Nothing beats a no-bake recipe! I mean, does it get any easier?
I was heading into a meeting the other day and well, of course, I just had to bring something for everyone to munch on. I have a really hard time showing up to things empty handed, and so these bars were the perfect meeting snack!
And I should probably mention that I hadn’t recipe tested them before bringing them to the meeting, so everyone essentially became my guinea pig. And they were totally fine with that! I mean, who doesn’t love free food?
You can get really creative with this recipe and add or take out whatever ingredients you like! Some delicious additions would be dried cherries or blueberries, or even goji berries. If you want them a little less sweet, leave out the chocolate chips. As for the binder, I used rainforest butter.
If you haven’t tried this delicious nut butter yet, you are missing out. It’s a blend of cashew, brazil nut and coconut and it is 
deeeelish! Alternatively, you can use almond butter or even peanut butter. Regardless, any nut or seed butter would work well.
As with most recipes, nothing beats making them at home. You can control the ingredients that go in and avoid certain things such as: non-gmos, added sugars and preservatives, none of which should belong in a granola bar, let alone any recipe!
Hope you enjoy these no-bake bars as much as I did. They didn’t last long, as is the case with most of the recipes I bake ๐
- 1 cup packed medjool dates, pitted
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup rainforest butter (or any nut butter you prefer)
- 3/4 cup raw nuts (such as pecans and almonds)
- 1 1/2 cups gluten free rolled oats
- 1/4 cup dairy free dark chocolate chips (Enjoy Life Brand)
- Place dates in a food processor and blend until a small ball is formed and dates are well broken up.
- Transfer to a large mixing bowl and add oats, nuts, and chocolate chips. Stir with a wooden spoon, breaking down the dates so they disperse fairly evenly throughout the ingredients. Small chunks are OK.
- Warm maple syrup and nut butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Mix until both are melted and well incorporated.
- Pour over dry ingredients. Stir quickly to evenly coat. The chocolate chips will get a little melty, which is fine.
- Transfer to a shallow 8x8 brownie pan lined with parchment paper. Use your hands to press mixture into the pan, evenly spreading out across pan. You may need to use a spatula.
- Place them in the freezer to set for 15 minutes. Remove and cut into 10-12 bars. Store in an airtight container or ziplock bag in the fridge to keep fresh, or in the freezer for long term storage.
- *Feel free to add in additional nuts and/or seeds such as chia, flax or pumpkin seeds. Get creative and try out different ingredient pairings.
