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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Thank you, Angela, for this wonderful recipe! I recently discovered your blog and find such inspiration from your words, photography, and recipes. Thank you for sharing your talents and vision. I have pre-ordered your book and can’t wait to open the pages.
These bars are delicious!! My husband said they will be gone by tomorrow….
Cheers and many thanks!
Anna
Angela, these are delicious! Although I’m addicted to your Quick n Easy No Bake Protein Bars, these taste like breakfast to go, especially if there’s not enough time to make a healthy smoothie. Thank you!
These are beautiful! Sugar Free and soft – YUM!
As you know, I made these yesterday with a few minor changes….and they turned out BEAUTIFULLY! I would definitely recommend, and they are perfect for my training as an alternate to my prior granola bars as a snack before or after a run. I will definitely make them again! How long would you say they keep?
Hey Angela,
Regarding signing up for the Cookbook Newsletter, I’ve tried with two different email addresses yet I haven’t received the confirmation email. Can you check that all is working as it’s supposed to be?
thanks!
Hi Angela! I just made these granola bars at home yesterday and swapped out pepita seeds for chopped walnuts. I also used Vietnamese cinnamon instead of regular cinnamon. The result was SOOO delicious! I gave some to friends and family and they loved it! They kept asking for the recipe so I told them to check out ohsheglows :o) Thanks again for always sharing everything with your readers.
Hi Ange! Just wondering if you have an approximate volume for the pureed dates/water? I have pre-soaked/and pureed dates in the freezer I’d like to use to save time. I was intending to use them for your Rolo knock-offs ages ago, but I waaaaaay oversoaked the dates and now have a sticky goo (even straight out of the freezer). It’s great for smoothies though! Thanks :) Looking forward to trying this recipe. I LOVE dates.
I’m always looking for easy portable breakfast/snack ideas and these fit the bill! Just made them and liked them. However, I realised I don’t love the texture given by the chia. ( previously made your nut free energy balls and recognised the texture). Do you have a suggestion for something I could use instead of chia?
I’m trying to make an effort to make more of my own snacks instead of buying granola bars so I made these today and am so glad I found your recipe! They were super easy to throw together and I love how healthy and energy packed they are. Wrapped them up and threw them in the freezer for snacks the next couple weeks. Thanks for the recipe! :)
Hi Angela, these are perfect for my 2 year old daughter who I don’t like to give any sugar to! Thank you so much :) have you tried using flax seed instead of the chia seeds? If not, any recommendations for using those instead?
You’ve done it again! These are extraordinary! Ooh-la-la.
So there’s something that I don’t understand….what does the title of your book mean? “over 100 vegan recipes to glow from the inside out” — does that mean the recipes will glow? This is a bit of a glaring grammatical error that I’m surprised your editor didn’t catch. I’ve read it a couple of times now, and it makes no sense. It’s a shame, because the cover art looks beautiful.
Made these exactly as the recipe says and they turned out great. Just the right amount of sweetness for both my kids and I. My husband and I have been looking for an easy gluten-free breakfast idea for the kids and these are it. Yum! Thanks Angela!
Angela – I have been making your recipes for a very long time and this is my first post (for some strange reason). Anyhow, I made these last night and my husband and I went crazy over them. He has been eating KIND bars for a while as a quick snack…. they have nothing on these babies!!! We love your blog, our home basically lives on it! I just ordered your cookbook too!
Hi Nicole, Yay! So happy to hear this :)
I just found out I very unfortunately have a sensitivity to dates :(. Do you think that in most cases I can substitute raisins for dates? I am a bit concerned that maybe they have a lot more sugar. Is there something else you’d reco? I was thinking maybe figs, but I have never used them before.
thanks!
Oh Angela,
love, love, love that you’re posting this recipe about granola bars. As I’m weekly making these for me and my boyfriend as a healthy treat for the day. I’m also always changing these up…ok almost every time I’m making them ;-) So I’m happy to see another take on these healty babies :D hahaha
I’d love for you to check out one of my “creations” …
Love from Germany,
Elisa
I made these yesterday, as I’m trying to do no added sugars in my diet (most days…). I actually found that these are SUPER SWEET – they’re good, but I may enjoy them more if the sweetness factor was toned down. Any suggestions out there for swapping out the proportions to make them less sweet? It seems like the dates are a major binder so I don’t want to mess with it too much.
Just made these the other day and I love having them for breakfast slathered with a nut butter and jam for an extra oomph! I find that they are almost more bread-like than granola bar-like but they are delicious and hearty all the same!! I didn’t have the correct amount of all the nuts and seeds available so I just mixed and matched what I had lying around the house and they turned out great.
Yummo, they look delicious and I have all the ingredients at home! I love a recipe for a good granola bar.
Hello,can I substitute the chia seed?
Maybe with sesame seeds or can you suggest something else?
Vanessa
These look really good!!
Also … I miss your Glo Bars sooooooo much!! Any plans to start back up with them?