zero-waste granola bars

i am SO excited about these!!  when jo started college, we started buying granola bars again. she has four classes in a row all morning and not enough time to eat much in between…so granola bars.  i hadn't bought them since we'd been trying to decrease our waste as much as possible.  i knew i could do better, i just had to do it!  i found this recipe and was happy that we could find all of the ingredients in the bulk bins!  yippee!!

oats, nuts (we chose cashews this time), dates, and nut butter (we chose peanut)... all bought in bulk.  i brought a jug for honey along, but wouldn't you know it…the dispenser was empty when we got there…next time!  we also added bulk coconut and a few bulk chocolate chips this time.  dried cranberries would be yummy add-ins as well.

main ingredients are:
1 cup dates
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup nuts
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
​(+ we added coconut + chocolate chips)

honestly, the main reason i had avoided making these was…dates.  i remember going over to my grandma's house when i was little, and she always made something with dates in it.   sorry grandma.  she loved dates.  i didn't.  

so i'm not familiar with using dates.  first, you have to pit them.  super easy.

next, i soaked them in water for about 8-10 minutes.  mine weren't too dry, but i thought it could be good to soften them up a bit more.  in the mean time, i put the oats in the oven at 350 degrees F (this step is optional).  the honey and peanut butter went on the stove on low to soften.  after draining the water, i put the dates in the blender (i don't have a food processor).  i wasn't too sure that they had gotten really ground up, so i also cut into them a lot on my cutting board before adding them to all the other ingredients in the pot (once removed from heat).

everything was mixed together, formed into individual bars, and refrigerated.

i wanted to use the little jars i have to hold the granola bars for transport…no disposable packaging!  i divided the bars into 10 and pressed them into shapes that fit my jars. i'm storing them in the refrigerator and some in the freezer for later in the week.  

the verdict on taste?  awesome!  i was so excited that they don't taste of dates, no offense dates.  :)  they are not too sweet, but tasty and filling.  they are soft moist granola bars, not hard and crunchy.

adapted ever so slightly from this recipe.  love her!

love, 
jane