These chocolate peanut butter date caramel bars are a healty no-bake snack or dessert recipe. Date caramel is made by blending dates and nut butter (peanut butter in my recipe!) until smooth, and it makes the center layer of these bars!
I was recently asked by a reader to post more dessert recipes. If you read here, then you know that I don’t post many. It’s not that I don’t post them, I don’t make sweets often.
One main reason is that I’m the only one in the house with a sweet tooth, so all desserts end up being consumed by me. Giant layer cakes and whole pans of brownies just make way too much for one person.
When I considered making deserts for the blog, I decided they needed to go along with the theme of the blog, healthy recipes. That being said, let’s face it, a dessert is not a dessert without the sugar. However, if we can find a way to add fiber and protein to the recipe, that slows the digestion of the sugars, making our desserts both indulgent and healthy.
In this recipe, almost all the sweetness comes from the dates, which are high in fiber which checks the healthy box once. I also use nuts including the pecans and peanut butter which add proteins and healthy fats, again slowing digestion.
We have one more healthy box to check for this recipe, whole grains; the oats. And you guessed it, they slow digestion as well.
Because these bars store best in the freezer, they are easy to keep on hand. I don’t worrying about them going bad when it takes me 2-3 weeks to eat a batch! They also don’t need to be thawed before eating, which is a win-win in my book.
Variations to the Chocolate Peanut Butter Date Caramel Bars recipe:
- These bars can be made with all oats or all nuts on the bottom layer. I prefer the combination for both flavor and texture. The pecans add nuttiness while the oats and toothsome chew. The date caramel layer is gooey so you need the texture to hold everything together.
- I used 72% dark chocolate on my bars because there is so much sweetness from the dates already, the bitterness of the chocolate really balances everything out. Milk chocolate would be way to sweet, in my opinion.
- I prefer to store these bars in the freezer. The dates don’t fully freeze, so they can be eaten right out of the freezer (no waiting!). Out of the fridge, the dates tend to be very soft and make these bars a little more messy to eat.
- 1 ½ cups pitted dates, divided (about 14)
- ½ cups oats
- ¼ cup toasted pecans
- ⅓ cup smooth natural peanut butter
- ¼ tsp kosher salt, divided
- 2 oz dark chocolate squares (dairy free if necessary)
- ½ tsp coconut oil
- Pinch flaky sea salt (optional)
- Cover dates with hot water and let soak for 20 minutes. Drain. You can skip this step if your dates are already very soft and moist.
- Meanwhile line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Combine ¾ cup soaked dates (about 7), oats, and pecans in a food processor with ⅛ tsp kosher salt. Process until a crumbly but sticky dough forms. Press the dough into the parchment lined loaf pan and remove any remaining small pieces from the food processor.
- Add the remaining ¾ cup dates (about 7), peanut butter, and ⅛ tsp salt to the food processor. Process until its even throughout. Spread and gently press it over the oat mixture in the loaf pan.
- Mix together the chocolate and coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals mixing in between until the chocolate is fully melted. Pour over the caramel layer, tilting the pan to help distribute the chocolate. Sprinkle with a pinch of flaky sea salt (optional).
- Freeze the bar for 30 minutes, or until the chocolate is set. Remove from the freezer and slice. Don't let the bars freeze longer than 30 minutes before cutting or they will be much harder to cut.
- Store bars in the freezer for 3 months (prefered) or in the fridge for 2 weeks.
Recipe adapted from Chelsey Amer Nutrition and Running on Real Food.
