These no-bake peanut butter bars are naturally sweetened, dairy-free, and gluten-free. A healthy version of a delicious treat and they are perfect for snacks or lunches.
¼cupunsweetened, shredded coconut+ more for sprinkling
¼tsp.fine sea saltjust a pinch if your peanut butter has salt in it
Chocolate Spread/Topping Ingredients
2tbsp.coconut oil, melted
3tbsp.cacao powder
½tbsp.pure maple syrupmore if you like it less bitter
Instructions
Add dates to a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend until only small pieces remain. You may need to scrape down the sides of the food processor or blender a few times until done.
After dates are blended, add peanut butter, oats, flaxseeds, coconut, and salt to the blender or food-processor. Pulse until all ingredients are evenly mixed. You may need to break up the date chunks with a fork from time to time (and if some smaller chunks of dates remain, that's okay too).
Place parchment paper in the bottom of a large loaf pan or square baking dish. Scoop mixture into prepared pan and press down firmly with fingers or the back of a spoon until mixture is evenly spread and packed down.
Mix the melted coconut oil, cacao, and maple syrup in a small bowl until cacao is completely mixed in. This will be on the thicker side. Spread chocolate evenly over bars. Sprinkle with shredded coconut if desired.
Refrigerate for about 30 minutes so chocolate and bars can set. Take bars out of pan by pulling on the parchment paper. Evenly cut into bars or squares.
Store bars in fridge in an airtight container. These should stay good for about a week in the refrigerator.
Enjoy!
Notes
I make my own chocolate topping for these bars to keep them completely refined-sugar free, but you can easily use melted chocolate chips to spread on the bars if you want. If using chocolate chips, melt ½ cup chocolate chips with 1 tsp. coconut oil and then spread onto bars. Also, look for organic and/or fair-trade certified to keep them as clean as can be (Equal Exchange Chocolate Chips are our favorite).
Nutrition info is calculated off of 14 bars, but if you cut into smaller pieces, you'll have less sugar per bar (even though it's still natural sugar from the dates, I try to limit my sugar so I like the bars cut smaller than 14 total).