This treat is good in so many ways: sweet without adding any sugar, filled with the good nutrition of fruit and nuts, so quick and easy to make and flexible ingredients. It’s a great way to use the dried fruits and any nuts you have in your food storage. You’ll want to make this a lot!
Ingredients:
1 C sesame seeds
1 C raisins or currants
2/3 C water
½ tsp vanilla
¼ tsp almond extract
1/3 C tahini
1 C finely chopped cashews
Directions:
Brush the sides and bottom of an 8”X8” pan with oil.
In a large saucepan, combine raisins and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a minute or two before putting into a food processor.
Pulse 3-4 times till finely minced but not pureed. Return to the saucepan and add sesame seeds. Boil another minute, stirring to prevent scorching. Add 2-3 Tbsp of water if needed.
When water is completely absorbed, add flavorings and stir, then add the tahini and cashews. Stir until well mixed. Pat mixture into the prepared pan and let it cool.
When cool, slice in 1” squares. This is a very concentrated treat, deceptively rich, so a little goes a long way.
Now here’s the fun part:
You can use just about any dried fruit you want. Pitted dates, cherries, figs, apricots and craisins or a mixture of any of these are all great. They just need to be a leathery fruit, not brittle like bananas or apple chips. It’s best to have at least 1/3 of the fruit be raisins, but don’t be tied down to that if you have something else on hand.
And while tahini is the traditional ingredient, I’ve also made it with sunflower seed butter and loved it.
Although I think the cashews are the best in this recipe, that’s just my personal taste. I think they are a milder flavor that doesn’t overcome the flavor of the sesame and fruit. But you can also use other nuts if you like.
