I got called pretentious for making this recipe. If pretentious is what I get called for attempting to be healthy then so be it. Honestly, I wasn’t trying to be healthy or anything. I just saw Song of Style’s Aimee Song making it on her Instagram like almost every day. So I was like what so nice about this? I tried it and it has been an amazing snack. I am at home a lot these days so I tend to fall into 2 categories: eat everything in sight or trouble deciding so not eat at all. These days I fall into the latter category. These raw bars are a good snack to hold myself together before I cook or when I am lazy to eat anything. Plus, my family really enjoys them too!

I was skeptical at first but after watching Aimee’s cooking video, it is super easy to make. They require a few ingredients that you might have to buy at the grocery store and it might be expensive. However, you can make quite a lot with what little ingredient you get. There aren’t actual portions included in Aimee’s recipe so you just have to improvise. But she does give details on how each step should look like so you can easily follow her video.

Aimee Song’s Raw Bar Recipe

Ingredients (you can put whatever you like in it)

• Oats
• Chia Seeds
• Sunflower seeds
• Pumpkin seeds
• Coconut Oil
• Dates
• Salt and Pepper (optional)
• Olive oil (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit or 175 Celsius. (This is the only time you need the oven.)
2. In a bowl, mix the oats, chia seeds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. You can use each ingredient in whatever amount you according to your personal preference. I used about 2 cups of oats to 1 tablespoon of each seed.
3. Toss around the oats, chia seeds, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds to mix them together.
4. Mix in the coconut oil. Use enough coconut oil that coats all the ingredients equally.
5. You can add a drizzle of olive oil if you want. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to add a little bit more flavor. Just a pinch!
6. Take your baking tray and line it with parchment paper. Put a light coat of coconut oil on the parchment paper.
7. Lay the granola mix on the baking tray and spread it out to create a uniform layer.
8. Once ready, put it in the oven. Make sure to not put it too close to the top.
9. After about 10 minutes or when the granola browns, take it out of the oven. Leave it to cool for a while.
10. While the granola is in the oven, you can pit the dates. (Essentially, removing the seeds.)
11. When your granola is done, place it back into the bowl and add the dates. Use as many dates as you pleased to ensure that it can hold the bar together.
12. “Mash” and mix the dates with the granola. Be careful if it is hot. You can use your hands or utensils. Make sure that the dates are broken apart and really well mixed in with the granola.
13. Once you’re ready, use a container and lined with previously used parchment paper. Use a container that can be easily stored in your freezer. The depth should correspond to how thick you want your bars to be.
14. Pour the granola dates mixture into the container. Spread and press it down to densely pack it.
15. Place it in your freezer for 2 hours.
16. After 2 hours, remove from freezer and cut into bars for easy snacking.

And you’re done!

It may seem like there’s a lot of steps but you can easily do it in less than 30 minutes. Of course, not including the freezing time. You can store the bars in your refrigerator for the next couple of days. It can last for weeks. If you got extra granola, you can add it to your yogurt or fruits. I did try to make it with raisins instead of dates, hmm let’s just stick to dates haha!

Aimee Song’s Stuffed Dates Recipe

Ingredients (as many as you want!)

• Dates
• Walnuts

1. Pit the dates. (aka Remove the seeds from the dates.)
2. Stuff the dates with walnuts. Line them up on your baking tray and parchment paper.
3. Put them in the oven for about 5-10 minutes. Be careful to not put it in for too long because when it caramelizes, it burns pretty quickly.
4. After taking them out of the oven, leave them to cool.
5. EAT!

It’s really nothing much to each recipe but a really healthy wholesome snack. I’m sure anyone who wants to can do it. Enjoy!

xoxo