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Homemade Samoa Bars

Servings 16 bars
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Ingredients
  

Cookie Layer

  • 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter cold, cut into chunks
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp liquid water, milk, almond milk

Caramel Layer

  • 15 Medjool dates or 1 cup firmly packed
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla

Toppings

  • 1/2 cup coconut shredded, unsweetened
  • 1/3 cup dark chocolate chopped (or chocolate chips)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 8.5" loaf pan with parchment paper. Make sure paper is hanging out the two sides for easy removal at the end.
  • Warm a skillet to medium heat. Add coconut and toast for approximately 4-5 minutes. Watch closely and stir to prevent burning.
  • To a food processor, add oats. Process until it becomes a flour. Add whole wheat flour, sugar, butter, and salt. Process until combined. Drizzle liquid until a dough is formed. I only needed 1 Tbsp.
  • Press dough firmly into the bottom of your pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until the edges start to brown.
  • Meanwhile, place dates and vanilla in clean food processor. Process until a paste is formed.
  • Remove cookie crust from the oven after 25 minutes. Spread date caramel over bars. (Tip: microwave for 15-20 seconds to make spreading easier.) Pour coconut evenly over the top and press down.
  • Bake for 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
  • Melt chocolate in the microwave. Drizzle over bars.
  • Store in the refrigerator.

Notes

How-to-Use Guide:
Athletes: Dates are an awesome source of fuel for workouts. Feel free to eat one of these to help you power through that endurance work!
Healthy Eating: A whole grain, higher fiber, healthier carbohydrate cookie alternative to the boxed version.
Kids: Try putting a cookie on their plate with dinner tonight. Start the idea of normalizing sweets. Allow them to choose the order they eat the foods on their plate. You may be amazed.... they may not even finish their cookie!
Other Thoughts:
  • If you don't have a food processor, you can use your blender to make the oat flour. I've tried to make the date caramel in the blender - it's doable, but some tough work! Get your scraper and brawn out!
  • I highly recommend Medjool dates for the caramel. (Bonus- my Aldi's always has them so I bet yours will too.) If you use another type of date or yours are hard, microwave for 30-60 seconds with a couple Tbsp of water and drain before putting them in the food processor.
  • These could easily be made vegan using coconut oil in the crust instead of butter.
  • These could also easily be made gluten free by using an all-purpose gluten free flour blend.