Grains For Every Season
Chocolate-Coated Oat, Date, and Cashew Bars
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total timeIngredients
Iscups (150 g) uncooked rolled oats
Is cups (150 g) raw cashews (pieces are fine)
1 cup (140 g) raw hazelnuts, skin-on or blanched
2 cups (350 g) pitted dates, lightly packed into the measuring cup
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (150 g) cashew butter
½ cup (45 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, either natural or Dutch process
¼ cup (60 ml) pure maple syrup
I teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling the pan
3 ounces (85 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Directions
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Spread the oats, cashews, and hazelnuts on a sheet pan and bake for about 10 minutes, then stir everything around on the pan to promote even toasting. Continue baking until the mixture is nicely toasted and fragrant, another 5 to 10 minutes. Let everything cool. (If you're worried about overbrowning, slide everything off the hot sheet pan onto another tray or plate to cool.)
Put the cooled oats, cashews, and hazelnuts and the dates into a food processor and pulse until it all comes together. Add the cashew butter, cocoa powder, maple syrup, and salt and pulse again a few times. You're not trying to make a smooth puree, you simply want to distribute the ingredients more or less evenly. Finish the job by transferring to a bowl and mixing with your hands to really get it together.
Spread a thin layer of olive oil on the sides and bottom of a 9 x 13-inch (23 × 33 cm) baking dish, transfer the mixture to the dish, and press it out until it's all the same thickness and nice and flat, like granola bars. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Melt the chocolate and the olive oil in a small pan over very low heat. Pour over the chilled granola mixture and spread with a spatula into an even layer; it helps to drop the pan on the counter a few times from a height of a few inches to distribute the chocolate evenly. (It may seem like there's not enough chocolate, but once it has set up and the bars are cut, the chocolate layer will be appropriate.)
Refrigerate again for at least 1 hour before cutting into bars. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Notes
Slightly chewier than most granola bars, these power treats get their appealing texture and deep toffee-like flavor from dates. Look for Medjool dates, which are usually very moist and sticky. You can use store-bought roasted cashews and hazelnuts, if you have them; simply skip the toasting step (but do toast the oats). —Makes thirty-six 1 × 3-inch (2.5 × 7.5 cm) bars
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