Deliciously naturally sweet, these no-bake peanut butter oat date bars are a perfectly sweet treat full of pistachios, dried cranberries, and dark chocolate chips.
Easy No Bake Granola Bar Recipe
Granola bars have been around for decades, even before they were called “granola bars.” I remember my Grandma making “drop” cookies like these in the middle of summer, and she didn’t want to turn on the oven.
These portable sweet snacks are made from oats, nuts, some type of sweetener (in this case, you’re getting the natural sweetness from honey and dates), dried fruit, and dark chocolate. The beauty of making a recipe like this is that it’s truly versatile – as long as you keep the measurements the same. Check out the Substitutions section below!
TKW Family Love
Made these for my lunch and wow are these amazing! These are truly amazing as-is! Definitely making more!
Continue reading as I show you how incredibly easy these are to make! Get the kids involved and show them how sweet treats can be made healthy!
No Bake Oat Date Nut Granola Bar Ingredients
When making my recipe, you only need a few ingredients, which I’m sure most of you already have in your pantry. And if you don’t say have pistachios but have pecans, swap ’em out! Easy peasy!
- Peanut Butter
- Honey
- Mix-ins: dark chocolate chips, toasted pistachios, dried cranberries
WATCH: See How To Make No-Bake Oat Bars
Make sure to watch the video especially when it comes to how to compress these easily!
Make a Chunky Date Paste
Working with fresh dates is easy.
- Add the dates to a heat-safe bowl and pour enough boiling water to cover them. Let sit for 15 minutes.
- Drain the water and pit the dates. Take a sharp-tipped knife and slit the dates open, remove the pit (discard the pit), and put the flesh into a food processor.
- Once all the dates are pitted, process them until they are broken down and create a thicker/chunkier paste. *If need be, add 1-2 Tablespoons of hot water to help break it down.
How To Grind Dates Without A Food Processor
This part takes a bit longer, but it’s still pretty easy.
- Soak the dates in boiling water, drain, pit, and chop them as small as possible with a knife.
- Place the chopped pieces back in the heat-safe bowl, cover them with more boiling water, and allow them to soak for a minute.
- Drain and chop again. Repeat step 2 until you have a softer “chunky paste.”
Mix Up The No Bake Date Oat Nut Granola Bars
These come together in minutes. You can mix this in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, but honestly, it’s so easy to mix by hand plus, it’s a great little bicep workout!
- Microwave the peanut butter and honey for about 15-20 seconds. The peanut butter’s more pourable consistency makes it easier to mix into the oats.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to a large bowl, pour over the peanut butter mixture, and mix until all the oats are coated.
How To Assemble No Bake Date Oat Bars
- Line a 9x”13″ pan with parchment paper.
- Add the mixture to the pan. Top with another piece of parchment paper and press the mixture into an even layer.
- I prefer to break out my pastry roller and roll that over the parchment paper. This allows me to get a compressed, even layer.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for ~1-2 hours before slicing.
Cut The No Bake Date Oat Pistachio Bars
- Using a sharp knife, cut the bars into your desired size. I cut about 22 bars as I prefer them into longer, thinner bars. Want squares? Go for it!
I seriously love the picture below, which shows you the ‘layers’ of oats, dates, dried cranberries, crispy toasted pistachios, and chocolate chips.
The Best Way to Store Chewy No-Bake Oat Date Bars
When giving these out, I prefer to wrap each in parchment paper, maybe add a bow, and keep them cold.
When it’s just for us, I slice, create a single layer in a container, add a piece of parchment, repeat, cover it with a lid, and store it in the fridge.
You technically do not have to store them in the fridge, BUT because they are not baked, they can get a tad too soft if left on the counter (still keep them covered, though). I definitely wouldn’t keep them on the counter here in Arizona in the summer.
Recipe Substitutions & Additions
It’s recipes like this where you have THE MOST freedom and fun! As long as you keep the following formula in mind:
- 2 3/4 cup oats
- No more than 2.5 cups of mix-ins
- 1 pound of dates
- 1 1/4 cups peanut butter
- 1/3 cup of honey
The mix-ins are where you have more freedom. Want to add protein powder? Check out below!
- Oats – it MUST be old-fashioned oats.
- Nut Butter – You can use any nut butter or even cookie butter. If you are using natural nut butter, make sure it’s mixed well first.
- Honey – swap for maple syrup or agave.
- Nuts – use any nut or omit and add in another dried fruit!
- Dried Fruit: Raisins, dried apricots, and so forth are great, or you can omit them and go with all nuts.
- Protein Powder: If you add protein powder, add 1/2 cup, but reduce the oats by 1/3-1/2 cup. You can also add about 1/3 cup more peanut butter.
- Seeds: Since chia or flax seed won’t change the texture or throw off the balance, you can add up to 3 Tablespoons without altering the oats or peanut butter mixture.
- Gluten-Free: while oats are naturally gluten-free, they may not be processed in a gluten-free facility. Make sure to verify that the oats you use are certified gluten-free!
Looking For More TKW Family Favorite Recipes?
These three recipes are favorites of yours (and mine!) Check them out and see why thousands globally have fallen in love with them!
No Bake Chewy Oatmeal Date Granola Bars Recipe
Deliciously naturally sweet, these no-bake peanut butter oat date bars are a perfectly sweet treat full of pistachios, dried cranberries, and dark chocolate chips.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: ~20-24 bars
- Category: chewy granola bars, gluten-free bars, no bake desserts, sweet treats, using dates, vegetarian
- Method: no bake
- Cuisine: chewy granola bars, gluten-free bars, no bake desserts, sweet treats, using dates, vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 pound Medjool Dates (~28 dates)
- 2 3/4 cups Old Fashioned Oats
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup toasted pistachios
- 3/4 cups dried cranberries
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 1/3 cup honey
Instructions
Make The Chunky Date Paste
- Add the dates to a heat-safe bowl and pour enough boiling water to cover them. Let sit for 15 minutes.
- Drain the water and pit the dates. Take a sharp-tipped knife and slit the dates open, remove the pit (discard the pit), and put the flesh into a food processor.
- Once all the dates are pitted, process them until they are broken down and create a thicker/chunkier paste. *If need be, add 1-2 Tablespoons of hot water to help break it down.
Make The No Bake Bars
- Add the honey and peanut butter to a microwave-safe bowl. Pop the bowl in the microwave and heat for a few seconds to slightly melt the peanut butter.
- To a large bowl, add the oats, pistachios, dried cranberries, chocolate chips, and sea salt. Please give them a quick mix. Pour in the melted honey peanut butter mixture and the chunky date paste.
- Using a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon, mix the ingredients until everything is well-coated and combined.
- Line a 9×13” pan with parchment paper and dump the mixture into the pan. Place a piece of parchment paper on top and press the mixture into an even layer. Use a pastry roller to compact the mix.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. When you’re ready to cut, remove the meat from the refrigerator, remove it from the pan, and slice it.
- To serve, wrap each slice in parchment paper* and store the rest in the fridge in an airtight container. Because these are sticky, wrapping each piece in parchment paper makes them easier to store and handle.
Notes
*Time doesn’t include chilling
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