No bake desserts are my favorite ones to make because they are pretty simple and you can always adjust the ingredients and the taste to your preference along the way. With the holidays coming up, I wanted to share these raw gingerbread squares with a pecan crust! They are the perfect balance between sweet, nutty, and full of flavors that remind me of Christmas; ginger, nutmeg, molasses, and cinnamon! I was originally planning on making gingerbread cookies but thought these were a bit more fun, easy to prepare if you are short on time, and the perfect size to bring to any holiday party.

Not only are these squares simple to make, but they are good for you; filled with nuts for healthy fats, molasses- which is loaded with iron, selenium, and magnesium, and some of the best anti-inflammatory spices- ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon. I also added in Vital Proteins Marine Collagen for gut health as well as additional protein. I love sneaking in the Marine Collagen into just about anything; hot chocolate, my morning coffee, smoothies, protein pancakes, and even into homemade sauces!

The Marine Collagen is completely tasteless and mixes easily into anything; raw, baked goods, smoothies, or puddings! I feel that the collagen has tremendously improved my gut health and I always make sure I have it everyday and especially when I am traveling! They have on the go packets which makes it more convenient to travel or even bring to a restaurant or your favorite smoothie bar!

Despite having two layers, these bars are easier to make than you think! Plus, the two different layers gives them something a little extra and makes them a little different than simply rolling into balls.

For the base, I mixed together pecans, molasses, ginger, cacao powder, dates, and collagen. The top layer is made with oats, cashews, molasses, maple syrup, spices, and coconut oil. They are so crunchy, chocolate-y, slightly sweet and salty! I think that they beat any store bought gingerbread cookie especially since you can feel good about eating these! For the ginger flavor, I used candied ginger that I had found at the grocery store, but you can just use either real ginger or in the powdered form! You may need to adjust slightly to your taste preference!

As far as subs, any nuts will work, but I do believe that pecans are the best in terms of taste for the base! Same with the maple syrup, it works the best but honey can be used as another option! After I made these and cut them into squares, I kept them in the freezer so not only will they last longer but they hold their shape better as well! I also blended the nuts in the food processor only slightly to give each bite an extra crunch- but do what you like!

Snack
Yields: about 18 squares
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

For the base:

2 cups pecans
6 dates, pitted
1 tbsp. blackstrap molasses
1 scoop Vital Proteins Marine Collagen
2 tbsp. cacao powder
6 pieces of candied ginger or start with 1/2 tbsp. ginger
dash of sea salt

For the second layer:

1 cup gluten free oats
1 cup cashews
2 tbsp. coconut oil
2 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tbsp. blackstrap molasses
dash of sea salt
cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger ALL to taste

Directions:

1. Add the ingredients for the base layer into your food processor, starting with the pecans. Mix until it almost resembles flour consistency. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until well combined.

2. In a square pan, spread evenly; so it is about 1 inch thick. Place in freezer and prepare the second layer.

3. For the second layer, add the oats and the cashews into your food processor and blend until flour consistency.

4. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse together until well combined! Taste test and adjust.

5. Spread the second layer over the first and sprinkle with molasses and ginger. Place back in the freezer for about 5 minutes. Cut into squares!

6. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the fridge or longer in the freezer!