Maple Energy Bar

The days are getting longer, get your energy from Maple and head to the woods! 

Sometimes you really just need a snack that has some serious staying power. Only five ingredients for a flavorful and healthy treat to throw in your bag.

Ingredients
1 heaping cup packed dates (pitted // deglet noor or medjool)*
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup creamy salted natural peanut butter or almond butter
1 cup roasted unsalted almonds (loosely chopped // see instructions for roasting nuts)
1 1/2 cups rolled oats (gluten-free for GF eaters)

Optional 6th ingredient: Chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, banana chips

Directions:

-Process dates in a food processor until small bits remain (about 1 minute). It should form a "dough" like consistency.
-Optional step: Toast your oats (and almonds if raw) in a 350-degree F (176 C) oven for 10-15 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Otherwise, leave them raw.
-Place oats, almonds and dates in a large mixing bowl – set aside.
-Warm maple syrup and peanut butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir and pour over oat mixture and then mix, breaking up the dates to disperse throughout.

-Once thoroughly mixed, transfer to an 8×8-inch baking dish or other small pan lined with plastic wrap or parchment paper so they lift out easily. (A loaf pan might work, but will yield thicker bars // adjust size of pan if altering batch size).
-Press down firmly until uniformly flattened
-Cover with parchment or plastic wrap, and let firm up in fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes.
Remove bars from pan and chop into 10 even bars (or 9 squares // as original recipe is written). Store in an airtight container for up to a few days. 

Recipe courtesy of The Minimalist Baker