Gluten-Free and Grain-Free Date Nut Bars

By Michelle Sala, Integrative Health Coach

I finally did it! I finally recreated the recipe most beloved by the family that my grandmother, Josephine, used to make. The original recipe was made with Bisquick which obviously has gluten in it. Bisquick does make a gluten-free mix, but it full of GMOs! I’ve been experimenting for years and finally came up with a more than acceptable healthier version.

I recently found a Paleo gluten-free baking mix at Costco for pancakes. Then a couple of weeks later, Costco had a big bag of pitted organic deglet dates. I bought the dates and was pondering what to do with them when I got the idea to try making Date Nut Bars with the Paleo pancake mix.

They turned out fantastic! The orginal recipe uses butter but I replaced it with Avocado Oil (also a Costco find) which is minimally processed and great for baking and high-heat cooking. Avocado has a neutral flavor. You could also use a buttery or neutral flavored olive oil. Please DO NOT use unhealthy oils such as Canola, Soybean, or Vegetable (which is soybean oil). I like using the oil instead of butter because you don’t have to spend the time letting the butter soften. Also the liquid oil seems to work better with the gluten-free mixes.

We have a few vegans in the family who could make this recipe using a vegan baking mix (although, it may not be grain-free) and substituting the egg for a chia flax or other egg substitute.

I promise you that this will become a family favorite like it is in our family! I honestly never thought I’d eat these again when I went gluten-free and am so glad that I revisited this recipe and did some more experimenting.

I hope you enjoy it!

Click HERE to get the recipe.