Bon Appétit
By Dawn Perry
3.9
(12)
Nutty Grain and Oat BarsDitte Isager
We can't stress it enough: Pack the mixture as tightly as possible into the loaf pan. This is essential for the slices to hold together when cut.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes about 16
Ingredients
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
6 large Medjool dates, pitted, chopped
1 cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or virgin coconut oil
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup raw almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, or cashews
1/2 cup shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons amaranth
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat an 8 1/2x4" loaf pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on long sides; spray parchment.
Step 2
Bring dates and maple syrup to a boil in a small saucepan, reduce heat to medium-high, and boil, stirring often, until dates are very soft and maple syrup is slightly reduced, 8–10 minutes. Remove date mixture from heat and stir in butter until it is melted. Mash dates with a potato masher or fork until as smooth as possible. (if you have an immersion blender, it will work, too). You should have about 1 cup.
Step 3
Toss oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, amaranth, and salt in a large bowl. Mix in date mixture until evenly coated. Scrape half of oat mixture into prepared pan and press very firmly and evenly with a rubber spatula to compress it as much as possible. Add remaining oat mixture and press until very tightly packed into pan.
Step 4
Bake, tenting with foil if browning too quickly, until loaf is darkened in color and firm around the edges, and center gives just slightly when pressed, 45–50 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let loaf cool in pan before turning out (it can even sit overnight). Cut into 1/2"-thick slices with a serrated knife.
Step 5
For crisp bars, lay slices on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F until golden brown, 8–10 minutes, or toast as desired in a toaster oven.
Step 6
DO AHEAD: Loaf can be made 5 days ahead. Keep tightly wrapped at room temperature.
Also try it with:
Sesame seeds (for amaranth)
TagsSnack BarBar CookieCookieDessertOatAlmondNutPumpkin SeedSeedSunflower SeedSnackBreakfastGluten FreeVegetarianEasyMake AheadBakingBon Appétit
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Reviews (12)
Back to TopTriangleAn excellent breakfast bar, similar to Kind bar but without sugar (at least I gotta figure there's sugar in the Kind bar chocolate layer)
Anonymous
Chicago
9/21/2021
Super flexible recipe! I cut the maple syrup down to 1/2 cup and add roughly 1/4 cup of natural smooth peanut butter to the pan right before I take it off the heat. I also toast the oats (and only add 1.5 cups - and make up that extra 0.5 cup with nuts) and add chocolate chips and a couple of pinches of unsweetened coconut. I don't know what amaranth is so I omit it. ~30 min is enough for the edges to get crispy in a 9x9 pan. I've experimented with lots of different kinds of nuts and it always comes out yummy :)
Anonymous
11/18/2018
Did a quick nutrition calculation here, 242 calories per serving, 38 grams of carbs, 18 of those from sugar, only 6 grams of protein per serving. Not nearly as healthy as it sounds.
sdbeede
1/31/2017
These are now my Go-To breakfast bars. I do not like to use protein powders and additives, so these are perfect. They remind me of Kind bars, but better since you can put in what you want. I used millet instead of amaranth, and that worked well. Also added some craizins and will experiment with other fruits. I tried chocolate chunks but they melted so had a background of chocolate to the whole bar, not the intention but that worked too! I had no trouble with the bars falling apart but I used a shallower pan with a bigger footprint. I will try to tone down the sweetness next time, but love the date / maple flavor.
divebuddy
Boston, Ma
9/4/2016
I've made these a couple of times. If you stack another bread pan into the pan with the bars and squeeze, it makes it very easy to get them packed tightly. They aren't the prettiest things because they can be difficult to cut but they seem to be well liked here.
kaellis2
Cincinnati, OH
4/28/2016
excellent recipe! only thing I would omit is the amaranth, too gritty. Next time, and there will be a next time, I will use sesame seeds instead. Also, it doesn't need as much maple syrup as called for.
reiner
4/5/2015
I have made this several times. These bars are very popular in our house. I follow the instructions and press the mixture down tightly into the pan. No problem with burning in my oven, so no need to tent foil--maybe those with problems have an oven that is improperly calibrated? I slice them and put them into little baggies so people can grab one and go--much better than store-bought granola bars or protein bars. I am having trouble figuring out how to rate this with forks, but I give it 4 forks!
greenplaneteating
Madison, CT
3/31/2015
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