Healthy No Bake Granola Bars

I like to make a weekly snack that my husband can have at work (and I can enjoy while my toddler naps).  My criteria for a snack recipe is something pretty easy to make, pretty healthy, and of course, delicious.  These granola bars are my new favorite! While you do have to dirty a food processor to make them, there is no baking involved and it comes together very easily.  My 2 year old loved helping me make these (and sampling the dates, too).

These actually taste like a real granola bar to me.  They also do not really crumble and stay together very well, unlike some other granola bar recipes I've tried.  Finally, while they're sweet, they're not too sweet and most of the sweetness comes from dates.  I love the ingredient list - dates, honey, almond butter, almonds, oats, and chocolate chips.  What's not to like?

These will definitely go into our regular snack rotation.  Highly recommend!

Healthy No-Bake Granola Bars
Taken from: Minimalist Baker
Makes 8-10 bars

• 1 cup packed dates, pitted (deglet nour or medjool) - I like to soak these in water for about 10 minutes, then drain them before using
• 1/4 cup honey (or maple syrup or agave)
• 1/4 cup creamy salted natural peanut butter or almond butter
• 1 cup unsalted chopped almonds
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• Optional: 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

1. Add chopped almonds to your food processor and pulse for 1-2 seconds, just to get a finer chop (you do not want to process them).  Scrape almonds into a bowl.
2. Process dates in a food processor until small bits remain (about 1 minute). It should form a "dough" like consistency (mine rolled into a ball).
3. Add processed dates and the oats into the bowl with the almonds. Set aside.
4. Warm honey and peanut butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir and pour over oat mixture and then mix, breaking up the dates to disperse throughout (the mixture will be stiff).
5. Once thoroughly mixed, transfer to an 8x8 dish or other small pan, sprayed with cooking spray or lined with plastic wrap or parchment paper so they lift out easily.
6. Press down until uniformly flattened. Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the top of the bars and press down hard. Cover with a lid or parchment or plastic wrap, and let set in fridge for at least 15-20 minutes to harden.
7. Remove bars from pan and chop into 8-10 even bars. Store in an airtight container in the fridge - they will keep for 1-2 weeks.