I love granola bars. I mean, I know I’m not the only one who has a box of them tucked away in their bottom desk draw. And why is it that whenever I finally get around to finally unpacking my gym bag, I always find one or two squished at the bottom? Would you judge me if I told you I eat those? There’s definitely at least one in my glove box and probably another one buried somewhere deep in my purse. I’ve loved granola bars ever since I was a little kid, but it wasn’t until I had my first Kind Bar that I began to question what was in them. Once I discovered the answer, I started making my own and I’ve never looked back. I try to always keep the homemade variety in the fridge, but it’s hard since they seem to disappear faster than I can make them. I have a feeling that a little mouse (a.k.a. my hubby) is enjoying them as a late-night snack. Anyhow, I’ve made countless varieties over the years and the recipe I am sharing with you today is my absolute favorite. Below you will find my top reasons why I love these.
1. They are loaded with (pea)nut butter
I love peanut butter; always have, always will. As a young child my mom used to make me eat a huge spoonful everyday worried that I wasn’t getting enough protein (I became a vegetarian at six years old…more on that later). I honestly could probably still down a spoonful of peanut butter every day although I haven’t had one in a while! These bars are heavy on the peanut butter; just the way I like them. I’ve made them with less (see the note at the end of the recipe), but I just don’t think that they’re as yummy, so hopefully you are like me and love peanut buttery things. Of course, you can use any nut butter of choice and if you do, be sure to leave a comment below to let me know how they come out!
2. They are naturally sweetened
Both dates and honey are wonderful natural sweeteners. When you read the recipe, it may seem like a lot of dates and honey, but they will be dispersed evenly among your granola bars resulting in a perfect balance of sweet and salty. And best of all, you can feel good about snacking on these knowing they contain no refined sugars or ingredients you can’t pronounce. If you’ve never bought dates before, you should be able to find them in your local supermarket where they sell other dried fruits (raisins, craisins, apricots, etc.). I recommend deglet noor dates (there are many types of dates, but this is more than likely the variety your supermarket will be selling) and be sure to buy them pitted. I buy mine at my local Costco since I make these granola bars all the time and dates are way cheaper when bought in bulk. In order to get the dates into a paste-like texture, you’ll need to use your food processor. As the recipe indicates, be patient as they swirl around. I promise that eventually (for me it is about a minute and a half) the dates will form a ball; that’s when you can turn off the machine. Every time I process dates in my food processor, I’m equally impressed that there is no smoke coming out of the motor and grateful that I didn’t have to pulverize the dates by hand. It’s amazing what a food processor can do.
3. This recipe makes a whole big tray of bars
I figure, if you’re going to bust out the food processor and grind up those dates into a paste and then clean up all the stickiness, it better be worth it…and I promise it will be! This recipe is for 15 bars, but sometimes I cut them smaller and make 18. These little guys are quite dense so a little goes a long way. They keep great in the fridge (I actually prefer them cold) and you most certainly could freeze them. Just be sure to put some parchment paper in between bars so that they don’t stick to each other. And speaking of stickiness, I soak all my food processor parts and the saucepan immediately so that they’re easier to clean when I finally get around to it. You can thank me later!
4. The possibilities are endless
While you can’t really mess too much with the base for these bars (you want the right balance of sweet and salty and need to be sure they are sticky enough to not crumble when you bite into them) you most certainly can mix and match tons of different add-ins. For years, I always added unsweetened coconut flakes and raisins. But one time I went to reach from my coconut flakes and realized I’d forgotten I was out, so call me crazy, I added some chocolate chips instead. Wow! The bars came out delicious. I was inspired to try all different combinations from chopped nuts to dried fruit to cacao powder. Although I tend to be a creature of habit when it comes to snacking, turns out a little variety is wonderful. Just a word from the wise: I wouldn’t add more than a total of 1 cup of extras, or you might comprise the firmness of your bars.
Get granola bar-ing!
I am honestly addicted to these and I can’t wait for you to try them! So put pitted deglet noor dates on your shopping list and see just how easy it is to make your very own homemade granola bars. And if you’re looking for some other easy snacks, I also usually have either No Fuss Egg Cups or Loaded Veggie Biscuits stored away in the fridge for a quick hunger fix. As always, let me know how your No Bake Granola Bars come out (and what add-ins you used) by leaving a comment below. Enjoy! Buen provecho!
No Bake Granola Bars
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
Base of granola bars
- 2 cups oats
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 2 heaping cups pitted dates (I use deglet noor; see note below)
- 1 cup nut butter (I use peanut butter)
- 1/2 cup honey
Optional add-in ideas
- chopped nuts, unsweetened coconut flakes, raisins, craisins, other dried fruit, chocolate chips, etc. (you can add up to ¾ cup of mix and match extras without compromising the firmness of the bars)
- cinnamon, cacao powder, cocoa powder, etc.
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine oats, salt and optional add-ins of choice.
- With the metal blade fitted, place dates in the food processor and let the machine run until dates form a ball (see picture in post). If your machine is having trouble running (this happens sometimes if the dates are particularly hard), feed the dates through the feeding tube little by little. Be patient; in my processor this takes a little under a minute and a half. Transfer the ball of dates to the mixing bowl with the oats, scraping any extra date paste off the side of the work bowl with a spatula.
- In a small saucepan, gently heat honey and nut butter of choice over meduim low heat until warm (about 2 mintues). Add to mixing bowl. Mash and mix all ingredients until well combined (I start by using a fork and then once it is combined, I finish the job with a potato masher; you could also use your hands).
- Line a 9.5 X 13 pan with parchment paper (so the bars lift out easily). Transfer mixture to pan and using a fork (or potato masher, heavy bottomed glass, your hands etc.) spread it out, packing down tightly (this is important so that they don’t fall apart), until you have a uniform thickness (mine are usually a little under a ½ inch thick). The mixture may not reach all the edges of the pan; if this is the case just form smooth edges with a fork.
- Cover and place in the freezer to set for 20 minutes. Cut in 15 bars. Store in the fridge in an airtight container with parchment paper in between bars to prevent sticking. These can also be frozen.
Notes
- If you want a little less peanut buttery bar, add an extra ½ cup of oats. Since they won’t stick together as well, especially at the edges, place in the freezer for 20 minutes and then at least 1 hour in the fridge before cutting into bars giving them a bit more time to set.
- If for some reason yours fall apart (like my friend’s did since she eyeballed her ingredients), just enjoy it as granola. I promise it will still be yummy.
- You should be able to find pitted dates in your local supermarket where they sell other dried fruits (raisins, apricots, etc.). They also sell them in bulk at my local Costco.
- Since you are dealing with sticky ingredients, soak the food processor pieces and saucepan in hot water with some dish soap immediately. It will make scrubbing them a lot easier when you finally get to it.
