No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter-Oat Bars
Servings: 12 2-INCH PIECES (Makes 1 Loaf)
Ingredients
- 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.