Kid friendly, allergy free banana and date granola bars. Nut free, gluten free, dairy free.

 Today has been a day of recipe successes and failures. These banana and date granola bars = success. The banana and zucchini muffins I made earlier = failure. One of these days I will figure out how to make a grain/soy free vegan muffin rise if it’s the last thing I do! Vegan friends – what’s your secret?

But hey, that’s why recipe testing is important. I actually feel pretty bad about that failed venture for my sister-in-law’s sake. She walked into the house to the smell of banana bread only to realize that they made their way to the bin before she could try any for herself….Sorry, Kathryn! I’ve got a reputation to uphold. Next time.

These banana and date granola bars though are another story. They’re soft, they’re chewy,  and they’re a snap to make. I really love how straight forward these are and I know you will too! There’s not a whole lot of prep involved other than boiling a bit of water to soften the dates. Then all you have to do is basically just throw everything in the blender and stir in the oats. Fast and easy – that’s my kind of recipes. Actually, fast + easy + chocolate is more like it.

There’s not a whole lot to this recipe ingredient wise. In the future I’ll play around some more with the recipe to add some almonds or dried fruit etc, but today I just wanted a simple, allergy free recipe that almost anyone can enjoy. With school back in session for a lot of people, I thought it would be helpful to share an easy, nut free treat that’s safe to pack away for school lunches.

Not only are these banana and date granola bars gluten, dairy, and nut free, but they’re also sugar free as well! Natural sugars > all other sugar, you feel me? The banana/date combo also provides not only the sweetness, but the stickiness needed to hold these bars together.

Recipe

Banana Date Granola Bars

Yield: 12 bars Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Total Time: 35 minutes

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Kid friendly, allergy free banana and date granola bars. Nut free, gluten free, dairy free.

Ingredients

• 100 grams (about 8) dates with the pit removed
• 1 cup (250 ml) boiling water
• 1 banana
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) coconut oil + 1 teaspoon
• 2 3/4 cup (250 g) certified gluten free oats
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup (45 g) dairy free melted chocolate chips

Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.

Instructions

1. Heat your oven to 350°F/180°C
2. Place the dates in a bowl and cover with the boiling water and leave to soak for at least 5 minutes
3. After the dates are done soaking, drain the water and throw the dates in a blender or food processor with the banana, 1/4 cup melted coconut oil, vanilla extract and baking soda. Blend until smooth.
4. Pour the banana/date mixture into a bowl and add the oats.
5. Stir until combined, then place the mixture in a greased oven-proof baking dish measuring about 8in x 8inch or smaller or .if you'd like thicker bars
6. Bake for 25 minutes until golden and firm. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a bit before adding the chocolate.
7. While the bars are cooling, melt the chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon of the coconut oil. Once melted,go crazy and just drizzle all over the bars.
8. Allow the chocolate to set and store in an airtight container.

Nutrition Information

Yield: 12

Serving Size:

bar Calories: 161Saturated Fat: 4gSodium: 53mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 2gSugar: 8gProtein: 2g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© A Saucy Kitchen, Sarah Nevins

Course: Gluten Free Snacks Cuisine: American

Recipe adapted from one I found in the August 2015 issue of the Gluten-Free Heaven magazine.