Apricot Date Bars
Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, heart-healthy
These are my mom’s favorite bars ever. She is a real fan of apricots, especially those from my orchard fruit trees. If you love sweet, gooey dates, tart apricots and toasted walnuts, this bar if for you! An easy recipe using simple pantry ingredients like oats, banana and lemon juice. People rave about these bars since they not only taste great, but they also pack well and are prefect for hiking or a long car trip. High in fiber, endurance carbs and just plain yummy. Bake a batch and indulge guilt-free!
Apricot Date Bars
© Sweets You Can Eat by Megan Matthews and Patricia Schroeck 2019-2022
Ingredients
Filling
1 and 1/2 cups hot water
1 and 1/4 cups dates, pitted & chopped
1 and 1/4 cups dried apricots
1/2 cup orange or lemon juice
1 teaspoon baking soda
Dough
1 and 1/2 cups walnuts +1/2 cup
2 cups oats
1 cup oat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 extra ripe banana
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
Makes 16 bars
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Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Prepare liberally with baking spray two 12-count single brownie tins (16 total).
2. Add water, pitted and chopped dates, apricots and juice into a small pot and bring to a low boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then add baking soda and finish bubbling on low heat for 5 extra minutes until thickened (10 minutes total).
3. Place walnuts into a blender or food processor, pulse until you get a medium fine nut meal consistency. Place walnut meal into a large bowl and sift in oats, oat flour, baking soda and salt.
4. Heat the coconut oil and honey or maple syrup until hot. Add hot syrup and oil into a separate bowl with the banana and whisk with fork until mashed together into a wet batter. Add the dry ingredients and mix well into a crumbly wet dough.
5. Press 3/4 of oat dough evenly into the bottom of 16 tins. Keep your hands wet to prevent sticking. Spread the sticky apricot mixture over the first layer. Rough chop the extra 1/2 cup walnuts and add into your remaining 1/4 oat dough. Crumble final dough over bars on top of apricot filling.
6. Bake for 25 minutes until oats are cooked but filling is still gooey.
Photos by Brian Byllesby
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