Healthy, Homemade Larabar Recipe

If you haven’t tasted a Larabar yet, you will be pleasantly surprised by just how delicious something that is healthy, and void of sugar and preservatives could taste!  Larabars are made from a base of dates and include variations of dried fruit and/or nuts and come in many different flavors.  The only trouble is that, even on sale, a single Larabar costs a dollar a piece! That’s some expensive snacking.  The good news is that you can easily make your own.  Here is our personal favorite homemade Larabar recipe –  Chocolate Coconut! There are 3 other recipe variations below.

Homemade Chocolate Coconut Larabar Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup of dates

1 cup almonds or walnuts or a mix of the two

1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut

4 tbsp cacao powder

Directions:

1.  Soak the dates in a cup of warm water for 10-15 minutes, and then drain the water off.

2. Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse for about 45 second or more if necessary.  You can also mix together by hand with a little elbow grease!  The mixture should stick together

3.  Next line a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper, pour the bar mix onto the pan and flatten until it is even in thickness – (they should be about half an inch thick but this isn’t a perfect science so just do your best)

4.  Place the entire pan in the refrigerator for an hour and then cut into 6 larger bars or you can make 12 smaller bars depending on your snacking style. The great thing about these bars it that they can be individually wrapped and stored in the freezer. Just pull one out and throw it in your bag as you head out the door – it will thaw quickly.

Some Other Tlavors you can Experiment With – Use the  Instructions Above & Wwap in These Ingredients:

Cherry Pie

1 cup dates

1 cup almonds

1 cup dried cherries

Apple Pie

1 cup dates

1 cup almonds or walnuts or a mix of the two

1 cup mixed dried apple and raisins

2 tablespoons cinnamon

Cashew Cookie

1 cup dates

1 cup cashews

Chocolate Cherry Torte

1 cup dates

1 cup almonds or walnuts or a mix of the two

1 cup mixed dried cherries and chocolate chips

 

As you can see, the possibilities are endless and oh so simple!  Enjoy!

 

Have a favorite Larabar recipe?  Please share it in the comments!