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Pear Oat Squares
Yield: approx. 25 1 inch squares
Ingredients:
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup pitted Medjool dates
1 1/2 cups dried pears
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or some combination of cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom)
Directions:
Place oats in the bowl of your food processor and pulse until ground. Some small pieces will remain… you don’t want to process so much that you make it into flour.
Set aside 1/4 cup of the processed oats in a small bowl. Put the rest of the ingredients into the bowl of the food processor with the remaining 3/4 cup of ground oats. Process until a ball of dough starts to form (see photos).
Use plastic wrap to line a loaf pan or another small pan. I used a 5×5″ square glass container. Leave some extra plastic wrap hanging over each side. Press your dough into the bottom of your pan to shape it. I like to fold the extra plastic wrap over to help smooth it out.
Unmold the dough block from your pan and plastic wrap and place it on a cutting board. Cut the block into approximate 1″ squares. I recommend using a sharp knife dipped in water to prevent sticking.
Press the sides of each square into the small bowl of ground oats to cover them evenly.
Pack up your Pear Oat Squares for snacks! You can store the squares at room temperature or in the fridge for longer storage.
Adapted from Weelicious: 140 Fast, Fresh, and Easy Recipes. Her Apple Oat Bar version of this recipe is also a huge hit in our house.