The holiday season really got me in a dessert-making mood. As the resident baker of the family I whipped up a bunch of tasty treats for Christmas. Although I enjoy having these traditional desserts once a year, for the most part I really love making my favourite sweet treats healthier. So when the holidays were over I was excited to tackle the challenge of making one of my favourite desserts, date squares, with less sugar and more nutrient-rich ingredients.
With some inspiration from one of my favourite vegan blogs, Oh She Glows, I created these incredible raw date squares that I think are every bit as good or better than the traditional variety. Plus they’re loaded with nutritious ingredients like almonds, rolled oats and coconut and sweetened with the natural sugar from dates.
Raw Vegan Date Squares
Inspired by Oh She Glows and Intuitive KB
Makes 20 squares
Ingredients:
For the crust:
- 1-1/2 cups rolled oats (gluten-free if needed)
- 1-1/4 cups raw almonds
- 3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 12 Medjool dates
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or Himalayan salt
For the filling:
- 30 Medjool dates
- 1/2 cup water
Directions:
- Place all crust ingredients in a food processor. Blend until all ingredients are fully broken down and start to stick together. You will likely have to stop and scrape down the sides with a spatula periodically until the crust forms.
- Reserve 1 cup of the mixture and spread the rest into an 8 x 8-inch parchment paper-lined baking tray. Press down with your hands until a solid and even crust is formed.
- Place filling dates in food processor and pulse until broken into chunks. Add water and continue pulsing, stopping to scrape down the sides with a spatula until an even paste is formed.
- Spread the date mixture onto the crust evenly.
- Sprinkle the remaining crust over the date mixture, pressing down gently so most of it sticks.
- Place in the fridge for 1-2 hours to set.
- Remove and cut into squares. Place squares in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
