The Well Plated Cookbook is now available for pre-order! Salted Chocolate Almond No Bake Granola Bars
Salted Chocolate Almond No Bake Granola Bars are in honor of giggly girly time.
I spent three incredible days at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah with six lovely ladies, Becky, Lauren, Annalise, Meagan, Megan, and Liz. We wined; we skied; we snacked on Salted Chocolate Almond No Bake Granola Bars, and yes—we giggled.
You can read all the juicy details about our trip here, but I wanted to share these Salted Chocolate Almond No Bake Granola Bars in their own special post, because any recipe that tastes like a fudgy brownie and is comprised almost exclusively of wholesome fruits and nuts deserves the attention. I considered writing them a love song too, but I just kept coming back to Etta James: At last, my chewy, chocolatey, healthy brownie love has come along.
Salted Chocolate Almond No Bake Granola Bars are part snack, part dessert. I can compare them most closely to a brownie-flavored Larabar, though I much prefer the softer, chewier texture of this homemade version.
The secret to the no bake granola bars’ natural sweetness is Mejool dates. I have a total crush on this sticky fruit, both as a snack (try one smeared with almond butter) and as an easy way to create healthier baked (or no baked) treats. I buy mine with the pits still in, because I find the dates are much more moist and last longer too. The taste upgrade is more than worth the quick task of pitting them yourself.
In addition to the dates, these Salted Chocolate Almond No Bake Granola Bars are comprised of whole grain oats, nuts, almond butter, and rich cocoa. A quick oven toasting of the oats and almonds deepens the bars’ flavor, though you can skip it if you are in a hurry.
To make the bars, simply blend all the ingredients together in a food processor, press into a pan, and chill. I sprinkled them with fleur de sel, because I can’t let well enough alone anything salty/sweet makes me giddy.
These no bake granola bars are a breeze to freeze and perfectly portable too. On our girls’ trip, we munched them for an after-ski energy boost, and at home I enjoy them as a healthy option when I need a chocolate fix (daily at 3 p.m.).
Girl time (and really all time) is better with chocolate.
Salted Chocolate Almond No Bake Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/3 cup whole almonds
- 1 1/2 cups pitted Mejool dates
- 2/3 cup walnuts — chopped
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 2 tablespoons Imperial Sugar Light Brown Sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey — or maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal — optional
- 1/8 teaspoon coarse salt — such as sea salt or fleur de sel, plus additional for sprinkling
Did you try this recipe? I want to see! Follow Well Plated on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag it #wellplated. I love to know what you are making!
I am sharing this recipe in partnership with Imperial Sugar. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands and companies that make it possible for me to create quality content and to attend special blog events like our weekend in Deer Valley.
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
These look so phenomenal, Erin! I’m a fan of Larabars, but not of the price tag they come with. This is a much better option, and in a flavor I love!
Ok, I’m not even joking when I’m saying I’m making these THIS WEEKEND! These look absolutely amazing, AND, I just so happen to have a giant container of dates in my pantry, I’ve recently become obsessed with them, it’s such a great way to add sweetness without adding too much sweetener!
Perfect timing for this recipe! We’re taking a long road trip next weekend and these are surely going to be in our snack bag! Thanks, Erin!
These sound great Erin! I love that they’re healthy but still chocolate-y.
I love that you used the dates to sweeten these! And I adore girly giggle time. Is there really anything better than that?
So glad you girls had such a fun weekend. There’s nothing better than girl time. These granola bars look delicious, Erin. I love that you used dates and they are no bake. Pinning!
loved these Erin!! I may have eaten more than my share of them :)
Chocolate definitely makes all things better! Even more so when it can be enjoyed in a healthy bar like this! These look fantastic!
Fudgy brownie bars with an ingredient list that wholesome?! I won’t say no to that! I’ve been seeing a lot of recipes with dates lately – I may still be holding on to a grudge against dates that goes back to my days as a child, eating tough, rock-hard chunks of dates in my Muesli, but I suppose it’s about time to give them another try…!
im saving this recipe. im so impressed. one of my fav food bars i buy looks a little like this…no where near as pretty and decadent. great recipe!
Ahh! I love LaraBars and these look even better than those! These look like the perfect snack for me, because for one there’s chocolate (that obviously makes it the perfect snack), and two, they look super filling. Just what I need to stop my stomach from grumbling *all* afternoon.
No-bake granola bars are my favorite! Love these chocolate brownie ones! They look perfect!
I already stocked up on Clif bars for our ski trip next week, but these are tempting… Looks like tasty healthy energy for the gap between breakfast and lunch. I’ll have to make them for our ski trip in April. Good thing we’re going to Colorado twice! ;-)
Mmm those granola bars look amazing! All the ingredients sound so healthy and delicious!! :)
Yumo!!
Your girls weekend sounded like a blast! Those are always the best!
They look so delicious, Erin! I love that you used dates. They are a great way to add sweetness without adding too much sweetener! Pinned!
I am liking the dates for the sweetener and also for a different undertone of flavor. Giggle time with the girls—-awesome. In my case ‘girls’ is stretching it a bit. I meet every summer with 4 other ‘girls’ for a 3 day retreat on the water. We all met the first year of our freshmen year at the University of Washington.
The connection never waivered.
These bars look seriously amazing! I would LOVE to have one right now!
Girl time is definitely better with chocolate! Love the sound of these bars! I wish I had one to snack on before dinner … :)
What a great group of ladies. I bet every one of you had a blast!
I love the flavors in these granola bars, Erin. And that they’re no-bake makes them that much better!
Mmmm! Almonds and chocolate!? These look wonderful :)
Hi nice recepe!!
Kindly let me know if theses bars can be stored at room temperature or it has to be stored in the fridge,
I’m so glad you like the recipe, thank you! These bars should be stored in the refrigerator or individually wrapped and frozen (you’ll see this in the recipe step 6 too). They will be fine in the fridge for a week, or you can freeze them well-wrapped for 2 months.
I use a LOT of dates when making no bake goodies. You do NOT need to add the added sugar, trust me.
OH MY GOSH!!!! These were seriously the best snack bars I’ve ever eaten. I just ate my 3rd bar for the day, and I need to seriously work on my self control! But man, yum yum and YUM!! I will definitely make them again. I’m becoming the biggest fan of your blog! I’ve made multiple recipes of yours in the last month and I’ve loved ALL OF THEM! We just had your cauliflower lentil red curry recipe a couple days ago and my husband couldn’t get enough! Thanks for all your hard work in creating yummy healthy recipes!
Sharice, I am so, so happy to hear that you enjoyed these bar so much, and some of my other recipes too! Your words truly mean a lot to me. :-)
For a Paleo, low carb option, is there a nut or something you could replace the oats with?
Hi Kristin, unfortunately, the oats are pretty critical to this recipe. I’d recommend doing a google search for Paleo granola bars to see what you can find!
Erin, I tried these and they turned out too sticky though the flavor is good. Maybe I used too much water to cover the dates. Please let me know how much water you use. When I read the recipe I didn’t see a specific amount.
I put them in the freezer longer than you said before cutting. I cut and wrapped in parchment paper but they will be really messy to eat. To make these easier to eat I may roll them in crushed nuts or coconut.
Please let me know the amount of water you use and any other suggestions. Thanks.
Erin,
I just sent a comment. My mistake. I missed seeing to drain the water after soaking the dates!
Hi Bonnie! Thank you for taking the time to report back. I’m happy you were able to figure it out. I hope you enjoy the recipe if you try it again!