A Larabar is my absolute favorite snack or after dinner treat because they taste so amazing yet they are so healthy. That combo is near impossible to find! However, the cost of buying them made me feel guilty so I knew I could make them myself: simple ingredients, no preservatives, gluten free, dairy free and loaded with protein and fiber.
I know many of you are doubting me right now, but please TRUST ME and give this recipe a try. You will be shocked at how amazing they are and even your kids will beg you for them! To quote my picky hubby “Wow! Those are shockingly good!” Don’t believe me at how easy they are? Take a peek at my 27 second video tutorial and see for yourself 🙂
https://youtu.be/fn3NHs0a3EQ
The most pricey ingredient in all Larabar bars are the dried Medjool dates so shop around because they can go for around $7 a pound at the grocery store. I buy mine from Sam’s Club for $4.50 a pound in a 2 pound container. Anyone else have a great source for Medjool dates they want to share?
I wrap my finished bars individually in plastic wrap and keep them in the fridge but they are perfectly fine at room temperature as well. I like having them ready to toss in a kids lunch or a healthy snack before a workout.
Make those expensive Larabars at home using just a food processor! Really easy and much cheaper.
Yield:16 bars 1x
Ingredients
Scale
24 ounces pitted dried Medjool dates
2/3 C dry roasted peanuts, unsalted
1/3 C semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 tsp sea salt
Instructions
In your food processor, pulse the peanuts until they are chopped finely, but do not create a paste. Add the dates, chocolate chips and sea salt. Pulse repeatedly until the mixture comes together. As the dates begin to break down, you can make your pulse length longer.
On a sheet of wax paper, place the mixture in the center and use your fingers to evenly press it into a 9″ x 9″ square. The thickness will be around a 1/2″. Freeze for 30 minutes to firm them up before cutting into 16 even pieces. I like to wrap each bar individually in plastic wrap so I can take them on the go and stick them easily into my kids lunches. Store at either room temperature or in the fridge.
Carole Jones is an Arizona-based cookbook author & food blogger. She's authored The 30 Minute Cooking From Frozen Cookbook and the self-published Take 5: Chicken e-cookbook. For the past 15 years, Carole has shared her culinary adventures cooking and baking for her six brutally honest children here on My Kitchen Escapades. Hot, crusty bread is Carole's love language, but her two adorable grandchildren are a close second. Yes, second. Don't judge.
3 comments
Rachel W.
5 years ago
Thank you so much for this recipe!
I wanted more peanut and chocolate taste, so I added some cocoa powder and natural peanut butter.
Thanks to you, I now have an alternative!
Carole
5 years ago
Great variation! Thanks Rachel 🙂
Pat
5 months ago
Followed the recipe exactly. Bars were so-so in taste and definitely NOT a Larabar copycat recipe. I won’t make again.
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3 comments
Thank you so much for this recipe!
I wanted more peanut and chocolate taste, so I added some cocoa powder and natural peanut butter.
Thanks to you, I now have an alternative!
Great variation! Thanks Rachel 🙂
Followed the recipe exactly. Bars were so-so in taste and definitely NOT a Larabar copycat recipe. I won’t make again.