolate and oil in 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth and completely melted. Spread evenly atop the cinnamon nut butter layer.

Sprinkle carrot powder and salt evenly over the surface, and because I like a little swirl effect, use your spatula to create a little tye dye effect. We eat with our eyes first, after all:). Pop in the fridge or freezer to set before removing the mass from the pan and breaking or cutting the bark into fun, delightfully healthy-ish, carrot cake bite-size pieces! Store in the fridge or freezer depending on how/when you like to snack!