Recipe characteristics
- Easy to make
- Nutty and chewy
- Packed with nutritious and wholesome ingredients
- Refined sugar free (sweetened with dates)
- Great as a healthy snack, post workout snack or as an afternoon pick-me-up
- Dietary requirements: plant-based (vegan), gluten-free, and soy-free
Notes on ingredients
- Dry roasted hazelnuts: Roasting hazelnuts deepens their flavor and gives them a crisper texture. Check How to roast hazelnuts for instructions.
- Gluten-free rolled oats: Always make sure to buy certified gluten-free rolled oats to avoid possible cross-contamination. Check Oats and a gluten-free diet for more info.
- Puffed rice: You can find puffed rice in the cereal section of the supermarket.
- Sultanas: Dried currants, raisins, dried cherries, and dried cranberries are good substitutes for sultanas.
- Pitted dates: Put pitted dates in a bowl and cover them with water. Soak at room temperature for 1-2 hours or more until soft.
- Dark chocolate: Use dark chocolate with 85 percent cocoa solids.
Oats on a gluten-free diet
Most people with coeliac disease or gluten intolerance can tolerate gluten-free oats with no problems. However, a small percentage of people may still react to avenin – a protein in oats similar to gluten. For these people, even certified gluten-free oats may be unsafe. If you develop any new symptoms after adding gluten-free oats to your diet, it’s best if you talk to your dietitian or a doctor.
Another problem can be cross-contamination. Even though oats are naturally gluten-free, they are often contaminated with gluten because they may be processed in the same facilities as gluten-containing grains like wheat, rye, and barley. Therefore, if you have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, always make sure your oats are certified gluten-free to avoid any cross-contamination issues.
How to make it
Step 1
Line the square cake pan (22 x 22 cm or approx. 9 inch) with baking paper.
Step 2
Combine dry ingredients in one bowl.
Step 3
Melt chocolate over low heat in a medium pot.
Step 4
Drain dates really well after soaking them – you can use a fork to remove any excess water. Place the dates into a high-speed blender and blend briefly until you get a thick paste.
Step 5
Add date paste and melted chocolate to the bowl with dry ingredients and stir well until combined (or you can use a hand mixer and mix until all is well combined).
Step 6
Press the mixture down firmly into prepared pan. Place it in the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up (I usually leave it overnight).
Step 7
Remove it from the pan and chop it into bars or squares.
Serving suggestion
Sprinkle the bars with chopped hazelnuts and drizzle with melted dark chocolate.
Tips and how-tos
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Chocolate Hazelnut Energy Bars
Ingredients
- 100 g dry roasted hazelnuts roughly chopped
- 100 g rolled oats
- 30 g puffed rice
- 40 g sultanas
- 100 g dark chocolate (85%)
- 250 g dates Put pitted dates in a bowl and cover them with water. Soak at room temperature for 1-2 hours or more until soft.
Topping (optional)
- chopped dry roasted hazelnuts
- melted dark chocolate
Instructions
- SOAKING DATES: Put pitted dates in a bowl and cover them with water. Soak at room temperature for 1-2 hours or more until soft.
Chocolate Hazelnut Energy Bars
- Line the square cake pan (22 x 22 cm or approx. 9 inch) with baking paper.
- Combine dry ingredients in one bowl.
- Melt chocolate over low heat in a medium pot.
- Drain dates really well after soaking them – you can use a fork to remove any excess water. Place the dates into a high-speed blender and blend briefly until you get a thick paste.
- Add date paste and melted chocolate to the bowl with dry ingredients and stir well until combined (or you can use a hand mixer and mix until all is well combined).
- Press the mixture down firmly into prepared pan. Place it in the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up (I usually leave it overnight).
- Remove it from the pan and chop it into bars or squares.
Serving suggestion
- Sprinkle the bars with chopped hazelnuts and drizzle with melted dark chocolate.
Nutrition facts
* The nutritional information provided is calculated automatically and should be used as an estimate.
4 comments
This sounds awesome! One question though, do you process or chop the hazelnuts? The pictures don’t look like using whole nuts. Will try this recipe next weekend 🙂
Hi, Regina! Sorry, I forgot to mention it. Hazelnuts are roughly chopped.
Made these and they were amazing. Definitely a keeper recipe, many thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much, Regina! I’m so happy that you like it.