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When it comes to snack bars, it doesn’t get much simpler than this.
What I’ve always loved about Larabars is their simple ingredient list. The first flavor I ever tried was “Cherry Pie,” and the nutrition label included only 3 real ingredients: cherries, dates and almonds. Love that!
Unfortunately, I feel that the quality of Larabars has declined since the company’s sale to General Mills, and I don’t feel comfortable supporting a company that spent money to block GMO labeling initiatives, either.
Luckily, these bars are so easy to recreate at home, there’s no need to spend extra money on those store-bought varieties! These portable snack bars are loaded with natural sugars and antioxidants from the dried cherries and dates, plus healthy fats and protein from the almonds–> making them a perfect energizing snack!
Not to mention, these bars only take about 10 minutes to prepare. That’s faster than you could drive to the convenience store for another snack option!
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Cherry Pie Larabars
makes 8 bars
Adapted from this recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup dried unsweetened cherries
1/2 cup Medjool dates, pitted
1 cup raw almonds
Directions:
In a food processor fitted with an “S” blade, combine the dried cherries and dates and process until a sticky dough is formed. (Be patient– this takes a minute or so!) Add in the raw almonds, then process again until the almonds are broken down and the batter looks uniform.
The resulting mixture may appear to be a bit crumbly, but it should stick together easily when you pinch the mixture with your fingers.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and transfer the batter to the flat surface. Press the dough into a flat, bar-like shape. (You could use a rolling pin for this, but I just used my hands.) Once the dough is evenly thick, you can slice it into 8 bars.
Separate the bars and store them in a sealed container in the fridge for best shelf life. When you need to keep a snack in your purse or bag, simply wrap one of these bars tightly in plastic wrap or parchment paper, and it should last an entire day or two at room temperature.
*Note: If you’d rather skip the bar-making process, you could also easily roll this mixture into balls for an easy-to-grab snack!
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried unsweetened cherries
- 1/2 cup Medjool dates , pitted
- 1 cup raw almonds
Instructions
- In a food processor fitted with an "S" blade, combine the dried cherries and dates and process until a sticky dough is formed. (Be patient-- this takes a minute or so!) Add in the raw almonds, then process again until the almonds are broken down and the batter looks uniform.
- mixThe resulting mixture may appear to be a bit crumbly, but it should stick together easily when you pinch the mixture with your fingers.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and transfer the batter to the flat surface. Press the dough into a flat, rectangle shape. (You could use a rolling pin for this, but I just used my hands.) Once the dough is evenly thick, you can slice it into 8 bars.
- Separate the bars and store them in a sealed container in the fridge for best shelf life. When you need to keep a snack in your purse or bag, simply wrap one of these bars tightly in plastic wrap or parchment paper, and it should last an entire day or two at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Calories per bar: 182, Fat: 10g, Carbohydrates: 20g, Fiber: 3g, Protein: 4g
Hope you enjoy!
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite Larabar, or other snack bar, flavor?
If I want to blanch the almonds and use fresh cherries, would I dehydrate the bars? Would the result be the same?
Thanks so much for this. I substituted with apricots & cashews, plus added some coconut. Yum! It enabled me to recreate a Trader Joe’s product I love, but have felt guilty about the excessive packaging (individually wrapped bite-sized pieces). So much better to make my own!
Just made these. I love the tart flavor of the cherries. I made theses into 12 balls for simplicity. Excellent.
Would it work to use fresh sweet cherries in this recipe?
These are so yummy. they will not last two days in my house between me and the kids. I also think they are better than the Larabar brand bars which are yummy. yay for homemade!
Don’t have a food processor, but I do have a tough ‘lil blender. Think that would do the trick?
Thanks!
I love these bars! I’ve made them twice in the last week. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
We are a nut free house. Would sunflower seeds work in place of the nuts?
Yes, I think so! They tend to be more bitter, so you may need to adjust the flavoring slightly– just taste as you go. 🙂
Who would have thought something like this could be so easy to make. Just when you think you know something about foods, you learn something else. Thanks heaps for sharing
My first time trying this recipe (so awesome to find!) was so delicious I brought one to work everyday as a snack. The only thing I wished for was less almonds because the consistency was more crunchy than larabars. So my second round I halved the amount of almonds and voila! Perfect!