This is for Jennifer, and anyone else. I usually double this because my kids eat them so fast and I want to minimize my effort. They keep well in the fridge and if you want them to keep longer wrap them up and freeze them!
1 Cup packed, pitted dates
1/4 C honey
1/4 C nut butter (I use peanut butter, use what you love)
1 C roasted unsalted almonds, roughly chopped
1 1/2 C rolled oats
Optional add-ins
1/2 - 1 C unsweetened coconut
2Tbsp - 1/4 C chia seeds
1/4 C hemp hearts
I use coconut flakes but shredded is good too!
Since these aren't cooked, I like to use organic, and RAW honey....so good for you, yummmmm!
Toast your oats, almonds and coconut for 10-20 minutes on 300 depending on your oven and desired flavor. I like mine well browned because it makes a more intense flavor.
Honey, nut butter and chia seeds are the beginning of your binding agent.... add to it the date dough.
Put your dates in the food processor and whirl them to oblivion, the more you process them the better they bind your bars together. Check for the occasional missed pit, they are rock hard and no fun to bite into.
This is what the dates look like when properly processed, you can go even farther than this if you are an over achiever.
Add the date goop to the mixer and mix until it is evenly distributed.
whir whir whirrrrrrrr!
Throw those toasty almonds into your food processor and give them a rough chop.
Add in that toasty coconut, along with the toasty nuts and the oats.
Blend it on med-low speed until the ingredients are evenly distributed paying special attention to the dates... they're sticky buggers.
Dump it all out onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, put some coconut oil on your hands and push it into an even layer.
Use a rolling pin to mash it all down into a flat sheet and then refrigerate it until firm. Once firm you can cut it into bars and enjoy!
I put them into a tin with layers of parchment between and/or put into individual fold top sandwich baggies so they don't stick together into a big glob of nutty, datey mess.
Don't forget to modify with some of your favorite things!! Just remember if you add in more dry ingredients you will want to slightly increase your honey and nut butter otherwise it will be too "dry" and it will be too crumbly to make a nice bar.
