Save money by making your own energy bars at home. With dates as a base + a variety of options for add-ins, these bars are truly customizable.

Energy bars recipe

Hey guys! I’m really excited about this particular post. It’s one of those really awesome recipes that tastes like dessert, but is actually really healthy.

I may have finally found a healthy “dessert” recipe that fulfills my craving for sweet.

And even though I just made a batch, I’m anxious to try it again and experiment with different ingredients and add-ins.

These bars are sweetened by the dates. The end product is deliciously sweet, chewy, and nutty.

These are similar to the healthy chocolate oat bites I made a few weeks ago in that they are unbaked and oat-based. However, these have a totally different taste.

Energy bars recipe

Customizing Your Energy Bars

These energy bars can be quite cheap to make if you choose the right ingredients.

The bulk of the cost comes from the dates (I paid $2.49 for an 8-ounce bag).

Otherwise, you can use a blend of ingredients based on what you have available.

I went a little crazy in the bulk food section of the grocery store, choosing almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, dried cherries, and dark chocolate chips.

But feel free to choose from the following:

  • Nuts and seeds: Sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds
  • Dried fruit: Raisins, cranberries, cherries, apples, blueberries, apricots
  • Extras: Chocolate chips, cacao nibs, white chocolate chips, dried coconut

Don’t skip toasting the oats, seeds, and nuts. This makes all the difference in the taste.

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Energy bars recipe: Super easy, no-bake bars that are done in 10 minutes.

Energy Bars

Yield: 12 bars
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Although I would definitely recommend a food processor to puree the dates, you could try using a blender but may end up having to chop the dates until they form a paste. You could also try soaking the dates in hot water for a bit to soften, and then proceed with blending.

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces dried, pitted dates (or Medjool dates)
  • 2 cup mixture of toasted oats, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and chocolate chips (your choice)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Line an 8 x 8-inch pan with parchment paper. Place dates in a food processor and pulse until you get a uniform paste. (See notes above if you don't have a food processor).
  2. Transfer date paste into a mixing bowl. Add your desired mix of oats, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. Add cinnamon and mix all the ingredients together until you reach an even consistency. If mixture is dry, add a bit of honey. If mixture is too moist, add additional toasted oats. Press mixture into the pan.
  3. Transfer to refrigerator and allow to chill for an hour or so. Remove and cut into bars.

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