Nutritionrefined: Granola bars with date caramel (uit het free e-book)
1 1⁄4 cups Medjool dates, pitted* 1 cup almonds, chopped
1⁄4 cup maple syrup
1⁄4 cup almond butter
1 1⁄2 cups rolled oats
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1⁄4 tsp. fine sea salt
Superlekker, ik deed de versie crunchy bakken (25 min). Na snijden (halfwarm) even bij elkaar plakken wat eraf valt.
Hoeveelheid vult 3/4 van mijn kleine vlakke 4-kante bakvorm, volg keer meer maken.
Place the dates into a food processor and pulse them until a "dough" like consistency forms. Place the dates, chopped almonds, oats, vanilla, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
Warm the maple syrup and almond butter in a small saucepan over low heat. It should be just loose and liquid-y enough to pour. Stir the maple syrup-almond-butter mixture into the dry ingredients until the ingredients are completely coated and start to stick together in clumps. Once thoroughly mixed, transfer the mixture into an 8 x 8" baking dish or other small pan lined with parchment paper so the bars lift out easily. Use wet or lightly oiled hands to firmly press the mixture into the pan.
For a raw version, let the bars firm up in fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes. Then remove the bars from the pan and cut them into 8-10 even bars. For the baked version, preheat the oven to 165°C with a rack in the middle of the oven. Bake the bars for 20-25 minutes for chewy granola bars or 25-30 minutes for crunchy bars. As soon as you remove the bars from the oven, press them down again with the back of a lightly oiled spatula. (This will give you more compacted granola bars.) Let the bars cool completely in the pan. Then remove the bars from the pan and cut them into 8-10 even bars.
Store the granola bars in an airtight container on the counter for a few days or in the fridge for a few weeks.
NOTES
*If using Deglet Noir or Honey dates, soak the dates in warm water for a couple of hours first so they soften up.