Healthy Oat Bars with Date Caramel (Slow Cooker Recipe)

These healthy oat bars with date caramel are a delicious make-ahead snack packed with wholesome oats, crunchy cacao nibs and a naturally sweet date caramel topping. These easy oat bars can be made in the slow cooker or oven and are perfect for lunchboxes, afternoon snacks or healthier sweet treats.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Naturally sweetened date caramel topping
• Great for lunchboxes and snacks
• Easy slow cooker bake
• Can also be baked in the oven
• Freezer friendly
• Higher fibre than traditional traybakes

Ingredients

Here’s what you will need for this recipe. Quantities and full directions are in the recipe card near the end of the post.

• oats – in this recipe use porridge/rolled oats, or jumbo oats for the basis of the oat bars.
• dates – I have used Sayer dates here to make the date caramel, in the form of chopped dates. Medjool dates are larger with a caramel flavour and can be used too.
• cacao nibs – these are crunchy and slightly bitter, rather like dark chocolate. They are crushed pieces of cacao beans (the raw form of chocolate). You can often get them in the health food aisle in supermarkets where you normally find nuts and seeds, or from health food shops. Also available on (aff link) Amazon. Can be replaced with chocolate chips (I prefer dark chocolate chips).
• coconut oil – this can be replaced with butter if needed. Coconut oil is good for you, as a healthy fat source.
• vanilla bean paste – adds flavour to complement and enrich the date caramel.
• light brown sugar – to sweeten. If you prefer you can swap this for coconut or date sugar (at the same proportions), or honey (use less as it is sweeter).
• egg – to bind the oat bars together.
• flour – self-raising flour helps create a fluffy texture and a little rise.

Why These Healthy Oats Bars make a Great Healthy Snack

Full of slow release energy from the oats, a slice of this will keep you going if energy levels are flagging! It’s a much healthier way to have a sweet treat than my usual recipes, but you won’t feel deprived after eating it.

Cacao nibs are considered a superfood as they are rich in antioxidants and nutrients. Oats are a great source of fibre too and dates are a natural energy booster.

These bars are great as a homemade alternative to packaged bars.

Step by Step Instructions

Here are my step by step instructions with hints and tips to help you make these healthy oat bars with date caramel perfectly every time. Quantities are in the recipe card at the end of the page.

Step 5. Line the base of your slow cooker pot with baking paper, and press the mixture into the slow cooker pot.

Step 6. Put some kitchen towel under the lid to stop drips, put the lid on, and cook on high for approximately 1.5 hours or until the oat slice is starting to brown around the edges and firm up in the centre.

Oven Method

If you don’t use a slow cooker this can be baked in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 180°C / 350°F or until golden brown.

Variations

There are lots of tasty ways to adapt this recipe:

• replace cacao nibs with chocolate chips
• add a handful of chopped nuts such as hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds in with the oats for crunch
• add a handful of raisins, sultanas or chopped apricots for additional bursts of sweetness
• add a little peanut butter in with the caramel to make peanut butter date caramel
• drizzle peanut butter (thinned with a little milk) or white chocolate over the top to make it look more bakery style

Storage

Keep these oat bars in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

More Recipes with Cacao

Here are some more fab recipe ideas with cacao, in you have some leftover after making this recipe:

• Healthy vegan chocolate brownies from Planet Veggie
• Banana cacao milkshake from Fab Food 4 All
• Quinoa protein energy bars from Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary
• Cocoa nib cookies from Family Friends Food

Related

If you love easy homemade snacks like these oat bars, here are a few more slow cooker bakes you might enjoy trying next:

Recipe

Healthy Oat Bars with Date Caramel (Slow Cooker Recipe)

By Lucy Allen | BakingQueen74

These are healthy oat-based bars with cacao nibs topped with sweet date caramel. Ideal for healthy snacks and lunchboxes. Baked in the slow cooker or oven.

5 from 2 votes

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Course: Baking

Cuisine: Slow Cooker

Calories: 300kcal

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Ingredients

• 50 g (¼ cups) coconut oil
• 40 g (3 tbsp) light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 50 g (¼ cup + 1 tbsp) self-raising flour
• 100 g (1¼ cups) oats
• 50 g (½ cup) cacao nibs

For the date caramel:

• 100 g (½ cup + 3 tbsp) chopped Sayer dates
• water
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Equipment

oval slow cooker

mixing bowl

spatula

Instructions

 

• First start your date caramel. Put your chopped dates in a small bowl and cover with a little cold water. Leave to soak until soft (it won’t take long). Then drain most of the water, add the vanilla bean paste, and use a hand blender to blend until smooth.
  100 g / ½ cup + 3 tbsp chopped Sayer dates, water, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• In another bowl, cream together the coconut oil and light brown sugar.
  50 g / ¼ cups coconut oil, 40 g / 3 tbsp light brown sugar
• Add the egg and vanilla bean paste, and beat well.
  1 large egg, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• Stir in the flour, oats and cacao nibs and mix well.
  50 g / ¼ cup + 1 tbsp self-raising flour, 100 g / 1¼ cups oats, 50 g / ½ cup cacao nibs
• Line the base of your slow cooker pot with baking paper, and press the mixture into the slow cooker pot.
• Put some kitchen towel under the lid to stop drips, put the lid on, and cook on high for approx 1.5 hours or until starting to brown round the edges and firm in the centre.
• Remove from the pot using the edges of the baking paper to pull it out and let the oat slice cool on a rack.
• When cool, spread the date caramel on top and slice into pieces.

Notes

Slow Cooker Size

3.5 litre round slow cooker used. It will also work in a larger slow cooker.

Oven Method

If you don’t use a slow cooker this can be baked in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 180°C / 350°F or until golden brown.

Variations

There are lots of tasty ways to adapt this recipe:

• replace cacao nibs with chocolate chips
• add a handful of chopped nuts such as hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds in with the oats for crunch
• add a handful of raisins, sultanas or chopped apricots for additional bursts of sweetness
• add a little peanut butter in with the caramel to make peanut butter date caramel
• drizzle peanut butter (thinned with a little milk) or white chocolate over the top to make it look more bakery style

Storage

Keep these oat bars in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

Have you made this recipe?Please leave a star rating and comment below to let me know how you got on!