Do-It-Yourself Lara Bars
Lara Bars are one of our favorite go-to snacks. They are easy, tasty and best of all, really good for you. Sara loves them! Because the ingredients are so simple, fruits and nuts, I thought they would be super easy to make. Sure enough, even a two-year old can do it!
I created the recipe below from various recipes posted online. You can mix up the types of nuts and the spices that you add. But stick with dates, they are the glue that hold the balls together.Sara's Chocolate Peanuty "Lara Bars"
- 1 cup roasted, salted peanuts, plus 1/8 cup more
- 15 pitted dates
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon crunchy or creamy natural peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt, optional
- Assemble Vitamix or food processor. I use a Vitamix; I got it for my birthday this year and I LOVE IT!
- Process the nuts for a few seconds until they are broken up a bit.
- Add the other ingredients to the mixer/blender.
- Pulse until the ingredients are all mixed and sticking together.
- Knead in the extra peanuts if like a super-peanuty punch, or omit if you don't like the crunch.
- Scrape from the mixer/blender and form bars or balls. I prefer balls; they are much easier and hold together better.
These are great little treats for a quick snack before a workout, with a cup of yogurt and fruit mid-morning or to pack on a hike.
If making bars, first form a big ball and then flatten to desired thickness for the bars. Then cut into bars.
The bars didn't hold together as well as we wanted, so we decided to make balls instead. Just squeeze the date-nut mixture together and you're done. Much easier.
Mmmmm! So yummy! Enjoy!Nutrition Details:
Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian
Makes 10 balls, per ball:
150 calories, 10 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 156 mg sodium, 13 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams fiber, 6 grams protein