Chocolate Cherry Oat Bars are a great healthier dessert to indulge in without feeling guilty. The bars are gluten free, dairy free, nut free and free from refined sugar, so enjoy!

Who's ready for a healthier sweet treat?

Me and my sugar free chocolate cherry oat bars are, that’s who!

I stopped eating desserts for a while when I began my healthy eating journey.

Sugar and I have never been best of friends.

Sure, I always lusted after and did some indulging, but the after-effects were not kind to me.

Eating sugar would give me a headache, bellyache, and basically a big ol’ hangover, of the non-alcoholic variety.

Luckily I have since learned that there are ways to indulge the sweet tooth, without having to move into a food coma.

And such is the case with these sugar free cherry oat bars.

This chocolate cherry oat bar recipe is free from the top 8 allergens - milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans.

I know you breathed a sigh of relief that there's no shrimp in these dessert bars :-)

I used gluten free oats as the base.

Dates and coconut add some natural sweetness and the magic binder is my favorite sunflower seed butter, SunButter.

I've written about how sunflower seed butter is one of my pantry staples and I used it on my tahini cucumber roll-ups and nut free Thai chicken salad.

I also just love it straight up with some celery for a snack.

Those with nut allergies or those who simply want to switch up their peanut butter rut might want to check out sunflower seed butter.

There's also the mold factor with peanuts storage in warm silos that I like to avoid, so sunflower seed butter is a better choice for me.

These sugar free oat bars are super easy to make and full of different options.

Remove the top chocolate layer and eat them for breakfast.

Or don't remove it, and still eat them for breakfast.

Cacao is after all an antioxidant powerhouse, with great iron, magnesium, and calcium.

Cherries not your jam? Use raisins or chocolate chips.

Make it work for you so you can have a healthier treat anytime.

Chocolate Cherry Oat Bars (Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegetarian, Refined Sugar Free)

Makes 16 bars

Ingredients

• 12 Medjool dates, pitted and coarsely chopped

• 1-1/2 cups gluten free oats

• 3/4 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut

• 1/2 cup sunflower seed butter

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• Salt to taste

• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

• 3 ounces dried tart cherries, coarsely chopped

• 4 ounces vegan dark chocolate

Instructions

1. Place the dates, oats, coconut, SunButter, vanilla, salt, and oil in a food processor fitted with the S blade and pulse until combined. You may need to stop a few times and scrape down the sides until it's fully mixed. Stir in the cherries.

2. Line an 8 x 8 glass pyrex dish with enough parchment that it extends a few inches on each side. Take the oat mixture and push it flat into the dish. You can fold in the parchment to give it a good, even push down.

3. Meanwhile, place the chocolate in a double boiler and heat until melted. Pour the melted chocolate on top of the oats. Use a spatula to create a thin even layer on top. Put the dish in the refrigerator and allow to set, about an hour. Once the chocolate is firm, pull the parchment up and use a sharp knife to create 16 squares. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to one week, or freeze for up to one month.

Want Other Healthy Dessert Options?