Tahini Date Bliss Bars (vegan, gluten free, wfpb, & refined sugar free!)
Tahini Date Bliss Bars
Makes about 16 servings
These whole food based bars are where energy treats meet dessert! They’re all at once quick and easy to make, nourishing, and completely delicious. Keep in mind, they’re also for those who adore tahini. If you’re not a fan, however, you can always substitute another seed or nut butter for the tahini, and top with nuts instead. However, my favorite version of these is as written, with the tahini, because I just love the contrast of bitter, rich tahini with luscious chocolate and dates. I hope you become as obsessed with these as I am!
Crust Ingredients:
½ cup unsalted tahini (drippy, not hard/dry - see photo below for an ideally “drippy” type of tahini)
¼ cup maple syrup or date sugar (see note)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons water
2 teaspoons sesame seeds (I use black sesame seeds here for visual impact)
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups oat flour (see note)
Topping Ingredients:
1 ½ cups pitted medjool dates (lightly packed into the cup – around 12 dates), see note
2 tablespoons unsalted tahini
1 cup vegan chocolate chips (I use Hu), see note
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (I use white seeds here, see note)
½ teaspoon flaked salt (fleur de sel), or less if preferred
Ingredients notes:
Crust sweetener: I originally made this recipe using date sugar to keep them as whole foods-y as possible. However, I wanted to standardize this recipe in a way that was as easy as possible for most people to make. Either sweetener works fine, but if you do use the date sugar you may need to add a hint more water to make the crust stick together.
Oat flour: This is easy peasy to make! Just place regular rolled oats (not instant) in a blender or food processor until finely ground into a powder. I make a huge batch when I do this and freeze some for later use, although it will store nicely in an airtight container at room temperature for several weeks.
Dates: I used to think a date is a date is a date. But since, I have become emphatically Team Medjool. They tend to be so much softer and gooey-er than some of the other commonly found varieties. That said, on my travels I have often found other, less widely available varieties that are just as delicious and gooey as Medjools – or even more so! Just don’t use a dry, hard variety here and you’ll be all good!
Chocolate Chips: I use the larger sized Hu chocolate baking chips here, so if you’re using a smaller variety of vegan chocolate chips, you may prefer slightly less than one cup, as they’ll fill the measuring cup more tightly.
Sesame Seeds: I use black for the crust and white or tan for topping these bars, simply for visual impact. But of course, you do you! They’ll “eat good” either way. To toast sesame seeds for the topping, place them in a smooth dry skillet (no oil) over low heat and shake the pan often. As soon as they begin to brown and smell aromatic, remove immediately.
Directions:
In a medium bowl, place the ½ cup tahini, maple syrup, vanilla, water, black sesame seeds, and salt. Stir or whisk well until completely smooth.
Stir in the oat flour until thoroughly mixed. If your crust is a too dry, add a little water, one teaspoon at a time, until it comes together. However, the crust should stick together without added water if following the recipe exactly and using maple syrup.
Press firmly and evenly into the bottom of a 9 x 9 inch baking dish. I don’t use parchment paper, but if you prefer to do so, go for it. I find the bars pop out nicely without any oil or parchment paper, just using a glass or ceramic dish.
Place the dates evenly over the crust. I usually break/smoosh each one in half and that way the dozen or so dates evenly cover the crust surface. If your dates are smaller, use more to evenly distribute over the surface. See photo below for reference.
5. Drizzle the 2 tablespoons tahini evenly over the dates.
6. Melt the chocolate chips. Some people like to microwave them or use a double boiler, but here is how I like to do them: I put the chips directly into a small, decently heavy duty stainless steel pot over the lowest heat possible. Stir very often until the chocolate is barely melted and immediately remove from heat. Pour evenly over the tahini and dates, scraping it all out with a heat proof rubber spatula.
7. Sprinkle the white sesame seeds evenly over the chocolate, and finish with the flaked salt. Cover and chill for at least one hour in the fridge. Remove and cut into about 16 pieces. Enjoy! These will store, refrigerated in an airtight container, for at least two weeks. Or you can freeze them in an airtight container for a few months as well.
