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Homemade Lara-Bites!

August 5, 2011 by Lindsay 18 Comments

213 shares
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I’m generally not a big fan of snack bars because of all the added sugar and processing that come along with them. BUT, I do occasionally eat them, especially if someone- like Sarah- sends them to me 🙂 Way back in April, Sarah sent me my very first Larabar. I was SUPER impressed by the short list of ingredients and how natural they were. I loved every bite.

Like Larabars? You're just a few ingredients away from a homemade version! Cut them up for the kids or leave them as a bar for adults!

I thought, with an ingredient list that short, surely I can make these at home! But I never got around to buying dates…the key ingredient. So, when I found some Organic Medjool Dates when choosing my Swanson products, I immediately added them to my cart. To by honest, I don’t really know anything about dates other than that I’m constantly getting them confused with figs in my mind 🙂

DSC 0182

After doing some research to find the correct ratios, I found this great post and immediately zeroed in on the PB & J flavor.

Lara Bites

by Lindsay L

Prep Time: 5 min

Keywords: raw snack vegetarian healthy nuts raisins dates

Ingredients (15-20 bites)

  • 1/3 c chopped dates
  • 1/4 c raisins
  • 1/4 c unsalted peanuts

Instructions

In your food processor, add the roughly chopped dates and raisins and process into a paste. Transfer to a bowl.

Add the peanuts to the food processor and process until well chopped. Transfer to the bowl with the fruit.

Using your hands or a spatula, mix the two together.

Divide the mixture in half and place on two sections of plastic wrap.

Shape into bars, bites, balls…whatever shape your heart desires and store in the fridge

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*This makes 2 bars or about 12 bites. You could easily double or triple the recipe.

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Don’t forget to remove the pit in the dates when you chop them up.

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DSC 0193*Sorry for the terrible pictures. It was 11pm.

I shaped mine into thin logs and stuck them in the fridge overnight.

DSC 0197In the morning, I removed the saran wrap and cut them into bites!

Like Larabars? You're just a few ingredients away from a homemade version! Cut them up for the kids or leave them as a bar for adults!Like Larabars? You're just a few ingredients away from a homemade version! Cut them up for the kids or leave them as a bar for adults!For more flavor combos, check out these ideas from Enlightened Cooking or these Key Lime balls from Jenn!

What’s your favorite Larabar flavor? Have you ever made them at home?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

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Filed Under: Snack

About Lindsay

Lindsay Livingston is a Registered Dietitian and new mom from Columbus, Ohio. On her blog, she shares simple, healthy recipes, nutrition tips, workouts and snapshots of her life. Follow her on Twitter @LeanGrnBeanBlog and Instagram @TheLeanGreenBean and be sure to subscribe via RSS or email so you never miss a post!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Maria says

    August 5, 2011 at 11:10 AM

    The lemon Larabars are incredible! When I finally break down and buy a food processor, it’s the first thing I’m attempting!

    Your bites look so cute!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      August 5, 2011 at 11:00 PM

      i’ve never tried the lemon flavor. i must, soon!

      Reply
  2. Autumn @ Good Eats Girl says

    August 5, 2011 at 11:59 AM

    I love the idea of the little bites! They are so convenient and cute!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      August 5, 2011 at 10:59 PM

      i love cute food 🙂

      Reply
  3. Jenn L @ Peas and Crayons says

    August 5, 2011 at 12:23 PM

    awwwww you are too flipping sweet! thanks for the shouout to my… er… BALLS! =) haha! You know i’m all over this PB+J goodness! I haven’t tried a PBJ larabar but i’ll skip the $$$ exchange and just make yours! mwah!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      August 5, 2011 at 10:59 PM

      you’re welcome, lady 🙂 love your balls!

      Reply
  4. Sarah K. @ The Pajama Chef says

    August 5, 2011 at 2:53 PM

    soooo i must admit that i *hate* larabars. i don’t know why, but they just aren’t appealing to me even though i like dates. weird. but yours look so cute so maybe i should try a homemade batch!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      August 5, 2011 at 10:59 PM

      this makes a pretty small batch…and there are tons of different combos you could try out. i don’t like to eat a whole bar at once, that’s why i just made mine bite size

      Reply
  5. Hannah Hawley says

    August 5, 2011 at 4:59 PM

    I love lara-bars… my favorite being the coconut and the lemon. Mmmmm

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      August 5, 2011 at 10:58 PM

      i’m not a huge coconut fan but the lemon is intriguing!

      Reply
  6. Rachel (Hounds in the Kitchen) says

    August 5, 2011 at 9:38 PM

    Thanks for sharing the recipe! I buy these way too often to not try making my own.

    (Is that tablecloth from world market? I almost bought one there that looks just like this!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      August 5, 2011 at 10:57 PM

      it is! i found it on clearance 🙂

      Reply
  7. sarah (sarah learns) says

    August 6, 2011 at 10:29 PM

    oh yay! i’m glad you liked the larabar and that you posted this recipe so i can save some money by making my own! 🙂 i’ve been meaning to experiment with the proportions and make my own – but you did it for me!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Healthy Ice Cream Sandwiches says:
    September 1, 2013 at 11:00 AM

    […] I thought I would blend them up with some nuts and make a larabar type thing…kinda like these LaraBites I made last year. However, in the spirit of trying new ingredients, I decided to use pistachios […]

    Reply
  2. Is PB & J A Health Food? | Hungry Hobby says:
    April 2, 2014 at 8:24 AM

    […] Homemade Larabar Bites (The Lean Green Bean) https://www.theleangreenbean.com/homemade-lara-bites/ […]

    [WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The comment’s server IP (66.135.48.141) doesn’t match the comment’s URL host IP (66.155.9.238) and so is spam.

    Reply
  3. Fun Facts Friday - Get Fit Fiona says:
    April 3, 2015 at 7:00 AM

    […] on my break. I recently found a recipe from Lindsay who writes the Lean Green Bean blog to make Lara bites. While I haven’t tried the recipe yet, it looks delicious and I know I’ll be giving it […]

    Reply
  4. Is PB & J A Health Food? - Hungry Hobby says:
    October 2, 2017 at 6:00 PM

    […] Homemade Larabar Bites (The Lean Green Bean) https://www.theleangreenbean.com/homemade-lara-bites/ […]

    Reply
  5. Homemade Healthy Ice Cream Sandwiches | Healthy Snack says:
    June 21, 2018 at 12:47 PM

    […] I thought I would blend them up with some nuts and make a larabar type thing…kinda like these LaraBites I made last year. However, in the spirit of trying new ingredients, I decided to use pistachios […]

    Reply

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Lindsay Livingston The Lean Green Bean Healthy Living Tips and Tricks

I'm a Registered Dietitian and mom of three from Columbus, Ohio. I use this blog to share simple, healthy recipes, nutrition tips, and an honest glimpse of motherhood!

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