Grab a bar for a whole food, plant-based snack. These delicious Date Walnut Cranberry Bars are filled with natural sweetener for a scrumptious healthy dessert. When you combine dates, dried cranberries and walnuts you get terrific flavors, a satisfying taste and plenty of nutritional value! Let’s get started.
Preparing the Dates:
Today we are using 10 ounces of pitted whole dates as the main sweetener for the DATE WALNUT CRANBERRY BARS. To keep them fresh, I freeze a bag of pitted dates until I’m ready to use. They are easy to pull apart and thaw in a microwave in about 30 seconds.
Chop the thawed dates with a knife and when the knife becomes sticky just run it under cool water and continue chopping. The 10 ounces of chopped dates make about 2 cups.
DATE WALNUT CRANBERRY BARS RECIPE
Serves: 24 || Prep Time: 25 minutes || Cook Time: 25 minutes
10 ounces pitted dates or 2 cups chopped
3/4 cup water (to cover chopped dates to soften)
1 cup (5.45 ounces) white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup (2.20 ounces) whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup (3.30 ounces) oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon concentrate orange juice
3 tablespoons aquafaba (brine from chick peas)
2 tablespoons peanut butter
3/4 cup (3.00 ounces) chopped walnuts
1/2 cup (2.10 ounces) dried cranberries
Optional: If the dough is too stiff to spread, add additional water tablespoon by tablespoon
Optional: Use dried cherries in place of dried cranberries
Preparing the dates: Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Chop pitted dates and place in a small microwaveable bowl along with 3/4 cup water. Microwave the dates for 3-4 minutes or until they break down to your liking; stir and set aside.
Preparing the dough: In a medium bowl, stir together the flours, oats, baking soda, baking powder and salt. To the dates add vanilla, aquafaba, peanut butter and orange juice concentrate; mix until combined. Place wet ingredients into dry ingredients, mix until combined. At this time, if needed, add tablespoons of water. Combine walnuts and cranberries. Either (1) fold in walnut/cranberry mix or (2) place walnut/cranberry mix on top of dough and press into dough.
Baking the bars: Spoon and even out the dough in a non-stick 9 inch by 13 inch pan or line a bake ware pan with parchment paper. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool before cutting into 24 servings.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 119, Total Fat 4g, Saturated Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 73 mg, Total Carbohydrate 20g, Fiber 3g, Sugars 11g
Enjoy!
