Easy Homemade Larabars

It was almost 2 years ago this fall that I had a conversation with the husband about our eating habits.  We had noticed that 2 of our 3 children at the time, were consuming a ton of carbs per day by munching on crackers and granola bars.  I would buy a gigantic box of granola bars from Sam’s Club only to have them eaten in a matter of days.  We took a peek at the ingredients and high fructose corn syrup was right there near the top of the list.  I knew there had to be a healthier alternative.

Enter the Larabar.  A Larabar is a fruit and nut bar that uses dates as sweetener.  I went to the store to buy some Larabars and decided to look at the ingredient list out of curiosity.  The first one I picked up was Peanut Butter Cookie.  The ingredients?  Peanuts, dates, and sea salt.  WHAT?!  That’s it?  I could make those!  I went home and googled home made larabars and found a few recipes to try.

It was a success!  My children not only love my homemade Larabars, but I feel good knowing they are healthy for them too.  Last winter when my sister in law was visiting, she asked for my recipe and I jumped at the chance to show her how easy they are to make.

You will need 2 cups raw almonds, 2 cups pitted dates, and 2 TBSP natural peanut butter (as in the freshly ground kind of natural).  You can also throw in 1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips if desired.  I always desire chocolate so though it isn’t pictured, I added the chocolate chips.

The dates need to be really soft so I soak mine in warm water for about 10 minutes while I prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Chop almonds in food processor until they are finely chopped – NOT powder.  If adding chocolate to your recipe, chop them with your nuts.  When chopped, pour into a separate bowl.

Drain the dates and finely chop them in food processor. Add the 2 TBSP peanut butter and process until combined.  Pour dates and peanut butter mix into a separate bowl.

Line a 9 x 13 glass baking dish with wax paper.  Combine half the date/peanut butter mix and half the chopped nuts in food processor and process until mixed together.  Pour into wax lined baking dish and repeat with other half of dates/peanut butter and nuts.

I like to wet my hands with water and press the mixture into the pan.  The water helps bind it together and keeps your hands from sticking to the mix.  Press into pan FIRMLY.  Otherwise, your bars will fall apart.  Sometimes I take a 2 quart baking dish and press down on the mix just to make sure it is pressed in there really well.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Remove and cut into bars.  I wrap them individually in plastic wrap and store them in the fridge.  They will stay good at room temperature for 24 hours, in the fridge for 3 weeks, and in the freezer for 3 months.

These are so simple to make it’s almost laughable.  I whip up a batch every week and store them in my fridge for a quick snack or to toss in a lunchbox.  I feel good knowing I found a healthy replacement for those sugar loaded granola bars.  Now, my kids can eat these bars to their hearts content and I am good with it.

Here a 2 other homemade Larabar recipes that are in my Larabar rotation:

• Homemade Peanut Butter Cookie Larabars from Edible Sound Bites
• Dark Chocolate Brownie Larabars from Leite’s Culinaria (found under variations)

I took some to work with me a few months ago and just the other day I had a coworker ask me when I was going to post my recipe.  So Chris, this one’s for you buddy!