Have you guys seen the LARA Bars at the grocery store? They are pretty awesome, they are totally healthy, containing only dates, nuts, and maybe some figs/other fruit. They rock, and I love them, especially post workout, because they are sweet like a treat, but don’t have added sugar, preservatives, etc. The problem is that even on sale they are $1 each. Way too much for snacks in my book. I was going broke eating them. So I decided to make my own. And I am so glad I did.
They were so easy. At first I was intimidated, but trust me, it doesn’t get easier than this recipe. One thing I really loved about making my own is that the texture can be however you want. I made some that were ground as fine as the ones you buy (pictured above) and I made some that were more like a granola bar, with chunks of nuts in it. I still can’t decided which I like better. So for now I will keep making both. The other thing I really loved about making my own was the possible flavor combinations. I made some with dates, cashews and coconut, some with dates, almonds, cranberries, and mini chocolate chips, some with straight nuts and dates. I added a little lemon, a little lime, a little vanilla. I got creative, and you can too. Don’t feel like you have to follow a recipe exactly!
The other great thing about these is you do not have to have any special or fancy kitchen equipment to make them. I started off with a food processor, but it was not a great one, and I burned out the motor, so then I just threw everything in my blender, and it worked even better. My sister made some in her blender and it worked great. You don’t have to have a fancy blender either!
Homemade Lara Bars- Date and Nut Bars
Ingredients
- 9 medjool dates pitted
- 1 cup nuts of choice
- Extras
Instructions
- Put it all in the blender, blend until you reach desired consistency
- Shape into balls for bites, bars, etc.
- Store in airtight container for up to a week
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
Want to use this recipe in a meal plan?Try PrePear, my FREE Meal Planning App that allows you to save your recipes, plan meals, shop for groceries, and cook simply in one place. Join Here!My favorite bar included the following:
18 Medjool Dates (pitted)
1 cup almonds
1 cup mixed nuts (I had a mix from Sam’s Club with cashews, almonds, Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, and probably a few I can’t remember)
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1 Tbs almond butter (Just added this in for some extra creaminess in the consistency)
One thing I found is that some nuts do not have as much oils as other nuts, so if that is the case, you can add a little bit of water until you get to the desired consistency.
This was a hard one to do a recipe for because it is so easy to change the recipe up in order to change the flavor. These are the official LARA bar flavors you can buy:
- Apple Pie
- Banana Bread
- Blueberry Muffin
- Carrot Cake
- Cashew Cookie
- Cherry Pie
- Chocolate Chip Brownie
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- Chocolate Coconut Chew
- Cinnamon Roll
- Coconut Cream Pie
- Ginger Snap
- Key Lime Pie
- Lemon Bar
- Peanut Butter & Jelly
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip
- Peanut Butter Cookie
- Pecan Pie
- Tropical Fruit Tart
Have fun and get creative. I found a site that lists a bunch of flavor combinations, I highly recommend check DamyHealth out here to find her combos for LARA bars.
But, it you just want to try some healthy snacking options, and don’t have time to make them yourself, you can buy LARA bars here
Joanne T Ferguson (@mickeydownunder) says
G’day! Looks very healthy indeed!
Thanks for sharing at the Foodie Friends Foods we loved from childhood party!
Cheers! Joanne
ladygourmet says
Dear Rachel, These do sound like a healthy and tasty snack. Perfect when for I get the urge to pick! Stopping over from Foodie Friends. Blessings, Catherine
Sarah says
Love Homemade LaraBars Thanks for linking up at Tips and Tricks! Pinning.