If dates seem dry and hard, soak for 10-20 minutes in warm water, until they are softer. Squeeze out extra liquid from dates and reserve liquid.
Chop up dates until it is like a thick paste. Mix with chopped cashews. Add vanilla. (If you've got a food processor to chop up the dates into a paste, go for it!)
If mixture seems too dry, add reserved dates water, 1 teaspoon at a time until mixtures sticks together but is not too wet.
Mix in chocolate chips.
Press firmly into parchment-lined pan. Pack down compactly.
Refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.
Remove from refrigerator and cut into bars. Store in a sealed container (or wrap individually) in the fridge.
Notes
Try different nuts in your bars, like almonds, walnuts, pecans...or do a combination as long as the total amount equals 1 ¼ cups of nuts.
Substitute dried fruit for the chocolate chips.
Substitute some of the nuts for pumpkin seeds.
Do only nuts and dates and skip the chocolate chips altogether.