DIY Larabars

I'm kind of proud of myself for making these. Not that they were difficult - actually they were kind of stupidly easy. But because they are a healthy, "real food" alternative to one of our go-to snacks. In stead of tossing the kids a granola bar on the way out the door (becasue we're running late... again) and feeling guilty for giving them junk, I can feel good about this. Plus, both the boys and my husband love them. Easy-peasey breakfast or on-the-go snack while we're running round.

I found a variety of recipes for homemade larabars on Pinterest and finally settled on making my own variation based on flavors I like. I made two kinds. Total time spent, including clean-up = 20 minutes. See? Super easy.

These are the two I tried...

"Cherry Pie"
1/2 C natural almonds (not roasted or salted)
1/2 C pitted whole dates
1 tesp cinnamon
1/8 tesp salt
1 T coconut oil
1 T warm water
1/4 C dried cherries

Pulverize the almonds and dates in the food processor until it gets all crumbly. Add the cinnamon, salt, oil, and water. Mix together on "pulse" mode until it comes together and kind of looks like a dough ball. Then add cherries and pulse a few more times. I wanted bigger chunks of cherries so I added them at the end. I guess you could add them in the beginning if you wanted them all mushed up. If the mixture is too dry just add another Tbsp or so of warm water. It will be kind of sticky, but more dry than cookie dough. Then take all the mixture together in your hands and squeeze it tight - really pack it together like a snowball. Place in a small square pan or loaf pan lined in plastic wrap. Press down and get it all level, however thick you like your bars. Then wrap up in plastic and put in the fridge for a few hours until it gets nice and firm. Remove from the pan, cut into bars, wrap each bar in plastic wrap, store in the fridge.

"Double Chocolate"
1/2 C natural almonds
1/2 C pitted whole dates
1/8 tesp salt
1 T coconut oil
1 T unsweet cocoa powder
1 T warm water
a handfull of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Pulverize the almonds and dates in the food processor until it gets all crumbly. Add salt, oil, cocoa, and water. Pulse until it comes together like a dough ball. Add a little more warm water if mixture is too dry. Take mixture out and smash it together in your hands nice and tight like a snowball. Then place in a plastic lined small square pan or loaf pan. Press down until it's all level and smooth, sprinkle a handfull of chocolate chips on top and press them down so they stick. Refrigerate a few hours until it gets firm. Remove from pan, cut into bars, wrap each bar in plastic wrap, store in the fridge.

A few notes:
I hate dates. Really, I think they are way too sweet and gross. But in these recipes you honestly cannot taste them. They provide the sweetness and texture to hold the bars together. So if you hate dates like I do, don't be afraid of making these. Also, coconut oil, if you're not familiar, is a solid when the temp is cool (which it is now), so I don't know how it would act in the summertime, but I think it would be fine.

Also, the possibilities of flavor combos are really endless. I'm looking forward to trying the Key Lime variety on my next batch.

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UPDATE:
Now that I've made these a few times, I'm finding that my family prefers the more simple recipe. {almonds, dates, salt, coconut oil, water} Then I divide the base "dough" in half and put dried cherries & dark chocolate chips in one half and dried cranberries in the other. My boys don't care much for the cocoa or cinnamon kinds.