Since switching to a 90% raw food way of life, and sharing my bars with people, I have been asked by many to share my recipe with them, so here it is . . .

To make enough to fill a 9″ x 14″ (approx) baking dish:

4 Cups Large Flake Oats (I don’t bother with organic, steel-milled, etc.)

3 Cups Khudry dates (I don’t know why this kind, but they are very common)

1 Cup dried, plain Cranberries

1 Cup Shredded, Un-Sweetened Coconut

1/2 Cup Raw, Organic Cacao Buds

1/4 Cup Raw Cacao Powder

1 – 1 &1/2 Cup Almonds in skin

1 Cup Walnut pieces

1/2 Cup Goji Berries

1/2 – 3/4 Cup COLD water

I like to use a huge mixing bowl for this, as I like to mix it all with my hands to feel the textures and to mix it really thoroughly.

I use a food processor, on pulse, to chop the almonds, goji berries, and cacao buds, not too finely as I like the bars to be kinda crunchy. Tip this into the mixing bowl, add the oats, cacao powder, walnuts, and coconut. Toss it around to get it nicely mixed.

Now comes the messiest bit – pulse the dates in the food processor until they form a big ball of date-stuff. Tip that into the bowl, add the water, making sure to pour it all over, not just in one spot.

Mix the whole lot, sort of kneading it, and sort of squishing it between your fingers, until it is all mixed well.

Scoop it up into a big lump and spread it into the baking pan, and place in the fridge, covered.

A few notes:

1. The amounts of all ingredients are approximations.
2. The water is just to help it all bind together, so you can slice it for easier eating – you may need more or less, just experiment.
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3. Using the amounts of ingredients above will equal about 5,000 calories, so resist the temptation to eat half of it in one sitting.
4. This will keep in the fridge for a week – it hasn’t lasted any longer in my house, so I don’t know if it lasts longer than that.
5. If you want to make this as a granola cereal, you can – just leave out the water, so it stays a sort of a loose mix, with lumps only caused by the dates adhering to other ingredients.
6. Get your kids to try it, just don’t tell them what’s in it. Since I introduced my 15-yr old, who hates anything that isn’t junk food, to this, he has not eaten any commercial granola bars or awful cereal, because he loves this. Once I told him how healthy it is, he loves it even more.
7. If you want more of a chocolate flavour, add more raw cacao buds or cacao powder; more coconut flavour, just add more shredded coconut. Just don’t add too many dates, or it becomes too hard to keep in shape.

So there you go, give it a try. Let me know how it turns out for you.