Salted Cashew Dark Chocolate Chunk Blondies

Preheat oven to 350ºF and lightly grease an 8×4 or 9×5 (see note) pan with 1 to 2 teaspoons of coconut oil. Set aside.

Whisk cashew butter, coconut oil, egg, coconut sugar, almond extract, and baking soda until combined. Add coconut flour, sea salt, cinnamon, 3 to 4 ounces of chocolate chunks, and chopped dates. Stir until well incorporated and no clumps remain. The dough should be sticky, but not wet, and moldable, but not dry.

Transfer dough to baking pan and top with remaining chocolate chunks. Bake for 22–24 minutes, or until edges are a slightly dark golden brown and center is still just soft to the touch.

Remove pan from oven and cool bars completely before slicing into them. This takes about 1 hour total. Carefully run a sharp knife along the edges of the pan to help release the bars. Then cut 8 even squares (somewhere between squares and rectangles) and gently pull each out of the pan. Start with the corner pieces, as these are usually easier to pull out than the center pieces and edge pieces.

Serve immediately, and store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for five days, or in the fridge for up to two weeks. Enjoy!

Note: Bake in a 8×4 pan for thicker bars or 9×5 for thinner. If baked in a 9×5 pan, the baking time will likely decrease to 20–22 minutes (keep an eye on the bars, as this is an estimate). I used an 8×4 pan and loved the thickness of the bars—just enough crust on the edge and gooey-ness in the center.