Eggless Dates And Oats Bars Recipe (With Video)

We may disagree on what these should be called, but am sure we all nod in agreement when I say - nothing really beats homemade stuff, especially when it comes to granola, granola bars etc. They put the store bought stuff to shame , are super easy to make and  you can customize them to your taste.Try these today if you haven't baked your own yet. I am sure you will wonder why you did not make these earlier,I promise you will never buy these again! 

 We love Granola Bars, Double Chocolate Granola, these 3 Ingredient Orange Flapjacks and this Peanut Butter Granola. But who can resist trying out new recipes? I recently tried these Date Bars from Yotam Ottolenghi, choc-a-bloc with seeds and nuts with that Mediterranean touch you find in his recipes. I know you don't mess around with recipes like these, but I reduced the sugar and butter to suit our preference. They are still quite indulgent and gift-worthy, so keep these in mind during Christmas and Diwali.  You can change it to your taste, have fun with it!     

 Here is what I did.  Watch me make these simple bars.Please do not forget to subscribe to my channel for new videos - baking basics, tips and simple recipes for beginners.

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Ingredients 
              
Instant oats (you can use rolled oats if you prefer) 120 grams
Oats, processed coarsely - 80 grams
Pinch of salt
Ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp
Almonds,toasted and roughly chopped - 50 grams
Sunflower seeds,toasted - 35 grams
Pumpkin Seeds , toasted 35 grams 
Raw cashews, roughly copped 50 grams
Raw sesame seeds  10 grams 
Soft pitted dates , chopped 80 grams ( recipe uses 120g)
Date syrup - 1/4 cup / 60 ml ( recipe uses 75 grams golden syrup)
Caster Sugar  -100 grams / 1/2 cup ( recipe uses 180 grams brown sugar)
Soft unsalted butter  100 grams ( the recipes uses 200 grams)
Zest of one fresh orange
Freshly squeezed orange juice - 2 teaspoons.     

• Pre heat oven to 170C. Line an 8'' square tin with baking parchment,leaving an overhang. 
• In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, the processed oats, salt cinnamon. Add in the nuts and seeds, mix well to combine. 
• Toss in the dates, separate them if they clump up.
•  In a large saucepan, heat together the butter,date syrup and sugar. We just need t to melt and combine well, no need to boil or heat too much. Grate the zest of the orange and stir in the orange juice,mix well. 
• Dump in the oats and nuts mixture. Mix with a spatula,making sure all the ingredients are well moistened. The mixture will be crumbly. 
• Press it firmly into the tin. If you do not press firmly the bars will be crumbly. 
• Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the top turns a light golden brown. Check at 15 minutes, be very careful to not over-bake or the bars will burn. 
• They will be soft when you remove them from the oven, will firm up as they cool. Let the bars cool in the tin over a cooling rack. 
• Cut them into squares when they are still soft. Once the bars cool completely, separate the bars and store airtight.  

Looking for something even simpler? Try these 3 ingredient  Orange & Chocolate Flapjacks!