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.
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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These look great!
Wow, way to cram in the good stuff! These look fantastic.
Hi Angela!
Happy New Year!!
It is absolutely freezing in Ontario these days. So
this senior’s nose stays indoors. I will be making
these bars today. Can’t wait!! I love that I have
all the ingredients in my pantry!
Just made these and they are yummy! The consistency reminds me of your more savory seed bars and I use those for hiking and traveling because they are packed with nutrition and hold up well. These are sweeter so they are a nice addition to my packed goodies. I loved using the idea of dates and water as the base with the oat flour – all made in my blender. You’ve given me some ideas to play around with! THANKS!! :)
You make the BEST foods. I had all of these ingredients and made some. Great! I am now looking for a place to hide a few. Mustn’t let the rest of the family eat them all. Also, when I tuck them some where not too obvious the kids know they are good and munch away. Thank-you so much for making healthy vegan so easy.
This recipe sounds AMAZING. It’s on my list of recipes to try! I really appreciate how many nut-free recipes you come up with – it’s hard being vegan with a nut allergies as many recipes incorporate them.
these look amazing! looking forward to making a batch for breakfasts…would they freeze well?
These are in the oven as I type. I added dried cherries, because I *had* to make these tonight and that is what I had in the cupboard. I also did a mix of sunflower seeds, pepitas and some almonds slivers. You really make it look easy. Love your recipes and your upbeat blog.
I love you for this! I am currently vegan, gluten free and on a sugar free challenge. Dates ARE allowed, so this fits right in. Woohoo!
You are officially my vegan angel!!! Thank you so much for all the time and effort you put into this site! Your recipes like this 1 make it possible (and way more enjoyable!) for me to stay on this vegan path being soy and nut free.
These are so packed with goodies, I love it! I’ve been needing snacks to tide me over between lunch and dinner while I’m at work, and these are perfect!
Hi Angela! What brand of dried cranberries do you buy? I have a hard time finding any that are sweetened with sugar, even at Whole Foods. Thanks!
i am so happy to find a granola recipe that doesn’t include honey!!!
I made these recently in a silicone mini cupcake tray- they were a hit with my boyfriend and my son! Thanks for another great recipe!
Tried these a couple days ago as we’re always on the lookout for nutritious and easily portable food to take on our bike rides. They taste great, but didn’t like the texture at all. Must be the chia seeds. I seem to remember the same thing happened when I made the chia bread. Will have to go back to your “lara bar” knock-offs, which we LOVE and are just as portable as granola bars.
Can I sub figs for dates?
Loving how nutrient dense these granola bars seem!
Hi Angela!
I’ve tried a few times over the past few days to subscribe to your book newsletter but am unsuccessful (looked in inbox and junk mail). Is there another way to subscribe?
Thanks! I’m excited for the book!
So, I love you…as usual. I’m making energy bars of some sort every week and I actually JUST made date paste for the first time 2 days ago, thinking how am I gonna use it? Great inspiration for me here!
How much prepared date paste do you think I can add if I have some already made?
hi angela,
i wanted to email you privately but can’t see an option to do so, so I will write you here! I gave up drinking alcohol for 6 months on New Year’s eve and I already feel amazing. This pushed me to clean up my eating aswell, and I have decided to also go vegetarian ( and alllllmost vegan!) for the remaining time aswell, the theory being if I feel amazing from vegetarianism in 6 months, hopefully I can let go of my fears and take the vegan plunge aswell. I’m following the book Eat To Live by Dr Joel Fuhrrman, which advises unlimited leafy green and all other veggies aswell as 4 servings of fruit per day and nuts and seeds…this is for 6 weeks to retrain your metabolism and lose some weight.. after than the diet reccomendations are a little more liberal , but still he advises to avoid ALL animal products. Anyway I booked an appointment with my Naturopathic Doctor and long story short she told me unless a patient is doing it for moral, ethical or religious reasons she doesn’t advise vegetarian or vegan diet. I am extremely shocked!!! I was sooo pumped to get some support from her and she totally shot me down. Do you have any advice on keeping your chin up even though some “doctors” may think it is a bad idea? She told me to eat grass fed meat 2-3 times per week or my iron levels will drop dangerously low. This is not true!! Ugh… anyway I am venting .. anything you can say to restore my faith will help me so much! i love your site and your recipes have been a major contributing factor to me changing my lifestyle to plant based foods. thank you!!