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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Yummy! I loved your chia bread, so I’m sure I’ll love these… I love packable healthy snacks :)
These look incredible – I love your blog! You have inspired me so much to just get in there and start putting things together. Because of your inspiration I’ve created some fantastic peanut butter oatmeal breakfast cookies and some almond butter oatmeal chocolate chip bars that my family loves. I’m bringing them to work because people keep requesting more fun treats that are healthy and gluten/dairy free. I’m going to try these for sure and your Chia Power Bread – I like having a savory thing as well. Thanks for all your inspiration Angela!
I just made these tonight using a combination of teff flour and brown rice flour. I had already started making them and realized I was out of oats, so I had to come up with a solution! I also pressed them into the cups of a muffin pan, so I could avoid having to cut them into bars. (: They came out sooo good!
These were easy to make and delicious! Perfect for an on the go snack!! Thanks!
Are dried cranberries sugar free??? If not, how can the bars be? Do they have sugar free cranberries
I have some in the oven right now!! Chia seeds in the UK are sooo expensive so I used what was in my cupboard and found dried coconut and ground almonds instead. I’m sure that they will be amazing whatever combo’s people use!
I just discovered your blog and I love love love it! I am just starting the vagan journey so I need all the info I can get. Keep up the awesome job.
I made these with raisins (was out of dried cranberries) and am tooootally obsessed! I wrapped them up individually and they we my afternoon snack all week. Just had one straight out of the freezer as I was impatient and it was delicious too! Anything goes with this bar. Thank you for the awesome recipe!
Made these today- AMAZING!! (And I forgot the vanilla, cinnamon and salt-oops!). We’re already planning to make a quadruple batch tomorrow to freeze. Thanks Angela for another great recipe!!
What a perfect recipe! These hold together beautifully! !!! I only had a few dates so I also used dried figs for the paste. I am in love. These will be in heavy rotation in my kitchen! Thank you:)
whohoo! So glad to hear that :)
Hi Angela, I makd a lot of your recipes but just had to comment on this one because of how extra pleased I was with how it turned out! I have a very busy toddler and am working fullI time, so my cooking thrills that I had on mat leave are no more and I have found myself on an unhealthy food train as a result, since returning to work. Then this recipe was posted! I had all ingredients sitting in my cupboard and this recipe is a great way to use up seed and nut odds and ends. I was able to throw it togetther in 5 minutes and for being so healthy, boy do they taste great! My toddler is also obsessed with them, which makes me happy since they are filled with so much good for you food! Another big win on this one Angela. Can’t wait for your book!
Looking forward to trying your vegan granola bar recipe.
Like you, have been on and off a plant base diet and should go back to it 100% since it was the time I felt at my best. Thank you for inspiring me to go back to it.
I just made these bust substituted dried cherry for the cranberries and chopped pistachios for the pumpkin seeds….even through some dark chocolate in my second batch! CANT WAIT!!
Hi there, just wondered how many dates you used? Thanks jenny
Since coconut flour is more absorbent would you still use full 3/4 ? Sorry if it’s a silly question. I’m trying to incorporate more coconut flour into my diet and I’m still learning. Great site and thanks for sharing!
My first try with one of your recipes, seems like a good one for a cold and snowy day here in WI..next up will be a soup….
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Thanks!
Never mind…..I found it!
Thanks;)
I am looking forward to the newsletter.
Theresa
I just did both the Chai Fresca drink and the soft and chewy sugar-free granola bars and I have to say both are fantastic! The granola bars are baking momentarily, but the batter alone was soooo tasty and sweet! I couldn’t believe there wasn’t any sugar in it.
Thank you for sharing.
Help please :) I have a quick question – I was just all ready to go and make this beautiful recipe for a movie night tonight…. but I realize now that I don’t have any chia seeds! Anyone have any suggestions of what I could use to replace this essential ingredient? Thank you so much!