How To Make Larabar Energy Bars

Both my sister and I share a love for cooking and baking…and experimenting. My sister has to be one of the most creative masterminds when it comes to figuring out what to do with (at times random) ingredients. Last week we decided to whip up some energy bars. We’re big Larabar fans, so we were looking to make a treat that had a similar taste and texture. Larabars are known for being healthy as well as having minimal ingredients – which is awesome. Some of the bars I’ve eaten have only had three ingredients. Seems kinda crazy when most packaged foods have 20+ ingredients (most of them being chemicals) ! So if you are looking for a super delicious raw energy bar, then keep on reading, because these bars are tried and tested, and pass the “super delicious raw energy bar” food test…if there is a test for that. 

We were inspired by this base recipe and then added our own flair to each bar. These raw and vegan bars (yep, they don’t have to be baked in the oven!) can be easily made in no time.

Just 2 main steps:

1. Process the nuts in a food processor until they reach a fine consistency. It’s okay if you leave larger pieces…this is all dependent on your texture preferences and whether or not you want a crunchier bar.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the nut ‘flour’ and process!
3. Place mixture in a dish lined with wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 mins. then cut into bars and wrap individually in plastic wrap (You can also make the mixture into ‘energy balls’ before placing in the refrigerator).

Cherry Almond

This bar is the best of both worlds for all those salty and sweet food lovers out there!

• 9 dates
• 10 dried cherries
• 1 cup almonds
• Dash of cinnamon
• Sea salt

Coconut-Chocolate

So at this point we had run out of almonds and didn’t have any cashews, so we used unsalted peanuts. Sounds strange to have peanuts, coconut, and chocolate together, but it was one of those combos that ended up tasting amazing.

• Dark chocolate baking pieces (vegan alternative: cacao nibs)
• Splash of vanilla extract
• 1 cup unsalted peanuts
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut shavings
• 9 dates

Wake-Me-Up Ginger Bars

My sister, who loves ginger, really wanted to incorporate ginger in a bar, so she created this fun version. I’m glad she did because it was fantastic. I called these ‘Wake-Me-Up-Ginger Bars’ because the ginger taste made me feel extra awake after just one bite. We used 4 dates but I would suggest adding a few more to make the ingredients stick together even more. Ours ended up being a little “crumbly,” but that means it can also be a great topping for yogurts or oatmeal!

• 4 dates (can add more to make everything stick together better)
• 1 handful raisins
• 10 pieces Trader Joe’s candied ginger
• Dash of cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg
• 1/2 cup peanuts
• 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds and pepita (pumpkin) seeds mixed together (we only had a small handful of pepita seeds, but if you want to even measurements, you can do 1/4 cup of each)

Lemon Bars

If you are a fan of those gooey (and sadly) unhealthy lemon bar desserts, then these are definitely the bars for you. The taste resemblance they have to actual lemon bar desserts is so strong! They’re tangy, sweet, and oh so gooey.

• 5 dates
• handful of raisins
• 1/4-1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut shavings
• zest of 1 lemon
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 cup nuts (we used a Trader Joe’s mixture that had pistachios, cashews, and almonds)
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

What is your favorite energy bar flavor?