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These Cranberry Date Bars are sweet, sticky and full of flavour. They're vegan, only use a few ingredients and will satisfy that craving for something sweet!
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Vegan Cranberry Date Bars

These Cranberry Date Bars are sweet, sticky and full of flavour. They're vegan, only use a few ingredients and will satisfy that craving for something sweet!
Course Breakfast
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 32 minutes
Servings 12
Author Annie N

Ingredients

  • FOR THE CRANBERRY DATE MIXTURE:
  • 1 1/2 cups (225g) pitted dates, or you can use pre chopped ones
  • 1 1/2 cups (150g) dried cranberries
  • 1 tbsp light brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp plain/all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (240ml) water
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • FOR THE OAT MIXTURE:
  • 1 1/2 cups (210g) plain/all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 stick (113g) cold vegan butter, or dairy butter
  • 2 cups (160g) rolled oats
  • 4-5 tbsp milk, use dairy or non dairy; whichever you prefer

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 160C/325F and line an 8x8 inch square pan with grease proof paper. Alternatively, spray with cooking spray and place a strip of grease proof with overhang to lift the bars out.
  • Make the cranberry date mixture first: Place dates, cranberries, sugar and flour into a medium sized saucepan and stir until all the fruit is coated in flour. Add the water and vanilla extract.
  • Place over a medium heat and, stirring continuously, bring to a gentle boil. Continue to cook until the mixture thickens and becomes a paste. You're not wanting all the fruit to become mush, so don't cook it for too long, just until the flour is cooked and the mixture is thick. Leave to one side while you make the oat mixture.
  • Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and vegan (or dairy) butter into a large bowl. Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour. Continue until you have a coarse breadcrumb texture. Add in the oats and stir.
  • Alternatively, you can make the oat mixture by hand. If you're doing it by hand add the oats in with all the other dry ingredients and rub the butter into the dry ingredients. I added the oats after because I used a pastry cutter and didn't want the oats chopped up.
  • Whichever way you combine the butter and dry ingredients, once you have your breadcrumb texture, start to add the milk. Add 1tbsp at a time and mix with a wooden spoon. Continue mixing and adding milk, 1tbsp at a time, until the dough just holds together. You don't want it to be sticky, so slightly less milk is better than too much.
  • Add 2/3 of the oat mixture into your prepared pan and press into an even layer. Spoon the cooled cranberry date mixture and spread all over the oat base.
  • With the remaining oat mixture, crumble it over the fruit filling. You'll have bits of the fruit peeking through, that's absolutely fine and how it's meant to be!
  • Place in the oven for 32-37 minutes, until the top is lightly golden and an inserted skewer into the centre comes out clean and hot.
  • Leave to cool in the pan before transferring to a cutting board and slicing into 9-12 squares. You won't need a huge slice as these are quite rich, so I'd advise slicing them into 12.
  • Vegan Cranberry Date Bars will keep in an airtight container, at room temperature, for a week.