DATE SQUARES
(gluten & refined sugar free)
. . . and the HEALTHY Christmas baking has commenced! I love date squares, can’t live without em’ during the holidays. These are super easy and healthy!
INGREDIENTS
-For the date filling:
- 1.5 cups dates
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
– For the crumble:
- 1 cup GF oat flour
- 1 cup oats (use gluten-free oats if you have a gluten allergy)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp Himalayan salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) vegan butter, grass fed butter OR coconut oil
- 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) almond butter
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
.
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat your oven to 350F.
2. For the date filling, in a small saucepan add the water and dates on high until the water starts to boil then turn the heat to low. Start mashing the the dates using the back of a wooden spoon/fork. Add more water if needed until you have a smooth, thick, but spreadable date paste. Leave to cool.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the oat flour, oats, salt, cinnamon and coconut sugar.
4. Place the oat mixture in a food processor along with the coconut oil/butter and almond butter. Pulse until everything is combined and you have a crumble like mixture. Stir in the pecans.
5. Transfer 2/3 of the oat mixture into an 9×9 cake tin lined with parchment paper. Press the mixture down firmly into an even layer.
6. Spread the date mixture on top, then crumble the remaining 1/3 of the oat mixture on top.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
8. Leave to cool completely, then slice! Enjoy! xo
The Michelle Method 