Make Your Own Larabar Energy Bars!!

Have you ever had a Larabar?? I first tried one at a marathon expo, and I was hooked!! They are amazing, and only contain real ingredients, no weird preservatives or funky dyes. (Not that I would personally avoid such food. One of my favorite foods is Red Vines. Oh Red Vines, how I love you.)

...but they are expensive. So as I have been consuming more (since I have been watching <somewhat> what I eat and bars are an easy way to snack when I'm hungry without overdoing it) I decided to try and make some myself!! They are EXACTLY the same as the ones you buy.... wooooo hoooo!!!!!

I made the "Cashew Cookie" flavor. Don't they look pretty in my garden window?? I love my kitchen.

Here's what you need. It's really complicated. Get a pen and paper.

• 1/2 cup Raw Cashews
• 3/4 cup pitted Dates
• Sea Salt (optional, but good)

First, coarsely chop the dates. You should sample a few, you know, just to do some quality control. Because you care.

Take the pits out first. What is the difference between a pit and a seed? Who knows such facts?

Now, I apologize, because I know your food processor is buried behind some other stuff, waaay in the back of the cabinet. But you're going to have to dig it out. Process the dates until they are like a ball of date paste. (I know that sounds gross, but it tastes really good in these bars, I promise)

Then chop up the cashews like this. Don't process them too long or they'll turn into cashew butter.

So then put the dates, cashews, and a pinch of the sea salt into a bowl. At this point, you need to goosh them together. I first used my hands and sort of kneaded them together.....

Then I got a great idea- to use a potato masher! It worked great!

Now you're going to use saran wrap (Oh, I guess I used "cling wrap" I like the thinner more clingy stuff) So you need to put a blob of the larabar stuff on the square of wrap. I made 3 large bars plus one snack-sized bar out of this recipe. You could totally just make the bars a bit smaller and make 4.

Then sort of wrap the cling wrap around it and shape it into a bar. Alternately, you could totally do little squares or balls if you wanted more of a snack size bar.

I tapped the edges on the counter to get them flat. Then put them in the fridge. (I plan on storing mine in the fridge, but you totally wouldn't have to. I just like the consistency of bars that have been in the fridge)

There you have it!! You've made your very own Cashew Cookie Larabars!!! Sweet!!

Seriously, don't they look good??

I am going to try and figure out how to make a few other flavors, and I will post those too!!

Edited to add a few links, since I have made more flavors since this post!

Cherry Pie Larabars

Peanut Butter, PB Chocolate Chip, Apricot, Yogurt Chip Larabars

Chocolate Brownie Larabars



DINNER TONIGHT:

Crock Pot BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

Watermelon

Sweet potato fries