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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Hi there,
Do you know how many grams of dates 3/4 cups would be?
Hi Angela! So I finally got around to making these and wanted to warn any of your readers who might attempt to use coconut flour to replace the oat flour: DON’T DO IT! The batter is dry and crumbly and the final product looks like a desert land. I’m sure the original recipe would have turned out great. I just couldn’t help trying out my new coconut flour. But it looks like it’s way too dense for an exact replacement. Maybe half coconut flour and half oat flour? Any suggestions for a bar with full coconut flour?
how much water with those dates?
Hi Angela, just made your soft and chewy baked granola bars and really love them. I’m starting a “year of no sugar” after reading Eve Schaub’s book so this was a great recipe for me.
Angela, I love these! What a fantastic, easy, healthy for me and my children. I am especially excited about these because they are nut-butter free, which means that I can pack them for my kids when they need a snack out of the house… almost everywhere we go requires that foods are nut-free.
Thanks!
I can,t eat oats, almonds are any gluten. What could I use instead of the oats?
P.S. your recipes are amazzzing
oops spelling error before….. I can,t eat oats, almonds or any thing with gluten. What could I use in place of the oats?
Just made these! Super quick and easy :) I’m a college student and bars are definitely my go-to snacks to carry around. However, most store bought ones are full of TONS of sugar and not the best quality ingredients… I just tried these OSG ones and the only thing I wish I would’ve done differently is probably packed my 3/4 cup of dates. I just kind of guestimated the quantity and I think it would’ve been better if I had followed the directions better :)
I kind of want to add some almond butter or something next time so that they feel a little stickier to see how that works out…
I’ve been doing my research and yours looks the most appealing. Can’t wait to try them.
I do have a question though. To avoid cross contamination, do you think I should have separate baking pans for Gluten free vs regular? Would that even matter?
Hi Angela… I’ve been doing my research and yours looks the most appealing. Can’t wait to try them.
I do have a question though. To avoid cross contamination, do you think I should have separate baking pans for Gluten free vs regular? Would that even matter?
And you recommend freezing to preserve. Would you recommend storing in tupperware at room temperature or tupperware in refrigerator and for how many days?
Hi Angela, I used this recipe as a jumping-off point for some post-race protein bars that I had for after my half marathon last week. I gave you proper credit, of course. (And squealed about how excited I am about your baby, like a loser)
http://www.veggierunners.com/2014/09/11/gingerbread-spiced-protein-granola-bars/
Hi Angela, I saw you on the Steven and Chris show. You were fabulous. I had to subscribe to your website. Love the recipes. Thank you :)
Hi Brenda,
So glad you caught the episode. Thanks for checking out my blog!
Hi Angela,
I was wondering if you would be able to help me. I would love to make some homemade granola type bars for my family. One of my children has a peanut and tree nut allergy and I have had trouble finding an uncontaminated source of seeds like those you used in this recipe. What brand are your seeds? Or where do you purchase them?
Thank you!
~Lauren
Hi Angela! Does your recipe call for fresh dates? I bought dried then retread the recipe when I got home. I don’t see fresh dates often in my grocery stores. Thx!!
Hi Angela,
Thank you for creating this recipe. I absolutely loved them! They are the perfect in-between meal snack and so easy to make. In fact, I recreated it and reviewed it on my website. Looking forward to trying out more of your recipes.
http://whenstrawberrymetkale.com/healthy-fall-spired-granola-bar-recipe-review/#more-241
These are delicious! And wonderful for my 3 yr old with nut allergies. Thank you!
Just finished making these and WOW, they are good!
I added mini chocolate chips for fun, came out great.
Thanks for the recipe!
I love the sound of this recipe but what does it mean when it says “two pieces of parchment paper, one going each way”? It didn’t make sense to me as the pan is square
sorry for the confusion! i put one piece going across and another vertically, so all 4 sides are covered with paper
Can I use prunes instead of dates? The recipe looks awesome!
Can I use prunes instead of dates?