Chocolate Cashew Apricot Bars are a sweet treat you can feel good about! Packed with chewy old-fashioned oats, crunchy cashews, and naturally sweet dried fruit and honey, these are easy to make — one bowl and a short bake — and a favorite of mine for lunch-box or road-trip snacks.

Close up of a homemade chocolate cashew apricot bar stacked on a white speckled ceramic plate.

My husband and I are both voracious consumers of these little cashew chocolate cherry bars we’ve been buying at Target, and since we can eat more than I typically buy in one trip to the store, I decided to experiment with an at-home version. Of course, I still got the ingredients at Target, but that’s just life, isn’t it?

Don’t get me wrong — these are a sweet and tasty treat, but something about making them at home from everyday ingredients gives me the warm fuzzies. A mixture of whole and ground old-fashioned oats and honey holds these together and envelopes a combination of crunchy cashews, chewy apricots, mini chocolate chips, and chia seeds.

The result? A sweet-salty snack that just hits. I love storing these in the fridge and can frequently be found grabbing one to satisfy that post-lunch sweet tooth. They’re also fun for road trips and, if your kids like them, lunch box treats.

Countertop set with a plate of homemade snack bars made with old-fashioned oats, honey, chia seeds, cashews, dried apricots, and mini chocolate chips.

Ingredient Notes

Old-fashioned oats. These have a robust chewy texture and are a staple for me.
Roasted, salted cashews. If you use unsalted cashews, be prepared to add extra kosher or flaked sea salt to the mixture before baking to taste.
Dried apricots. Chop into small pieces before stirring in.
Honey. You can experiment with using a bit less honey, but there will be a trade-off in the texture of the bars.
Mini chocolate chips and chia seeds. A little fun, a little nutrition. 🙂

Make it your own

Swap out the cashews for another type of nut, such as almonds or walnuts, and the dried apricots for another fruit, such as cherries, cranberries, or raisins.

Loaf pan lined with parchment paper and filled with a batch of homemade snack bars.

Tips & Tricks for Success

Use a 9×5-inch loaf pan — and line it. I experimented with a few different pans and found this yields a reasonably-sized batch of bars that are neither too thick nor too thin. Definitely line the pan with parchment paper, or aluminum foil in a pinch, so that you can lift the bars out to slice cleanly.
Stir like you mean it. It will take a little elbow grease to combine the mixture evenly, but you want it to be thick so that the ingredients bind together. You got this!
Pack tightly. Use an extra piece of parchment or the back of a rubber spatula to press down the mixture pretty aggressively into the pan. This, also, is important to ensure the bars stick together when sliced and stored.

Close up of a hand holding a chocolate cashew apricot snack bar over a plate filled with them.

Ready to make it?

Grab a loaf pan and get excited for this quick, easy, delicious project! Who doesn’t feel good about a homemade snack that uses real food but tastes like a treat? Enjoy!

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