Toasting the quick oats and combining the dry ingredients:
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Divide the quick oats evenly between the two sheet pans and spread them in an even layer.
Bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly toasted. Stir occasionally.
Remove the toasted granola from the oven and let it cool to room temperature.
Once at room temperature, combine with the rest of the dry ingredients except for the dark chocolate chips.
Preparing the date paste:
While the oats are getting toasted, let's prepare the date paste.In a small saucepan, combine the pitted dates, water, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Then, reduce to low heat and let it slowly simmer for 7-10 minutes.
Initially, stir occasionally, but towards the end, stir constantly until the dates break down and form a paste-like consistency.
Once you obtain a date paste, turn off the heat and add the rest of the wet ingredients.
Assembling the granola bars:
Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C). Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Line a half-sheet pan (18x13 inch) with parchment paper. Set aside for now.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon until everything is evenly combined.
Allow the mixture to cool for about 10 minutes before adding 1 cup of dark chocolate chips; this will prevent them from melting.
Using a spatula, spread the mixture evenly in the prepared baking pan. Place a sheet of parchment paper directly on the granola and press down firmly with a large metal spatula until it is about ½ inch thick.
Alternatively, I find the best trick is to place a second half-sheet pan on top of the parchment-covered granola and press down firmly to compress the mixture. Remove the sheet pan and the parchment paper before baking.
Bake for 20-30 minutes at 325°F (160°C) until the edges are lightly browned and the top is firm.
Remove from the oven, place on cooling rack and let cool in the pan for 30 minutes before cutting them into bars.
Cutting the granola bars:
After the bars have been cooling for 30 minutes, use a sharp knife to cut the granola bars into desired shapes directly in the pan.
I typically cut the sheet pan into 4 columns and 8 rows. By cutting them into 1½ x 4 inches (4x10 cm), you will get 32 bars.
Allow the bars to cool down to room temperature. Place the bars onto a large cutting board and cut them again based on the original cuts.
Video
Notes
Before adding the chocolate chips, take a few minutes to properly stir the wet and dry ingredients. This will ensure that the oats are completely coated with the wet ingredients.
The longer these bars stay in the oven, the crispier they get.
Cutting the bars while still warm will prevent them from crumbling.
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used.