Chewy Granola Bars

5 from 4 votes

These chewy granola bars are simple to make and require just 5 ingredients!

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: snacks

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

1 cup dates pitted*
1 ½ cups old fashioned oats
⅓ cup nut or seed butter peanut butter is typically my go to for these
2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
1 cup mix ins nuts, chia seeds, raisins, dried cranberries, flax seed, pepitas, chocolate chips, dried fruit, coconut, etc, can be one cup of 1 thing such as 1 cup of almonds OR it can be a 1 cup mixture of any mix ins
Optional for dipping or drizzling: melted chocolate

Place the dates into a food processor and blend until they form a paste. It takes about a minutes. Stop to scrap down the sides as needed.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, mix together the nut butter and maple syrup, stirring constantly until fully combined. Remove from the heat.
In the same bowl with the date paste, mix in the oats, 1 cup of mix ins, and peanut butter mixture. Mix until thoroughly combined.
Pour the mixed into a lined 8x8 inch pan (or similar size) and press down firmly so that everything is nice and compact. Place in the fridge or freezer to set and chill for about an hour.
Cut into 8-10 bars and ENJOY! I recommend storing leftovers in the fridge (or freezer to last longer)

*soak in hot water for about 30 minutes and then drain if your dates are a bit older and dried