Oh my gosh these little energy bars are so good! I really hope you will give them a shot because they are super easy to make.
So I abolsutely hate protein bars or energy bars and such- I never buy them because so many of them taste like sawdust to me.
I did recently try a Larabar on a friend’s recommendation and I was really shocked at how delicious they are!
Larabars are very popular and they come in a zillion flavors, I have only tried 4 flavors so far but my favorite was the Cherry Almond variety.
The nice thing is that they are made from dates, nuts and the dried fruit– they really don’t have other junk inside. So they are healthy and a perfect grab and go snack.
Now I have been wanting to come up with some sort of little energy bite that I can take to the gym with me. I wanted something that wasn’t loaded with a million calories and something that would be quick to whip up.
So I am in love with this recipe and I hope you consider trying these. They really are delicious and my kids LOVE them. I was making these last night and kid #1 was saying “Oh Mommy can I have that in my lunch tomorrow?” and then as I was trying to take these photos kid #2 was whining that she wanted one. I caved and gave her one and after a minute I looked over and I kid you not, she was literally licking the top of the Tupperware container that I placed her bar on.
Note the crumbs trailing down the front of her ballet leotard. So I can tell you these are kid approved.
Anyway, to make these little lovelies takes 5 ingredients:
- 1 cup dates
- 2/3 cup dried cherries
- 2/3 cup almonds
- dash of vanilla (optional)
- dash of cinnamon (optional)
If you have a grocery store with bulk foods, that can be the cheapest section for these ingredients. Ideally look for the largest dried dates you can find. I got this big container at Sprouts for $3.00 and there is enough for two batches of these bars.
Next you want to add the almonds to your food processor and just blend away for a few seconds until they become pretty fine- like cornmeal texture.
You can leave these chunkier but the problem I had is that you also need to take a toothbrush with you after you eat them so for practical reasons, finer is better :).
Next add the dates to your food processor and the dried cherries and blend away. I like to add a dash of vanilla and a sprinkle of cinnamon as well. Now before you start this I will warn you that dates are sticky and messy so you need something high powered to handle this mixture. My little Cusinart Food Processor was no match for the dates but my Ninja Blender was able to power through them.
What you will get is a big sticky mixture like this:
So you want to make sure everything is well mixed. I use a spatula but your fingers smooshing around work great too.
Once it is all sqooshed together you want to line a loaf pan with either saran wrap or parchment paper and dump the mixture inside. Take your fingers or the back of a spoon and evenly squoosh it all down. The dates are the only thing holding these together so it is important that you really pack them down firmly so you get a solid bar.
Now pop in the fridge overnight.
The next step is to slice these into bars and enjoy!!
I have to warn you that these are not bars you can toss into a bag as they will get crumbly. I can put these in a lunchbox just fine but the kids know to eat them carefully.
If you are having issues with them crumbling, you can adjust the dates to 1 1/2 cups and that should help or you might try rolling these into balls instead of serving them as bars.
And there you go- super yummy!
If you decide to try these out please come back and let me know what you think!
If you want to try some other healthy and easy recipes, check out:
Carrie says
I agree with you that most protein and energy bars are yucky. But I too love Larabars, especially the cherry pie flavor. So maybe I’ll give these a try. Thanks for the recipe.
Sara says
Thank you for this recipe! I tried it today and it is so delicious. I changed the recipe a little by adding 1tbs of honey to help it stick a little more. I also put them in reusable cupcake holders so they are in individual serving sizes!!! I also love the quick and easy Caramel recipe!