Fruit and Nut Bars with Chocolate

Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Cover an 8-inch x 8-inch pan with parchment paper or a non-stick silicone baking sheet.

Place prunes, raisins and apricots in a mini-chopper or food processor and pulse until well chopped. Remove the dried fruit mixture and chop the dark chocolate bar into small chunks.

Combine oats, chopped fruit mixture, almonds in a large bowl and knead with your hands until well combined. Add flour and water and knead until a ball of dough forms. (Add a little more water if the mixture is too dry.)

Add chopped dark chocolate.

Press dough firmly and evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 23–25 minutes, until baked through but still soft (don’t overbake them or the bars will be dry and tough).

Let cool for 5 minutes. Cut into squares with a sharp knife and then let the bars cool completely (about 30 minutes).

Store bars in an airtight container.