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Lazy Cat Kitchen

A food blog with plant-based recipes from all over the world

Healthy date bars

January 15, 2020 by Ania - 24

easy, gluten-free, healthy, refined sugar-freego to recipe

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healthy date bars macro

My house sounds horrendous as I type this. It feels like there is an angry bull downstairs launching itself at the walls and running around with an electric saw. The reason being that we are finally having our original Victorian floor (we felt so incredibly lucky to discover it underneath a horrible carpet!!) insulated and relaid to fix serious sloping issues and to join it with the kitchen-diner floor. In the next phase, all of the downstairs floor will be sanded and varnished – there is a lot of pressure to pick the right colour (argh…not again!!).

We’ve been waiting for this to happen for months, first it was our warm weather induced procrastination that delayed things (as other things had to be done before the floor) and then our contractor was fully booked until now. This work will transform our downstairs living space – we cannot wait to see the floor in its full glory. So excited.

I don’t want to be seen as breathing down my floor guys’ necks so I am politely keeping away, although I would love to actually be able to sit there and watch the process required to do this – I can be geeky like that. Especially now that we finally own a house, both Duncan and I find that we are suddenly really interested in learning about our house’s construction, DIY tips and tricks etc – generally all things I used to let in one ear and out the other – it’s funny how things change…

Recipewise, I concocted a bit of a sweet yet healthy treat for today. As you might have read, I vowed to quit sugar for January as my sweet cravings got out of control over Xmas and I didn’t like the feeling at all. I am surprised to say that it has not been too bad, even the first few days did not see me craving sweet stuff too much, however I did permit myself a date or sometimes two on a daily basis. It was chocolate, cookies and cakes in particular that I wanted a bit of a break from, so a bit of natural sweetness was okay, I decided.

So these date and tahini bars are a healthier take on these ones I made last year. They are bound together by a thick date paste and ground up flax seeds and if you are feeling extra indulgent, I suggest coating them in a chocolate glaze sweetened with maple syrup (or more dates if you would rather…).

I’ve always loved the combination of sweet dates and nutty, ever so slightly bitter, tahini. I really feel that they belong together – I am sure that it is no coincidence that they both hail from the same geographical area – so I have combined them together again in these baked bars full of nuts and seeds and a smattering of DIY chocolate. I really love the result and I hope that so will you. Enjoy!

PS: If you make my healthy date bars, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram as @lazycatkitchen and use the #lazycatkitchen hashtag. I love seeing your takes on my recipes!

healthy date bars dates

healthy date bars mixing

healthy date bars prep

healthy date bars decoration

healthy date bars

5.00 from 4 votes
Print
  • makes: 8-10 bars
  • prep: 15 min
  • cooking: 30 min

Ingredients

BARS

  • 200-250 g / 7-9 oz dates (I used Medjool dates)
  • 65 g / ½ cup chopped almonds
  • 65 g / ½ cup chopped walnuts
  • 40 g / ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
  • 35 g / ¼ cup sunflower seeds
  • 30 g / 1 cup puffed rice
  • 25 g / ¼ cup ground flax seeds
  • ¼ tsp ground cardamom
  • 1½ tsp vanilla essence
  • 30 ml / 2 tbsp runny tahini

TOPPING

  • 37 g / 3 tbsp coconut oil
  • 3 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup (skip if using 250 g / 9 oz dates)
  • white sesame seeds, to garnish
  • sea salt flakes, to garnish

Method

  1. Pit the dates and soak them in boiling water for 20 minutes. Use 250 g / 9 oz of dates if you want to use date paste (rather than maple syrup) to sweeten the chocolate layer too.
  2. Meanwhile, line a small baking tin (I used a 2lb / 900 g baking tin*) with a piece of baking paper and preheat the oven to 150° C / 300° F.
  3. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
  4. Place drained dates in a food processor, together with vanilla essence and tahini and process until smooth. Add 30 ml / 2 tbsp (not more!) of boiling water to keep the machine going without getting jammed. Process for 5 minutes, until super smooth and a thick paste forms. If using dates for the chocolate layer, save ¼ cup of the paste for later.
  5. Stir the date / tahini mixture through the nuts and seeds mixture, ensuring it is evenly distributed throughout. You may need to use your hands to do this as the paste is thick.
  6. Spread the mixture in the paper-lined baking tin. Press the mixture down really well so that there are no gaps / air pockets and the bars hold together well. Use a piece of baking paper with a flat-bottomed glass on top to be able to pack the mixture better.
  7. Bake for about 30-40 minutes, they should be browned, no longer super soft / raw to the touch.
  8. Take out of the oven and compress the mixture again using the upside down glass trick. Then weigh it down with something heavy while the mixture is cooling down. Allow it to cool down completely before cutting or applying the topping.
  9. Melt coconut oil on a low heat, stir through cocoa powder and maple syrup (or date paste – see NOTES).
  10. Spread the chocolate layer on the cool bars, sprinkle with sesame seeds and salt flakes and refrigerate until the topping has set.
  11. Cut into equal size pieces with a sharp knife. Store the bars in an airtight container.

Notes

*I used a 2 lb / 900 g cake tin of the following dimensions: 18.5cm / 7″ x 8cm / 3″ x 6cm / 2.5″. (I used one like this).

If you want more info on some of the ingredients that we use in our recipes, check out our glossary.
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This recipe has been written by Ania. She is the cook, stylist and photographer behind Lazy Cat Kitchen. You can read about her journey into food blogging here. You can also check her out on Pinterest and Instagram.

