Khajur Pak – Date and Nut Bars
Khajur Pak is super easy, quick to make. It’s made with dates and nuts. It is taste just like a protein bar. It’s extremely addictive.
It is packed with energy and nothing like it during winter months when you need extra nourishment to warm yourselves. It’s considered very healthy and in India or Indian households we often make it during winters.
You will find so many variations in this dish too. Every household makes it slightly different based on personal preference. So, if you try making these make sure to add your touch, add what you like and avoid what you do not.
When I moved to US, and we tried Lara bars for the first time, it reminded me Khajur Pak. Why did we not think of packaging and selling Khajur pak in nice packets and calling them protein bars. I mean the idea is great.
What is Khajur Pak?
Khajur mean Dates in India, and Pak means something like fudge. There are many recipes out there for different types of pak. My grandmother used to make sing pak. It was so delicious made from ground peanuts. Khajur has natural sugars in them, so it makes them sweeter in taste and other health benefits to it. I always keep a container of dates on work desk for afternoon snack or when I am craving something sweet.
Let’s talk about Ingredients
Some of the ingredients to highlight in the recipe are ghee – gives it nice nutty taste. The main ingredient of course is dates, and lots of nuts. I have used walnuts, almonds, pistachios, cashews, and other than dates for dry fruit I have used dried figs. You can also add in other dry fruits like apricots, cranberries, prunes, cherries, blueberries. I feel like there are no rules. You can add any of these combinations.
Dates have natural sugar. So, I have used no sugar in the recipe. I would suggest making them without sugar. No one likes something extremely sweet especially when dates are sweet in taste. Nuts provide nice crunch. You can also add in some seeds like pumpkin or sesame. I have added poppy seeds which is a little common for people to use in this recipe.
Other extra ingredients are white poppy seeds, dried coconut shreds, and some people like to add cardamom too. I am not fan of cardamom in this recipe. You can also flavor it with dried ginger powder if you like that taste.
Some people like to add finely ground nuts, but we prefer slightly coarse nuts. I like the texture it provides. If you are someone who does not care for texture, then definitely ground the nuts. But before that make sure to roast the nuts.
These would make great holiday gifts too! I also love to coat or drizzle some dark chocolate. Dark chocolate offsets the sweetness, so I personally prefer it. Other foods we eat during winters.
Khajur Pak
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Ghee
- 2 cups mixed dry nuts – cashews, almonds, walnuts, pistachios roasted
- 3 cups Dates seedless
- 1-2 tbsp shredded dry coconut optional
- 1 tbsp white poppy seeds
- 5-6 dried figs
Instructions
- Coarsely grind nuts in a food processor.
- Take seedless dates and roughly chop or once the nuts are ground, process dates in the food processor too. The texture really depends upon personal preference. If you like smooth texture grind dates for long time, until it is mushy. I kept the texture in dates too.
- Take ghee in a pan on medium heat. Roast coconut shreds, poppy seeds, and nuts until light golden. Make sure to keep stirring.
- Once they are roasted, add in the chopped dates and figs. Mix until everything is combined. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Immediately remove the mixture to greased parchment lined tray or baking pan.
- Once the mixture cools down, cut it into desired shape or squares. If it difficult to have neat cuts, leave it in the fridge for some time. It’s easier when they are cooled down.
- Store them at room temperature (colder months or colder temperatures) in a container. If you live in hot or warm place, you can store them in fridge. Ideally, they do not go bad due to lack of moisture.