No-Guilt Granola Bars

The wonder of Dates are available at Aldi!  They're sticky, so I thought, "These could be useful in making granola bars."

On "The Google", I found ...

Minimalist Baker's 5 Ingredient Granola Bars

I liked them.  Better yet, the kids love them and yes, that includes the teenager.  They're guilt free with the fruit, whole grains, nuts for protein and just enough natural sweetness.

Why make my own?  It's pretty simple, I'm working on cutting back on sugar. Granola bars are hard to find with low sugar, especially when you're also looking for a high protein variety that don't taste strange.

I use most recipes as a guide, tweaking things as I see fit - cutting back on sugar, using whole wheat or oat flour, that sort of thing.

Here's what I remember from the batch I made yesterday:

Combine:

• 1 lb. package of dates 
• I pit them, chop them up, soak them, drain the water and then make a paste of them in my food processor; previously, I'd just pit and process, but it kills my food processor
• 1/2 c. peanut butter
• I use the Old Home variety that only uses peanuts and salt; any butter should work just fine, so adjust to any allergy needs you may have to consider
• 1/2 c. coconut oil
• Optional:
• vanilla or other flavoring 
• honey or other sweetner if you need it

Combine separately:

• 3 c. oats (could be significantly more, depending on what else you add
• 1 c. nuts 
• 1 c. shredded coconut (I get the unsweetened variety)
• 1/2 c. add-ins (chocolate chips, dried fruit, M&M's, etc.)

Combine the two mixtures

Spread in a 9x13" pan and refrigerate

Slice and enjoy!

These may not do well in really warm temperatures due to the coconut oil