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    Comments

    Leave a comment

  1. Alpa says

    January 15, 2020 at 7:59 pm

    What is upside down glass trick?

    Reply
    • Ania says

      January 15, 2020 at 8:04 pm

      I explained it in point 6 of the method – I press the mixture with a flat-bottomed glass, turned upside down, to make sure all the ingredients bind together better and the bars do not fall apart after baking.

      Reply
  2. Allison Smith says

    January 16, 2020 at 8:56 am

    Please keep the sugar free recipes coming, I, too have given up sugar as I did love all the Christmas treats, but it is now time for sugar and I to go our separate ways, I look forward to making this, and you could even substitute the puffed rice with either quinoa or amaranth

    Reply
    • Ania says

      January 16, 2020 at 11:39 am

      Thanks Allison, I will do as sugar dependency is my ongoing battle :P. x Ania

      Reply
  3. Gemma Herincx says

    February 2, 2020 at 6:38 pm

    Thank you thank you. The ultimate item in a healthy date bar. What more could I ask for that something that gives all that energy goodness sweetness and indulgence when you have little time and before two hours fitness training. 😊😊 Gemma x

    Reply
    • Ania says

      February 2, 2020 at 6:49 pm

      Aw, thanks Gemma! I am delighted to hear that you enjoyed these and I agree – they are a perfect thing to have a few hours before or straight after some strenuous exercise. x Ania

      Reply
  4. Deborah says

    May 9, 2020 at 10:32 pm

    Hi. Your recipes sound amazing. Am trying to find your date paste recipe?
    Thank you

    Reply
    • Ania says

      May 10, 2020 at 2:12 am

      Thank you for your kind words but I don’t understand your question – date paste is explained in the recipe Method. Hope that’s what you mean. Ania

      Reply
  5. tweetie says

    May 24, 2020 at 3:39 pm

    Just made these and they are so yummy when you want that ‘sugar’ fix

    Reply
    • Ania says

      May 24, 2020 at 6:28 pm

      I’m so happy to hear that, thanks so much for letting me know that you enjoyed them. x Ania

      Reply
  6. K says

    August 3, 2020 at 7:04 pm

    Aniu, jak długo można przechowywać te batoniki w lodówce?

    Reply
    • Ania says

      August 3, 2020 at 8:31 pm

      Mysle, ze 5-7 dni w szczelnym pojemniku na pewno. Mozna je tez zamrozic. Pozdrawiam! Ania

      Reply
  7. Louise says

    August 3, 2020 at 7:55 pm

    Hi, could you tell me what the nutrition value is please? Thanks

    Reply
    • Ania says

      August 3, 2020 at 8:29 pm

      Hi Louise,

      I am sorry but I don’t have a way to calculate this information currently. I am planning on adding this function to my new website in a few months. Ania

      Reply
  8. Margo Buckton says

    August 16, 2020 at 12:40 am

    Working on 10 bars and 250g medjool dates the calories per bar are 297.

    Reply
    • Ania says

      August 16, 2020 at 1:42 pm

      Great, thanks!

      Reply
  9. Kate says

    August 17, 2020 at 3:46 am

    So many recipes call for drippy tahini. What are we supposed to do with the rest of the tahini?

    Reply
    • Ania says

      August 17, 2020 at 12:05 pm

      Hi Kate,

      Natural tahini (made only out of sesame seeds) tends to separate as it stands around as it has no stablisers to stop that process so the best way it to stir the thick part back into the drippy part. If it’s hard going, do it in a food processor. Otherwise, simply use the thick part on your toast, it won’t be as messy to eat. Hope this helps! Ania

      Reply
  10. Aysha Rasul says

    September 7, 2020 at 10:22 am

    Can i use rolled oats instead of puffed rice?
    Please reply

    Reply
    • Ania says

      September 7, 2020 at 12:44 pm

      Hi Aysha,

      I think so but it will make the bars way more dense and you may need more wet ingredients. Hope it works out well for you. Ania

      Reply
  11. Marie says

    October 23, 2020 at 11:41 am

    This is so good! I like the idea that there is no sugar. Then I also used dates for the chocolate topping. Actually I try as much as I can to bake without sugar and dates are a good alternative. I will definitely do these bars again and maybe try to prepare a nut free version then my children can eat them at school .

    Reply
    • Ania says

      October 23, 2020 at 6:36 pm

      Thank you, Marie. I am delighted to hear that you enjoyed them! And thanks so much for taking the time to let me know that they were a hit. Ania

      Reply
  12. Rafael says

    November 20, 2020 at 7:21 pm

    Hi Ania

    This is a great recipe, thanks for sharing. I just tried doing it now, but the chocolate topping seemed too liquid, so not sure if the mixture will settle completely on the top of the bar. Maybe I should put less coconut oil next time? What do you think might have gone wrong?

    Many thanks!

    Reply
    • Ania says

      November 20, 2020 at 9:07 pm

      Hi Rafael,

      I’m glad you like this recipe. As for the glazing, give it time – the filling will set in the fridge. It’s the coconut oil that makes it set so I would definitely not recommend reducing the amount. Ania

      Reply

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Ania Marcinowska
Hi, I'm Ania. I love good food but I love animals more! Adopting a plant-based diet has been the best decision I've made and that's how this blog was born. It's a space where I want to show you that creating delicious plant-based food isn't actually hard at all.
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