Vegan cereal bars with dates, oats, almonds and maple syrup (or agave)
Preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F in fan mode. Crush the almonds into pieces in the mortar or in a towel, beating them with something heavy. Spread the almonds and oats in a large baking pan and bake for 10 minutes.
Heat the water with the peanut butter and the maple syrup (or agave) in a saucepan for 3 minutes to soften the peanut butter, but without letting it boil.
Put the dates in a high-speed blender with the content of the saucepan and blend until combined to a thick mixture.
Add your mixture to a large bowl with the almonds and oats and mix well. Line a baking sheet in a small baking pan (about 21x21 cm/8x8 in) and spread the mixture, pressing well with a spoon (or silicone spatula) until the surface is almost flat and put it in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Cut your bars into pieces and enjoy!
Notes
When lining the baking sheet, let it jut out from the pan, so that (when taking it out of the fridge) you can pull the edges of the sheet and then easily cut it.
When you mix all the ingredients you can add chopped dried fruits, such as apricots, strawberries and blueberries, but also nuts such as peanuts, sunflower seeds and sesame.
You can add vegan chocolate on top. In this case, first melt it in a bain-marie or in the microwave, spread it on your bars and put them in the fridge until it solidifies.
To make the cereal bars quicker, either avoid baking and cooling, or while baking, prepare the peanut butter with water and maple syrup.