“Mmmmmm… they totally taste like Eatmore Bars!!” said my hubby, and the name was born. Healthy ‘Eatmore’ Fudge Squares, because that describes them perfectly. A chewy, yet crunchy, sweet, chocolaty bottom, topped with a rich, fudgey (is that a word?!), decadent, chocolaty layer, cut into a perfect little four bite square. YUM.
This recipe is a perfect ‘I-need-a-little-treat-but-don’t-want-to-actually-have-a-bad-treat’ treat! The squares are made with minimal ingredients, all natural and all good for you; nuts, unsweetened cocoa powder, dates, pure raw honey, almond butter, and banana. That’s it, that’s all – no flour, no refined sugars, no chemicals, no additives, no CRAP! Just good whole food to put you in a really good mood! 🙂
I made these squares in about 15 minutes flat, after letting the dates soak for about half an hour (this step is optional but makes the bottom layer come together easier), and then popped the tray in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
I still have some hanging out in the freezer, even though I made this batch a couple weeks ago, and they still taste as good as they did the day I made them – they don’t actually freeze solid, they stay nice and firm, but easy to bite into, and soften up in about a minute at room temperature.
The only drawback of these squares, is that at room temperature for too long they will melt and become a bit of a mess – so keeping them chilled is the key!
The hubby ate about 6 the night I made them, so be careful, they are really tasty, and although made with whole, unprocessed ingredients, they still do have about 140 calories a pop! Keep moderation in mind and enjoy one or two at a time 🙂
It’s so awesome to know that healthy desserts CAN be made, and enjoyed, and still taste amazing. I love seeing healthy alternatives to typical unhealthy dessert ingredients!
No more do cakes, cupcakes, brownies, pies, and squares need to be made with white sugar or white flour, shortening, or other processed garbage!!! The internet has a plethora of healthy baking alternatives… so no excuses!!
Ok, I will step off my pedestal… so you can go make these!!
- 1 cup pitted dates
- ½ cup almonds, unsalted
- ½ cup walnuts, unsalted
- ¼ cup + ¼ cup raw cocao powder
- 2 ripe bananas
- 4 tbsp natural almond butter
- 4 tbsp unpasteurized honey
- Put dates in a bowl with warm water, allow dates to soak for 30 minutes, then drain.
- Mix together dates, almonds, walnuts, and ¼ cup cocao powder in a food processor until well blended.
- Spread mixture in a 9x5 baking pan until evenly distributed, and press down gently with a spoon.
- Mix together bananas, almond butter, honey, and other ¼ cup cocao powder in the food processor until well blended.
- Spread mixture over bottom layer until evenly distributed.
- Place in freezer for 30 minutes.
- Cut into 16 squares. Re-freeze whatever you don’t eat and enjoy at another time!
I followed the directions perfectly, but the bottom turned out as crumbs and the top never solidified and was like a wet, messy pudding. My children and I were very disappointed as the lump of crumbs and pudding on my plate tasted wonderful….and it was a waste of very expensive ingredients. Any suggestions?
The only reason I’ve guessed this problem has happened with a few people is that the honey you used was too runny – liquid as opposed to a thicker creamed honey! It seems when the honey is very runny it doesn’t set as well! How long did you let it set in the freezer for?
I added a table spoon of peanut butter to the dates and instead of walnuts added half a cup of quick oats. to the top i added a tablespoon of powdered peanut butter (pb2) to the mix and it is wonderful.
Yum! Great ideas! Sounds delicious!
Hi! i made these and hubby loved them, he didnt realise they were healthy and through they were actually fudge!
just a question- i’m not a huge fan of banana. is there anything I could substitute so it doesn’t have that banana taste?
Hey Jill! Awesome, so glad your hubby enjoyed them! 🙂 Hmm… you could try using pureed pumpkin instead of the banana, about 1/2 cup I’d say, but then you may want to add some extra sweetener – actually, this recipe is very similar to the Eatmore squares, but without banana, and a gingerbread flavor! https://nutritioninthekitch.com/2013/10/12/raw-chocolate-gingerbread-pumpkin-fudge-squares-a-trifecta-of-awesomeness-gluten-free-vegan-option/
Oh my! These are fabulous! Thankyou for this yummy, healthy recipe!!
SO glad you enjoy them Jennifer! 🙂
Hey Christal! The fudges are wonderful! I have a question. I don’t like honey nor agave pretty much, can I use another sweetener like liquid stevia or something or do you think it will be a mess??
Thanks and regards from Spain!
Maple syrup would work great! 🙂
Hi Christal, made these today, they are still in the freezer.. cant wait to try them. Just a quick question, my husband has high cholesterol – would all these nuts and almond butter not be bad for his cholesterol??
Definitely not… that is, unless he ate the whole plan. Almond butter and nuts are a fantastic source of unsaturated fats which actually support cardiovascular health! The key is moderation! If he has one square once and a while as a treat it’s fine! 🙂 With high cholesterol, the biggest culprit is refined sugars!
Just tried these they are amazing, filling and hit the I need chocolate now spot! It was so rich I couldn’t even finish my piece! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Awesome!! SO glad you liked them Meredith! 🙂
I made these last night and they are A M A Z I N G! I used organic raisins instead of dates and it worked great! This is going to be our Birthday treat from now on. They were gone this morning! Just may have to double the recipe next time. Thank you so much for helping me love being in the kitchen again! 🙂
One more thing, I don’t have a food processor yet so I improvised with my blender and a New Wave Twister! Can’t wait til I can afford me a food processor! 🙂
I go back and forth between blender and food processor! The blender works great in a pinch! 🙂
Hi Marsh! I’m so happy you enjoyed them, I was just thinking the other day how I need to make more of these! So yummy!!
I have been waiting to make these FOREVER. I asked for a food processor for my birthday (partly because there are so many baking recipes of yours that require one). The bottom layer is sooooo yummy like EatMore and they are just a perfect choloately treat! The BF also approves of course. Another great one for my recipe book Christal!!
My top layer is quite messy though, does it just need to be frozen for longer or is it supposed to be a little gooey???
They should be pretty solid so I would recommend freezing longer! Just keep them in the freezer until the top layer is firm to the touch! 🙂
Wanted to let you know I posted these to my blog today with credit and links to you/your recipe. Thanks so much. http://www.bakingandboys.com/2013/07/healthy-eatmore-fudge-squarespaleo.html
Thanks Katrina! 🙂
I’ve newly discovered your blog and am loving it. I was recently diagnosed with MS and am going down the road of gluten free and refined sugar free. These look and sound delicious!
Hey Katrina! I’m so happy to have you following the blog and I hope you find many recipes that will suit your needs – it’s all refined sugar free here, and LOTS of gluten free too! 🙂
I made these today (in a 9×5 pan). Delicious! A perfect treat! (I just saw the bit about 8×8 pan–I’ll do that next time, just so there is more of them.) 😉 In the 9×5, I froze them for a couple hours, it just worked out that way. They melted fast, but love them. I’m sure they’ll be better even frozen overnight.
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed them Katrina! Yes, they melt quickly, so are best kept chilled! 🙂 I usually keep a batch in the freezer for a sweet yummy treat now and then! 🙂