What with the stifling heat wave we experienced on the East coast last week, there was no way I was turning on the oven.
No way.
So I ignored a craving for homemade fudge brownies and instead opted for these no-bake bars… the idea for which had been brewing in my mind ever since I made (and fell in love with) Angela’s 5 Ingredient No Bake Vegan Date Squares.
The crust is comprised of rolled oats, raw almonds, Medjool dates, coconut oil, & salt, and the filling is all-fruit (no sugar added) blueberry jam.
Pure. Simple. All-natural. Easy.
Oh, and of course delicious! And not sweat-inducing.
Oats, almonds, and salt are pulverized in a food processor until finely ground.
Plump and sweet Medjool dates and melted coconut oil are added for moisture and natural sweetness.
The crust is pressed into a pan…
… and then topped with an almond extract-infused blueberry jam (sub in any no sugar added jam you like! I love the St. Dalfour brand).
The reserved crust mixture is crumbled over top of the jam, and the whole shebang is chilled until set.
I’ve said it before about other recipes and I’ll say it again: these are perfect for dessert OR breakfast… or as a snack! Sure, dates and all-fruit jam are loaded with natural sugar, but that just means that you don’t need even a bit of added sugar to make these bars perfectly sweet.
You’ll want to store these bars tightly wrapped in the fridge (or freezer) as they’re on the soft and crumbly side when room-temperature.
They really do taste like a blueberry crisp/blueberry pie hybrid!
Portable and healthy blueberry crisp pie that you don’t need to bake… what’s not to love?
I think I’ll need a constant stash of these bars on hand this summer ;).
No-Bake Blueberry Almond Oat Bars
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Keywords: dessert breakfast snack vegan sugar-free vegetarian almonds blueberries oatmeal almond butter
Ingredients (16 bars)
- 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup whole raw almonds
- scant 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 lightly packed cup pitted soft Medjool dates (about 10 large)
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1 10-ounce jar all-fruit blueberry jam, such as St. Dalfour
- 1/2 tsp almond extract, or more to taste
Instructions
Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper going both ways.
In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, process oats, almonds, and salt until finely ground. Add in the pitted dates and pulse until crumbly. Add in the melted coconut oil and process until the mixture comes together. The mixture should hold together when pinched.
Remove date-oat mixture from the food processor, set aside 3/4 cup for topping, and press the remaining mixture firmly and evenly into the prepared pan.
In a small bowl, stir the almond extract into the blueberry jam.
Spoon the almond extract-infused blueberry jam evenly over the crust in the pan. Sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup crust mixture evenly over the jam; press down lightly.
Chill in the refrigerator until firm, at least 1 hour. Cut into 16 squares; store individually wrapped in the refrigerator or freezer.
Nutritional Information per bar:
200.0 calories, 8.6 grams fat, 3.5 grams saturated fat, 4.5 grams fiber, 20.3 grams sugar, 3.5 grams protein
