My super busy three-year-old is the inspiration behind this batch of crunchies. In an endless endeavour to feed him food that is sugar-free or contains as little sugar as possible (since he already whirls around like a Tasmanian Devil), I decided to experiment with a recipe I found online by reducing the required amount of sugar and adding Dates as a healthier sweetening alternative. 

The end result was that the “crunchies” were a little less crunchy than normal since the Dates added a touch of chewiness to them. They were just as delicious however and made a great on-the-go breakfast alternative. If you are looking for a sweet treat however, you might want to stick to the original recipe and add a full cup of sugar, instead of the half a cup I added.

Date Crunchie (Chewy) Recipe

If your cupboards are bear, make a trip to the store and shop for the following:

• Two cups of Raw Oats
• Half a cup of brown sugar
• One cup of flour
• One teaspoon baking soda
• 200 ml melted butter
• Heaped tablespoon of honey (melted in with your butter)
• Extra butter for greasing your pan
• One cup chopped dates

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 Degrees Celsius.
2. Mix all of your dry ingredients and chopped dates together.
3. Add your baking soda to the butter and honey mixture, stirring it until it froths.
4. Add the butter mixture to the dry ingredients.
5. Mix everything together using your hands (works best).
6. Press your oatmeal mixture into the bottom of a well-greased baking pan so that it is an even layer, approximately 2cm thick. 
7. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brow.
8. Slice them up before the completely cool.

TIP:

To prevent the bottom from burning, place your pan onto another baking pan before inserting it into the oven. 

These healthy cookie alternatives have been ideal for adding a yummy snack to my kiddo’s lunch box and thank the lord, my very fussy three-year-old eats them AND enjoys them! Phew, good mommy!

FYI

This post was inspired by @jaynie, the creator of #steemitbloggers and the #whatscookingchallenge. If you often find yourself conjuring up a storm in the kitchen, you can enter the challenge too. In fact, I challenge and nominate @mamameimei @thepink @joanstewart @dansum86 and @jussipasseti to get cooking and enter the #whatscookingchallenge.

Much love - @sweetpea

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