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These Oatmeal Date Bars are soft, chewy bars that taste just like apple pie. They’re gluten-free with no added sugar. The perfectly easy anytime treats!
These Apple Oatmeal Date Bars are everything! They turned out even better than I ever imagined.
Soft, moist, chewy, sweet, and full of delicious spices and flavors. We ate a whole batch in less than 24 hours. The kids couldn’t get enough…and neither could I.
Breakfast, snack, dessert, and packed into lunch boxes – these healthy sweet treats are sure to be one of your favorites too!
These delicious apple bars are super easy to make. Just a few simple ingredients are needed and they come together quickly in a food processor.
Walnuts, oats, apples, dates, cinnamon, and ginger. That’s it. That’s all you need.
A few minutes in the oven makes them hold together perfectly and creates such a amazing soft texture – almost like a cross between pie, cake, and baked oatmeal. Trust me, you’ve got to try it for yourself!
These fall spiced gluten-free apple oat bars are similar to Larabars, but these are baked, contain oats, and are less dense.
I love Larabars, but I definitely prefer the texture of these date bars!
The addition of the oats also gives them more staying power making them a great breakfast choice in addition to being a healthy snack anytime of day.
Grab a bar and enjoy the benefits of vitamin E, vitamin K, calcium, iron, zinc, folate, fiber, healthy fats, anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatory properties, and more!
And remember, these yummy bars are dairy-free, gluten-free, oil-free, and contain no added sugars! Healthy can taste good!
More vegan snack bars
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
- Ancient Grains Breakfast Bars
- Tahini Dark Chocolate Granola Bars
- Healthy Pumpkin Fudge Bars
- Cranberry Oat Crumble Bars
- Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bars
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment below with your feedback.
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For even more easy family recipes, be sure to check out my cookbook, The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook!
Apple Oatmeal Date Bars
Ingredients
- 3 cups pitted dates soaked in warm water for 20 minutes if they are dry
- 1 cup raw walnuts
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups gluten free quick-cook oats divided
- 1 ½ cups diced apples
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper – let the ends hang over the dish so you can use them as handles later to easily pull the bars out of the pan. Set aside.
- In a food processor, pulse the dates, walnuts, cinnamon, ginger, and 1 cup of oats just until a pasty dough is formed. The mixture should be sticky, but don't over process.
- Add in the remaining 1 cup of oats* and the apples and pulse a few times just to mix. You do NOT want to overmix. If the oats and apples don't incorporate easily and quickly, turn the dough out into a mixing bowl and mix everything in with a wooden spoon or spatula just until incorporated.
- Slightly dampen your hands so the batter doesn’t stick and press the batter into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake for 20 minutes until the edges start to get just a bit crispy.
- Let cool in the pan on a cooling rack before removing the whole square of bars from the pan. Cut into bars. Store any leftovers in the fridge.**
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition values are calculated using online calculators and are estimates only. Please verify using your own data.
TB says
This recipe is very good. While there is no sugar added to the recipe, it is not sugar free. The dates and apples contribute a significant amount of sugar. Those with sugar restrictions should be made aware of that and “sugar free” should probably be removed from the title of the recipe.
Jenn Sebestyen says
I’m so glad you like them. There is a huge difference between eating whole foods with natural sugars and adding granulated sugar to a recipe. Pretty much everything has natural sugar in some amount. But, I understand your point. Thanks for your comment.
Barb says
You say not to over bend but I’m looking for a recipe naturally sweetened for a friend who has esophageal problems. What happens if I blend til smooth? Thanks. Looks delicious. I’m making it for mysel as written.
Jenn Sebestyen says
The texture is best if it’s a bit chunky, but it will still work if you blend until smooth. You could even add a little bit of water in the batch you make for your friend if you need to smooth it out even more. They may not hold together quite as well, but will still be delicious. Let me know how they turn out!
Jennifer Bliss says
Great place you have here! Hopped over from a common veggies friends blog! Looking forward to additional posts, too!