Description
These easy-to-make pecan & date oat bars are moreish, chewy, and the perfect afternoon snack to have at work, school, in nature, or at home.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds (yellow or brown)
- ½ cup / 105g vegan butter, room temperature
- ½ cup / 105g dark brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup / 60g cane sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry:
- 1¼ cups / 110g rolled oats
- 1 cup / 140g plain flour
- ½ teaspoon bicarb soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
Extras:
- 10 Medjool dates, chopped
- 1 cup / 110g pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 180°C / 355°F, and line a square baking dish (mine was 7.7 inches x 7.7 inches) with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Make the flax eggs: In a small bowl, combine the ground flax seeds (2 tablespoons) with ¼ cup (60ml) of water. Mix well and set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugars: To a large bowl, add the butter (½ cup), and the sugars (¾ cup of dark, and ¼ cup of cane sugar). Whisk until combined and fluffy. If the butter is not soft enough, you may need a spoon to start the process, and then switch to a whisk once it’s softer.
- Add wet ingredients: Pour in the flax eggs mixture and vanilla extract, whisking well again. It will be light and fluffy, like an airy batter.
- Combine dry ingredients: Add in the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined.
- Fold in extras: Fold in about ¾ cup of the chopped pecans and around 10 of the dates with a spoon. The mixture will be quite thick.
- Bake: Transfer to the lined baking dish and spread out evenly. Sprinkle the remaining pecans and dates, lightly pressing down. Place it in the oven to bake for 20-30 minutes. Test with a skewer or knife to make sure it’s fully baked through.
- Cool and slice: Let it cool completely (otherwise it will crumble), slice, and enjoy!
Notes
Pecans: You can swap the pecans for any nut you like. Walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, and macadamias would work great. This will alter the flavor, but they will work just as well.
Dates: You can swap the dates for chocolate chips if you want a sweeter oat bar.
The sugars: Please don’t substitute the sugars that are used in the recipe, as this will compromise the structural integrity of the bars.
Storage: These bars can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freeze: These oat bars freeze really well. Thaw out at room temperature for a couple of hours, or in the fridge overnight.
Total time: The total time does not include cooling time for the bars.
