The alternate title for these bars was: ultra dense, doughy, chewy, soft, seedy, hearty, protein-and-fibre-packed granola bars, sweetened naturally with dates!
I can be a bit wordy at times. Anyway, these are not your average granola bars! Bursting with chia, sunflower, and pepita seeds, they pack a hefty amount of protein, fibre, and omega fatty acids and are naturally sweetened with date paste (a simple blend of water and pitted dates) instead of sugar. I like to think of these as an “adult” granola bar or a muesli breakfast bar of sorts, although I could also see my hockey-loving nephews enjoying these as fuel for the game. For those with nut allergies, you’ll be happy to know these are totally nut-free, just like my Super Power Chia Bread which this recipe is adapted from. If you’ve enjoyed the Super Power Chia Bread, the texture of these granola bars is the same – very soft and like an ultra dense, doughy bread.
I didn’t feel like calling them “chia bread” though due to the sweetness; granola bars just seemed to make more sense in my brain. I also debated calling these “energy bars” because they are packed with so many good-for-you ingredients and I’ve been enjoying them after exercise for a little pick me up. As you can see, deciding on a title is not my strong point! Whatever you call them, I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
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Soft + Chewy Baked Granola Bars
Yield
10-12 bars
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Dense, chewy, soft, doughy, seedy, hearty, protein-and-fibre-packed granola bars, sweetened naturally with dates! Try them spread with nut or seed butter for a fun treat or just enjoy them plain. Adapted from my Super Power Chia Bread.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats, ground into a flour
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup packed pitted Medjool dates
- 1/2 cup chia seeds
- 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325°F and line a 9-inch square pan with two pieces of parchment paper, one going each way.
- Add rolled oats into a high-speed blender. Blend on highest speed until a fine flour forms. Add oat flour into a large bowl.
- Add water and pitted dates into blender. Allow the dates to soak for 30 minutes if they are a bit firm or your blender has a hard time blending dates smooth. Once they are soft, blend the dates and water until super smooth.
- Add all of the ingredients into the bowl with the oat flour and stir well until combined.
- Scoop the mixture into the pan and spread it out with a spatula as evenly as possible. You can use lightly wet hands to smooth it down if necessary.
- Bake at 325°F for about 23-25 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then lift it out and transfer it to a cooling rack for another 5-10 minutes. Slice and enjoy!
- I suggest freezing leftovers to preserve freshness.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
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Calories always missing from recipes
I made these bars for a second time yesterday. They are perfect snacks for hiking or an afternoon boost of energy at the office.
I’ve tried these before and absolutely loved them. I want to make them again but was wondering if the recipe would still work if i used whole oats rather than oat flour. What do you think?
I live in UK, love this recipe, but not sure how much is a cup??
Can you equate it to grams for me please?,
Thanks
Hi, I was wondering if you can just leave them in the fridge, so no baking is done?
Hi Angela!
Just wondering if you have ever tried substituting the dates with any other dried fruit? All I have in the pantry now that would be the closest thing to dates is sultanas? Do you think it’d work?!
Thank you!
Claire
Hello! These look fabulous! I love cranberries. My problem is that here (Victoria, Australia) all the cranberries are ‘added sugar and vegetable oil’ (urghhh). Occasionally you can find organic ones but the last time I found some they were about AU$18 for about 250grams! So I guess raisins would work ok instead? (But not so enticing!)
Love this! Will be trying this recipe this weekend for sure!
I absolutely love how flexible Medjool dates are, I’d put them in EVERYTHING if I could, delicious!
Thanks for sharing:)
My daughter (19 mo) LOVES these! I use the dates, oat flour and chia seeds, then whatever seeds and dried fruit I have on hand. They always turn out great. I freeze the cut bars, so that I can pull them out for a quick snack any time. She is on a GF DF diet, and refuses the store-bought bars. This recipe is great!!!
I hardly ever comment in recipes I find online, but had to say thanks for this recipe, it’s awesome. I did substitute the cranberries for chopped prunes as that’s what I had in the pantry, but it’s so easy and tasty and my kids love them too!
I followed this recipe as closely as i could, only sub was raisins for cranberries but the final texture was very weird. So much so my normally tolerant and enthusiastic family would not eat them! I am trying to, so as not to waste, but they have a very strange rubbery texture which is presumably from the chia seeds. Now I like chia, can cope with the slime factor in puddings tho many people can’t, but this was just too much oddness! I did think it was a lot of chia when i added them, but i was trying to stick to recipe exactly (i am a natural improviser). So I’m not trying to be mean, honestly, but they just didn’t work for us!
These were great! I do not have a sweet tooth in the slightest, so I really struggle to find mid-morning snacks that are healthy but aren’t super sweet (apart from nuts etc.). These were great! I added linseed, goji berries, some desiccated coconut and mixed the vanilla with coconut essence (I really love coconut).
Thank you for the recipe – the dates with water as a binder/for moisture is a great idea!
Do you have to use chia seeds? They’re kind of pricey as far as I’ve noticed >.<
I’m going to use flaxseed instead of chia seeds (due to cost) but I was wondering how to prepare it before mixing it in? Am I supposed to grind them up and soak them in water or just throw em in whole? Doesn’t half a cup seem like a lot? Any help would be so much appreciated, I want to make these asap! ^-^
I just made these, but put half of the chia seeds and used flax seeds for the rest and they are delicious! I hate when granola bars are over-sweetened with honey, and these have just the right amount of sweetness for that afternoon snack fix. Will definitely be making these again and might try to sub half the date paste with pumpkin purée!
Can’t wait to try!
Can you post the total sugar count . Thanks TC
Hi Tanya, I haven’t calculated the total sugar count myself, but if you go to NutritionData.com and plug in the recipe information, you should be able to quickly find out what you need to know! :)
Hi Angela!
Do you by any chance know the nutrition information for these bars? Also, if I chose not to freeze the leftovers, would you recommend dry storage or refrigeration? Thank you!
I want to first say that I love your recipes…they are amazing. The cauliflower white sauce caught my eye and I noticed when I clicked on the recipe that there was an add for Cabelas….really? Cabelas…that big hunting store? I just didn’t understand why you would want to allow them to advertise on your site.
Just finished another batch of these amazing granola bars. I’ve tried several recipes and while there are tons that are pretty tasty, some are just too “sticky”. But the dates really hold this one together. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe. I have to stop myself from eating the whole tray myself.