Do you ever walk down the store aisle and see those boxed date bars? I definitely do. And every time I see them, I know I want them so badly. But the problem is a lot of those date bars also have nuts or dairy in them. And that makes it nearly impossible to find a delicious date bar that is also allergy-friendly. Well, good thing I know how to make them allergy-friendly. These allergy-friendly Vegan Chocolate Date Bars are absolutely incredible and they are dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soy-free, and sesame-free!
For the non-dairy margarine, I like to use Earth Balance. Earth Balance butter sticks come in both vegan and soy-free versions, so you chose what works best for you. For the non-dairy chocolate chips, I love love love Enjoy Life mini-chips. They are my all time favorite vegan chocolate chips, but if you have a different chocolate chip brand you prefer, go ahead and use those! Ps. if you want these to be gluten-free as well, substitute the flour and oats for gluten-free versions.
At first, I was intimidated to bake using dates, but it was honestly so easy and I’m glad I gave it a try. If you’re also intimidated to bake with dates, please follow my lead and just go for it! It was honestly super easy, and the final product was incredible.
These honestly turned out so good! I gave some to our neighbors and they all LOVED them. I bet they will be requesting them again soon! If you liked this recipe, I know you’ll love these Vegan Blueberry Oatmeal Bars. Let me know how your Vegan Chocolate Date Bars turn out! I’ll see you next week!
Vegan Chocolate Date Bars
Ingredients
Bar Ingredients:
- 3 c all-purpose flour
- 2 c old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 c granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
Chocolate Date Filling:
- 1 c non-dairy margarine, melted
- 1 lb. pitted dates
- ¼ c hot water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ c orange juice
- 1 c non-dairy chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cookie spray and line with parchment paper. Make sure the paper is a couple of inches longer on the sides so you can lift it out easier.
- Melt the non-dairy margarine in a microwave-safe bowl and set it aside to cool. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, oats, sugar, and salt. Slowly add the cooled non-dairy margarine and stir until it is thoroughly mixed. The dough should clump together like wet sand. If it is not clumping enough, add ¼ water to the dough and mix again. Press ⅔ of the dough mixture into the prepared pan and press down firmly.
- Chop pitted dates and add to a food processor. Pour in the hot water and vanilla and pulse until the mixture is smooth. Slowly add the orange juice and mix again. Fold in the non-dairy chocolate and spread over the prepared oat crust. Crumble the reserved dough over the top and press down gently.
- Place in the oven and bake 35-40 minutes until the top is golden brown. Let cool and cut into squares.
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