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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Has anybody tried taking these traveling? I’m looking for a bar to make and bring with me when I go to cuba in two weeks time. Any ideas whether these will survive the journey?
Thanks
x
Hi.. i just made these bars and the inside is quite sticky. is that how it is supposed to be?
This recipe looks great, was wondering if you have the nutritional information on it? Thanks muchly!
I have been making these for an on-the-go breakfast option and they are AMAZING! My husband even requested them again this week! A couple substitution ideas:
–I’ve used orange cranberries, dried cherries, and goji berries…all taste great!
–I’ve added dark chocolate bits (taste great but they are a little more dessert-like)
I have had success both refrigerating and freezing them so those who wonder if they “keep,”…yes they do :)
These look to die for! I can’t eat dates because I get sever migraines from them. Can I replace them with something else? Peanut butter? Almond butter?
Can I freeze these??? Have you tried that before??
What is the nutritional value in these? Calories?
These look great! Only problem is that I don’t have a 9-inch pan. Do you think they’d be alright in an 8×8 inch pan? Would I need to bake them a little longer?
Thanks!
Hi!
I made these today. Followed the recipe excactly.
The pictures showed then as crunchy but mine came out soft n dough like
What is the intended consistency I
Was hoping for a crunchy one. Please help!
Just made these bars and they are amazing! Yum! Would it be possible to use date paste instead of brown sugar with some of your other protein bar recipes? I have a low tolerance for sugar in general. Love the flavor of date paste. Also, any thoughts about Yacon syrup? It has a very low glycemic index. Dr. Oz recently had a segment about it on his show. Thanks!!
Another winner! Just made these with dried Turkish figs (didn’t have any dates). Fantastic healthy snack. My husband keeps coming by and munching on it. Don’t think these will last long. Thanks!! I can’t wait to get your cookbook. I love your recipes and can’t wait to try some more.
Hi Angela,
I was just wondering, you say to freeze “left overs” of the bars…
Does that mean you wouldn’t keep them in the fridge for a while? I was hoping to make then and then give one a day in my husbands lunch kit. How long would they last in the fridge do you think..? Or should I just put a frozen one on his lunch each morning and then it will thaw I guess..?
Love your blog by the way and cookbook! I can’t put it down!!
Hi Amanda, Oh you can refrigerate them too – they should last at least a week if not longer in the fridge :)
Thanks for this recipe! These bars rock.
I made a few adjustments that I thought were worth mentioning :). I tend to need a lot of protein (and calories), so I added some peanut butter to the date mixture. To loosen the consistency after that addition, I blended in coconut water. To the dry mixture, I added hazelnuts (though I know the bars are supposed to be nut-free), sesame seeds, and a hint of cayenne pepper.
With these additions, the mixture had a bit more volume, so I baked on a 9×13 pan at 325 for probably around 25-27 minutes.
Can I substitute flax meal for chia seeds?
Thanks
This is a great idea which I never thought off. I have been making my own granola bars ,but even the so called healthier ones still have absolute loads of honey .i mean they are nice ,but things that are very sweet give me the munches .these sound better as you can make them as sweet or not as you like .
Just now putting these in the dehydrator as I already had it going. looking forward to them.
Hi, do you think I could send them to a friend via mail? Or do they need to be in the fridge?
They taste really great! :)
I sent them in early August, after having them in the fridge for a week, and they still were tasting great, when my friend received them.
Yum looks so good! Cannot wait to try this recipe this weekend!
Hi. I want to make these delicious granola bars but I don’t want to exceed my calorie intake. Do you how many calories there are in these bars
Been making these for about a month now & they are my absolute favourite snack thank you so much for sharing :)