Healthy Raw Date Bars

 

Raw Date Bars.  I have always loved Date Squares. My mom always used my Aunt Orabel's recipe which was delicious, but loaded with refined sugars and fats.

We never minded any of that. They were delicious and a rare treat.

A few years back my sister told me about these raw date bars that she was making and about how much healthier they were for you.  With no refined sugar at all.  

Containing only five simple ingredients, you don't even need to heat up your oven because there is absolutely NO baking involved.  Plus they are loaded with the delicious factor.  

 

No bake?  Vegan? No refined sugar? Easy to make? Only 5 simple ingredients? And delicious????

Where do I sign up!!  

I had always wanted to make them, but never got around to it.  Finally yesterday my sister decided to make some and I photographed the whole process so that I could share it and them here with you in my English Kitchen.

It was so much fun doing this together. I wish we could do it more often! 

 

Like I said there are only five simple ingredients needed.  Medjool dates.  Old fashioned oatmeal. Coconut oil.  Raw almonds.  Water.  Simple.

Our local store recently had Medjool dates on special and as points cards holders we got them for even less. I think they were about half the regular price for a really nice big tub.  We both got some.

My sister buys the huge container of coconut oil.  I can't believe how much cheaper that is here than it was in the UK. Also I could only ever find small containers of coconut oil there. 

Raw almonds. Not blanched. Not roasted. Skins on.

Old fashioned rolled oats. Not over processed quick oats. Large flakes.

Water.  We get ours from a well. Its really good. 

 

Unfortunately you do need a good food processor to make these. My sister has a Cuisinart one.  Don't be tempted to use a cheap one. You may burn the engine out. You want a heavy duty one.

I need to get one.

You begin by putting the almonds, salt, and oats into it and pulsing it until you get a mixture that resembles  dry bread crumbs.

Once you have done that you add the cut up dates.  I love dates, especially Medjool dates.  You will need to pit them. That is a mindless sort of a job that I don't mind doing and if a few get into my mouth in the process, so much the better.

Cut them into thirds or quarters and add them to the food processor. Pulse again, until they are all well incorporated with each other in a fine crumble.  Then you need to add the melted coconut oil.

My sister drizzles this in with the motor running until she gets the right consistency. You want it to be a bit sticky so that it holds together.  You can see in the last photo above what it should look like.

 

The filling is also made in the food processor and is a very easy make.  Just pop in the remainder of the pitted dates and then add half the water. My sister uses about 30 pitted dates.

You want to pulse and blend this until you have a fairly thick paste. Only add more of the water as needed to give you the proper consistency as shown above.  I guess it is about the consistency of a thick peanut butter, or Miso paste.

You will probably need to stop the processor and scrape down the sides a few times before continuing. Try not to eat too much of it as you go along. It tastes just like caramel. You have been warned! 

 

After that it is just a simple process of layering it all in a square dish. We used an 8-inch square Pyrex dish, which we lined with some baking paper.  

You will need to reserve about 3/4 of a cup of the crumbs to use as the topping. I am sorry but I don't know how many grams that is.  The remainder of it gets pressed into the bottom of the lined dish and compacted really well. (the back of a metal measuring cup works really well at this!)

Once you have done that spoon on the date paste. It is best to do it in dollops over the bottom crust and then use the back of a metal spoon to smooth it over the crust in an even layer.

The remaining crumbs get spooned evenly over top. You can press then down lightly with your fingertips. You won't be able to press them down as firmly as the bottom.

 

Once you have done that it is only a matter of covering them and chilling them. At least for one hour, preferably longer.  

We left these over night.  They were perfect. 

 

Cut them into perfect squares using a sharp knife. You don't want to be sawing these. 

Just sharp up and down cuts. Not a problem when you have a nice sharp chef's knife like the one I was sent!  It did a perfect job, with only a bit of crumbling.

My sister likes to put each one into a paper cupcake wrapper. She then stores them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

You can also freeze them if you wish to keep them longer, but really other than the water, there is nothing in here that will spoil.

Although, over time the nuts might go rancid.  So do freeze them for long term storage.  Any crumbles left on the cutting board. Well, they are the cook's treat!

 

Just look at how beautifully these cut into squares.  Perfect I would say!

That looks so pretty sitting on my sister's pink cut glass plate. Oh I do so love pink glass, don't you?

 

That's one of my mom's teacups in the background.  In a pretty pink rosebud pattern.

Its an Ansley Hathaway Pink Rosebud Swirl teacup and saucer.  Made in England from fine bone china, this was a very popular pattern in the 1950's

 

Both the cup and saucer have a swirl to them and are trimmed/edged with gold, and the cup has a nice gold edged foot to it.

Beautifully scalloped and swirled, this is a part of my mother's teacup collection.  I shall cherish this for as long as I live and pass it down to my daughter one day, or maybe my granddaughter. We will see what happens.

At any rate, these lush bars are totally delicious. Its nice to know you can feed that sweet tooth and do it in a healthy way, that is also incredibly tasty.

Nice and nutty with beautiful caramel undertones.  I dare say these are addictive. I highly recommend!   Bet you can't eat just one!

 

Yield: 12

Author: Marie Rayner

Raw Date Squares

These lush no-bake squares are not only very easy to make, but vegan and incredibly healthy as well. Filled with fibre, they only use five ingredients, and are fabulously delicious!

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 1 1/2 cups (255g) raw whole almonds
• 1 1/2 cups (120g) old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 12 Medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup (55g) coconut oil

For the filling:

• 30 Medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup (120ml) water (or as needed to give you the correct consistency)

Instructions

1. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with some baking parchment. Set aside.
2. To make the crust put the almonds and oats into your food processor along with the salt. Blitz until you have a mixture resembling coarse bread crumbs. Add the dates and blitz again until your mixture resembles fine dry bread crumbs.
3. Melt the coconut oil over low heat.
4. With the motor running, drizzle the coconut oil into the nut/oat/date mixture until your mixture attains the correct consistency. You should be able to press it together with your fingers and have it hold its shape.
5. Reserve 3/4 cup of the mixture and press the remaining mixture into the prepared baking dish, compacting it really well.
6. Put the dates for the filling into your food processor. Add roughly half the water and process until the mixture becomes smooth and pasty, adding the remaining water only as needed to give you the correct consistency. It should resemble bean paste. (Miso)
7. Dollop the date mixture over top of the bottom crust in the dish. Spread it out evenly using the back of a metal spoon.
8. Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture evenly over top and press it down lightly.
9. Cover tightly and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour, preferably over night. Cut into squares to serve.
10. Store in the refrigerator. These will keep quite a while, and can also be frozen in an airtight container.

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