These Breakfast Date Bars will make you think you’re eating brownies for breakfast, but you’re really eating raw, vegan and gluten-free bars that are not only good for your taste buds, but good for your health too!
They’re made up of a date, walnut and cocoa base and have some seriously delicious chunks of dark chocolate chips, coconut shreds and dried cherries. They also have a bit of ground flax seeds and chia seeds for good measure!
They get better after each day! Although, it’s hard not to eat them up right away.
They make a great breakfast, on-the-go snack, pre-workout or post- workout snack and a healthy dessert!
Breakfast Date Bars (V/GF)
These bars may taste like brownies, but I swear they're healthy!
Ingredients
- 22 medjool dates
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
Instructions
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Place dates in a bowl and cover with hot water. Let sit for 10 minutes. *see notes
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Drain water from dates and then remove pits from the dates. Transfer pitted dates to a food processor along with the walnuts. Process until there are no chunks of dates. Some chunks of walnuts are fine.
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Next, add the cocoa powder, ground flax seeds and chia seeds. Process until completely combined.
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Transfer mixture to a bowl and add the dark chocolate chips, 1/2 cup of shredded coconut and the dried cherries. Mix until completely combined.
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Lightly grease an 8 x 8 square baking dish and line with parchment paper. The parchment paper should be big enough to cover the bottom and sides of the pan and also come out of the pan a bit so you can easily pull the mixture out once cooled.
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Transfer mixture to prepared pan and press down to make an even surface. Top with the last 1/4 cup of shredded coconut.
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Cover with foil and place in the refrigerator to cool for at least an hour. I recommend chilling them overnight for a firmer texture but they're still great after chilling for just an hour!
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Remove from the refrigerator and pull the parchment paper out with the chilled bar mixture. Cut into squares and enjoy!
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Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Recipe Notes
Soaking the dates in hot water is an optional step. It makes the blending process easier and faster but it's not necessary.
Need more breakfast ideas? Check out my Chocolate Mocha Quinoa Breakfast Bowl, Tomato and Basil Quiches, and my Mango Almond Muffins!
If you end up trying this recipe out, let me know! Tag @bunnysbite on your Instagram and Facebook photos to show me your results!
