Soft No-Bake Chocolate Granola Bars
These soft and chewy no-bake granola bars get their sweetness entirely from dates and a chocolate kick from antioxidant-rich cacao powder. They're great for a quick, fudgy on-the-go energy boost!
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Medjool dates
- ½ cup water
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1.5 cups rolled oats
- 1 tablespoon nut butter of choice (peanut, almond, etc.)
- 2 tablespoons raw cacao powder or cocoa powder
- ¼ cup add-ins: chocolate chips, slivered almonds, dried fruit, etc.
Instructions
Make the date paste
- Add the dates and water to a small saucepan over high heat, uncovered. Once the water begins to boil, add the baking powder and stir, lowering the heat to medium or medium-high, so that the date mixture continues to foam and bubble. Continue to simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until date mixture is completely broken down into an approximate paste. Remove from heat and let cool. Optionally, you can blend the cooled date paste in a blender or food processor to get a smoother paste.
Make the granola bars
- In a medium bowl, combine the oats, cacao powder and add-ins of your choice (I added 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons of toasted, slivered almonds). Stir in cooled date paste and nut butter until the wet ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Press oat mixture into a greased baking pan or, if you're lazy, rip off a large square of plastic wrap. If you press the oat mixture into a rough rectangle and then cover in plastic wrap, you can use a heavy cutting board to flatten it out into a prettier square.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting into bars for the cleanest cuts.