I forgot how much I love a NO BAKE recipe! No heating up the kitchen and practically instant gratification! The only problem with these chocolate-peanut butter-oat bars is that they are so tasty and satisfying, I kind of can’t resist them. So after I made this batch, I gave them all to my sister-in-law and she and her family flipped for them!!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- requires no baking
- uses all pantry ingredients you probably already have
- flexible and easily nut-free (check the substitutions on the bottom)
- great as a snack
- lasts a long time (1-2 weeks) in the fridge
- NOT an over-the-top blood sugar-spiker dessert – sweetened only with dates and the sugar in the chocolate you choose!
No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter-Oat Bars Ingredients
- Dates: I love medjool dates. They have a caramel-like flavor. Always check the inside when you pit them to be sure they have no bugs. I store them in a sealed jar in my pantry or in the fridge or freezer.
- Peanut butter: I’m a fan of peanut butter, but you can use any nut or seed butter of choice in this recipe. I always use “natural” nut butters.
- Coconut oil: I prefer using an unrefined coconut oil. It helps solidify the mixture because coconut oil hardens when refrigerated.
- Vanilla extract: look for pure vanilla extract without additives or artificial flavors.
- Rolled oats: use old-fashioned rolled oats, not steel-cut oats. Look for gluten-free oats, if necessary.
- Shredded coconut: I always have shredded coconut on hand for when I make granola. It adds a nice chew to this base.
- Crunchy element: you can use chopped nuts, seeds, cacao nibs, puffed quinoa, a combination of these or any other crunchy element.
- Chocolate chips: I like dark chocolate chips, but you can use semi-sweet. I wouldn’t recommend using milk chocolate chips because they are mostly sugar.
- Flaky salt: is used for finishing dishes. I love adding flaky salt to desserts too. It adds a nice crunch of salt.
How to Make No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter-Oat Bars
- Place dates in a medium bowl and fill with boiling water, making sure dates are fully submerged in water. Soak dates for 10-15 minutes, until soft.
- Line a large loaf pan (9 x 5 or 10 x 5) with unbleached parchment paper.
- In a food processor or blender, blend dates with 1 Tablespoon of soaking liquid, nut butter, coconut oil, salt and vanilla until smooth. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in oats, shredded coconut, nuts and seeds. Stir until well combined. If you have a large capacity food processor, remove the blade and stir in rolled oats, coconut, nuts and seeds into the food processor bowl. Mix until well combined.
- Transfer mixture to prepared loaf pan and spread evenly in one layer and smooth at the top.
- Melt chocolate and coconut oil in a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water.
- Spread melted chocolate evenly over oat mixture. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and refrigerate until mixture is firm, about 8 hours to overnight. (chocolate will be firm, but filling will be sticky and medium firm). The longer they stay in the fridge, the firmer they will get.
- Remove mixture from the loaf pan and cut into bars or squares. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Tips for Making No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter-Oat Bars
- Soak the date in hot water until soft. This will make them easier to blend. Don’t throw out the soaking liquid because you’ll need about 1 tablespoon of it.
- If you don’t have a food processor or your food processor is not that strong, I recommend blending the dates in a blender so the mixture comes out smoother.
- I like to line the loaf pan with parchment paper so I can easily pull out the bars from the baking dish when it’s time to cut them.
- Keep these in the fridge so they stay firm.
Substitutions for No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter-Oat Bars
- Peanut butter – almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower butter, Granola Butter, or tahini
- Coconut oil – coconut butter or unsalted dairy butter
- Chopped nuts – seeds, cacao nibs, puffed quinoa or something else that is crunchy.
- Dark chocolate chips – semi-sweet chocolate chips. Look for dairy-free brands if necessary or ones sweetened with stevia if that works better for you.
If you give this recipe a try, snap a pic and tag @pamelasalzman so I can see your beautiful creations. I also really appreciate readers taking the time to leave a rating and review! Subscribe for free to my site for the latest recipes, updates and things I’m loving lately. If you enjoy this recipe, I taught it last year in my online class! Give me an hour a month, and I’ll make you a better, healthier cook!
No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter-Oat Bars
PamelaIngredients
- 1 cup pitted dates
- Boiling water
- 6 Tablespoons peanut butter almond butter or cashew butter (¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons) or nut/seed butter of choice
- 3 Tablespoons melted unrefined virgin coconut oil or coconut butter
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes or shredded coconut
- ½ cup chopped nuts seeds, cacao nibs, puffed quinoa, puffed buckwheat, or a combo
- 1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips or unsweetened chocolate with stevia added to taste
- 1 Tablespoon unrefined virgin coconut oil
- Flaky sea salt if desired
Instructions
- Place dates in a medium bowl and fill with boiling water, making sure dates are fully submerged in water. Soak dates for 10-15 minutes, until soft.
- Line a large loaf pan (9 x 5 or 10 x 5) with unbleached parchment paper.
- In a food processor or blender, blend dates with 1 Tablespoon of soaking liquid, nut butter, coconut oil, salt and vanilla until smooth. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in oats, shredded coconut, nuts and seeds. Stir until well combined. If you have a large capacity food processor, remove the blade and stir in rolled oats, coconut, nuts and seeds into the food processor bowl. Mix until well combined.
- Transfer mixture to prepared loaf pan and spread evenly in one layer and smooth at the top.
- Melt chocolate and coconut oil in a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water.
- Spread melted chocolate evenly over oat mixture. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and refrigerate until mixture is firm, about 8 hours to overnight. (chocolate will be firm, but filling will be sticky and medium firm). The longer they stay in the fridge, the firmer they will get.
- Remove mixture from the loaf pan and cut into bars or squares. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
8 Comments
I don’t know why I waited so long to make days. They are delicious.
Glad you gave these a try! Love having a batch of these in the fridge.
I love these bars! They have just the right amount of crunch and sweetness. I’ll be making them again.
I’m obsessed with them too! Thank you for giving this recipe a try 🙂
So good! My husband can’t have dates (boo!) what do you recommend? Can I use maple syrup? Thanks! Stephanie
The dates are provide a thick stickiness which helps hold all the ingredients together. I haven’t tested it, but I would swap in another dried fruit like dried figs.
These look so good! I’m going to make them tomorrow.
Let me know how you like them!