Scale
Ingredients
For the Date Layer
- 2.5 cups packed (500 g), pitted dates
- 1/4–1/2 tsp sea salt, optional
For the Crust and Topping
- 2.5 cups (250 g) rolled oats
- 1.75 cups (175 g) rolled oats blended into fine oat flour
- 1/2 cups (110 g) granulated sugar of choice, such as coconut sugar or cane sugar
- 3/4 cups melted (150 g) coconut oil
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Soak the pitted dates in hot water for 30 minutes. After soaking, drain well.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place 1.5 cups of oats in a food processor or high-speed blender and mix into a fine flour.
- Add the oat flour and the rest of the crust ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine into a crumbly mixture.
- Spray a 7-8 inch square baking pan with non-sticking cooking spray (or grease with a touch of coconut oil).
- Firmly press about 2.5 cups of the oat mixture into the bottom of the pan.
- Add the drained dates to a food processor with the salt and mix into a paste. It’s ok if it’s a little chunky. If you don’t have a food processor, you can use your hands to squeeze the dates into paste, it’s just a little messy!
- Evenly spread the dates mixture over the crust layer in the pan.
- Top the date layer with the rest of the oat mixture. Press the oat mixture down over the dates with a little pressure to help meld the 3 layers together.
- Bake for 40 minutes then let them cool for at least 2 hours in the pan. You can put them in the fridge to speed up the process. This is an important step. I know it’s hard to wait but if you slice them too early they’ll be a bit crumbly…still entirely delicious but just a little crumbly. Once they cool they’ll be completely firm and hold together in squares.
- Once they’re cool, slice into 16 squares and serve right away or store in the fridge for up to 1 week or freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
It’s important you let these cool in the pan for at least a couple hours. This is key for allowing them to firm up and hold together properly. Do not skip it.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 281
- Sugar: 25 g
- Fat: 10 g
- Carbohydrates: 43 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 3 g
Keywords: gluten-free date squares, vegan date squares