As most of you probably already know, I am a huge “date” fan. I add dates to everything from smoothies to raw treats to salad dressings and garnish in my salad. I highly enjoy the sweetness of them without the guilt.

One of my favorite desserts are date squares, but I never make them or buy them because they are usually made with butter and brown sugar. This got me thinking, I should just make a simple no-bake vegan alternative, so I did.

Crust/Crumble

Ingredients

• 16 dates, soaked for 2-4 hours
• 1 1/2 cups of almonds
• 1 1/2 cups of oats
• 1/4-1/2 cup of coconut oil

Method

• Place the almonds and oats in a food processor and combine until it becomes a fine powder.
• Add the dates, and process.
• Slowly add the coconut oil to mix everything together. You may need more if the crumble is too dry.
• Press 3/4 of  the mixture in a glass pan, and reserve 1/4 of the crumble to put on top of the date filling.
• Place the crust in the fridge while you prepare the date filling.

Date Filling

Ingredients

• 30 or more, soaked for 2-4 hours (if you like your filling sweet add more dates)
• 1/2-1 cup of water for blending, use soaked water.

Method

• Place the dates, and the water in a food processor and blend into a paste.
• Spread the date filling on the crust evenly.
• Sprinkle the remaining crumble on top of the date filling.
• Place the date squares in the fridge for an hour or until firm.