Running Upward: larabars

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Chocolate Brownie Larabar Energy Bars!

So, I've been looking for a Larabar/Pure Bar- like chocolate energy bar recipe. I LOVE the Pure Bar chocolate flavor, and it is similar to a Larabar- dates, nuts, cocoa..... plus, it tastes like a brownie, and it's good for you! So it's an ideal late afternoon snack!

So here's what you need:

2 cups chopped pitted dates
2 cups raw cashews
1/2 cup raw almonds
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
2 Tb vanilla extract
2 or 3 Tb water

This is the coconut I used. I found it at a health food store.

Put the dates, cashews, almonds, cocoa, and sea salt in the food processor and pulse and process until it's the texture of coarse crumbs, then add the coconut and pulse once or twice to mix:

Then add the vanilla and 2 Tb of the water, and process. It should be like a moist dough. If you need more water, add a little at a time.

Pat the mixture into a pan (I used a 9.5 X 6.5) then use a spatula to press it in really well:

Chill for 20 or 30 minutes, then cut into bars. If you make 10 bars, each bar has 280 calories.

I wrapped mine in saran wrap and put them in the fridge for lunches and snacks this week:

I adapted this recipe from http://www.seasaltwithfood.com/

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

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)