[Foodie Friday Recipe] Chewy Chocolate Oat Bars

February 24, 2023 | Real Food Recipes
| Give your sweet tooth a treat with these chewy, fudgy and delicious chocolate oat bars!
Looking for a satisfying dessert that’s free of unhealthy sweeteners, artificial flavors, and processed fats? Try these tantalizing chewy chocolate oat bars. They’re gluten-free, and sweetened with one of the best sweeteners nature has to offer – you’d never guess they’re as healthy as they are!
Rich chocolate filling tops a crumbly oat crust, and with a sprinkling of nuts, chocolate chips, and sea salt, you’ll satisfy all of your cravings at once!
Get your fix here:
Gluten-Free Chewy Chocolate Oat Bars Recipe
Makes: 16 bars
Time: 50 minutes (plus cooling)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup pitted dates, packed (13-14 dates)
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups oat flour
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free rolled oats
- ½ cup coconut sugar (or granulated sweetener of choice)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup coconut oil, melted and cooled to room temp
- ⅓ cup nuts of choice, chopped (try walnuts, peanuts, or hazelnuts)
- ¼ cup dark chocolate chips, or chocolate bar broken into pieces
- Pinch flaky sea salt
Instructions:
- Position an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- To make the date paste, add the pitted dates, hot (just boiled) water, cocoa powder, and vanilla to a blender or food processor. Blend for a few seconds until mostly smooth. (It’s ok to have some date chunks in there.) Set mixture aside to cool and thicken slightly while making the oat base.
- To make the oat base, add the oat flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda to a large mixing bowl. Mix well using a whisk or fork.
- Add the coconut oil (either melted to a liquid and cooled to room temperature, or in a soft solid state) to the dry ingredients and mix well. The mixture should be crumbly, not too dry or soggy.
- Reserve about ⅓ cup of the oat mixture for the topping. Add the rest to the baking pan, spreading evenly and pressing firmly to form a solid base.
- Pour the date mixture on top of the oat base and spread evenly using a spatula or offset. Sprinkle evenly with the reserved oat mixture. Top with chopped nuts of choice and chocolate chips, and finish with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until the nuts have turned a slight toasty color. Be sure not to over bake as the oat base can easily dry out.
- When done, remove the pan and set on a wire rack to cool for 45 to 50 minutes.
- Once at room temperature, use the parchment paper to lift bake out of the pan. Set on a cutting board and cut into 16 bars.
Recipe credit: Aubrey Devin at ThriveMarket.com
Photo credit: Elisha Knight