Healthy No-Bake Date + Oat Granola Bars
These vegan granola bars are not only tasty and easy to make, but they're packed with nutrients to get you through snack time.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups 150g quick cooking rolled oats
- 1 cup 150g pitted dates (either Deglet Noor or Medjool)
- 1/4 cup 56g peanut butter (or any other nut/seed butter)
- 1/4 cup 25g unsweetened, shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup 60g dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup 50g pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- 1 tablespoon 10g chia seeds
Instructions
- Place the pitted dates in a medium sized bowl and cover with enough hot water to soak them for about 10 minutes. Drain.
- Process the dates in the food processor until small pieces remain (about a minute or so, in short intervals). Add the peanut butter and to the date mixture and pulse for a few more times until combined.
- In a large bowl, mix together the oats, chia seeds, pepitas and dried cranberries. Pour the pureed dates over the oats and mix thoroughly.
- Line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper or plastic wrap (this will make the bars easier to remove from the pan).
- Pour the granola mixture into the pan and spread evenly to the edges. Put a piece of parchment paper on top and press down firmly to make sure the bars hold together.
- Let the bars firm up in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Remove the granola from the pan and slice into eight bars or 16 squares. Store in an airtight container for about a week.
Notes
Keep date varieties in mind when selecting them for this recipe, as date size can vary. For example, you'll need to use less Medjool dates since they're larger and plumper than if you used Deglet Noor.
If you don't have quick cooking oats, you can use the large flake variety. Just remember to pulse it in your food processer for a bit so that it's not so large.
You can opt to toast your oats, coconut (and nuts) if you like that flavour added to your granola. Just put them on a rimmed baking sheet, then into a 350°F oven for 10 minutes.