These healthy low sugar Apple Date Cookie Bars are great to pack in lunch boxes, serve as an after school snack, or even enjoy for breakfast.
Every month the Fill the Cookie Jar Bloggers make cookies based on a theme and share them on the same day. We are getting the jump on Back to School with our theme this month. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page to see what the others have made.
These Apple Date Bars are so simple to make and quick to bake. Which is nice when it is still 95 plus degrees outside. We won’t cool off here until late October.
The bars were not very sweet. If you want them a bit sweeter, you can substitute all or some of the dates with brown sugar or your favorite sugar substitute (some extra maple syrup would be good).
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Apple Date Cookie Bars

Ingredients
FILLING
- 1 1/2 cup apples peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped nuts pecans or walnuts
- 1/4 cup coconut or brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg optional
BASE
- 2 cups oats quick cooking or old fashioned
- 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup dates pureed with water to make a thick paste
- 1/2 cup butter or coconut oil melted
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9" square baking pan.
- In a small bowl, combine filling ingredients and set aside for 5-10 minutes to become syrupy.
- In a large bowl, mix all base ingredients together with a wooden spoon.
- Spread half of the base in the prepared 9" pan. Cover with filling. Crumble the remaining base ingredients over the top.
- Bake at 350 degrees until the top is turning light brown, about 25 minutes.
Notes
Recipes from the other Fill the Cookie Jar Bloggers:
Giant Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies by Family Around the Table
No Bake Brownie Energy Bites by Join Us, Pull up a Chair
Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
Teachers Rule Cookies By Palatable Pastime
Clean the Cupboard Cookie Bars by A Day In The Life On The Farm
Trail Mix Cookies by Home Sweet Homestead
Orange Anise Cookies By This and That
Monster Reese’s Pieces Cookie Bars by Cookaholic Wife
Oatmeal Blueberry Cookies by Organized 31
Apple Date Cookie Bars by That Recipe
Cherry Pie Tassies by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Sesame Balls by Feeding Big
We have 5 apples trees on our property, so I am always on the lookout for recipes that use apples. This is one that I will be adding to my list of recipes to make when the apples are ready. I love the sweetness from the dates. Thanks so much for being a part of the Fill The Cookie Jar group!
Wow. Full grown fruit trees, so jealous.
I adore dates in baked goods. Can’t wait to try your apple date cookie bars this weekend.
I enjoy it too, but I thought these could have used a little more sweetness.
Guilt free cookies…yes, please.
I like to pretend to be healthy every once in awhile 😉
Love the idea of the dates in this one- great healthy treat!
I don’t use dates as much as I should.