Pecan and Date Trail Mix
Two ingredients, no raisins, packed by the handful.
- calories
- 330
- weight
- 2 oz
- cal / oz
- 165
- protein
- 4 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 5 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Snack
- No cook
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Day hike
- Bikepacking
- Car camping
- Canoe / raft
- Basecamp
- Winter / snow
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Pecan halves | 1/3 cup | raw or toasted, unsalted |
|---|---|---|
| Pitted dates | 4 | Deglet Noor hold their shape better than Medjool |
| Salt | a pinch | optional, but it wakes the nuts up |
Method
- At home, cut the dates into quarters with kitchen shears. Whole dates clump into a single mass in the bag.
- Toss the date pieces with the pecans and the salt so the cut faces get coated in nut oil and stop sticking.
- Portion into two-ounce bags, one per snack break.
- Eat out of the bag on the move. No stove, no water, no bowl.
Most store trail mix is two-thirds raisins and a scattering of tired nuts. This is the opposite: pecans for fat and dates for fast sugar, nothing else competing. Pecans run over 700 calories per 100 g, the highest of the common nuts, which is why the carried weight here is so low for the calories you get.
The dates matter more than they look. They are almost pure sugar, so they hit fast, while the pecan fat keeps releasing for the next hour. Cut them at home and salt the mix — uncut dates weld together in a warm pack, and unsalted pecans taste like nothing after the third handful.
Packing
Two ounces per bag is about a 330-calorie handful. Squeeze the air out — pecans go rancid faster than most nuts because of their fat content, so pack no more than a week ahead and keep them out of direct sun.
Variations
- Add pumpkin seeds for a cheaper filler that does not go soft.
- A few squares of chopped dark chocolate turn this into dessert in cold weather. It will melt above 80F.
- Dried apple rings or mango in place of half the dates if the mix gets too sweet.
https://www.schuesselglueck.de/stundentenfutter-selber-machen