Oh, homemade Larabars. It’s been too long. Really though, I can’t say I’ve had a good reason to make energy bars. Let me tell you, my energy is in zero danger of plummeting any time soon. With all the recipe testing going down, my only challenge is trying not to pop the button off my pants from all this good food. The freezer is bursting at the seams; one wrong move and I’m pummeled in the face by a 10-pound solid chunk of homemade pasta sauce or chocolate pie. The last thing I need is an energy bar.
Eric, on the other hand, could use a portable snack. He plays in a volleyball league which meets for a few hours around dinnertime and he’s usually famished by the time he sits down to eat dinner at 9 or 10 pm. Since I can’t play in the league myself (I have a torn meniscus in my knee), I support him in the best way I know how – homemade snacks.
Of course, I enjoyed a couple bars (ok, ok and some dough!) – all in the name of taste-testing purposes of course. It’s amazing how much of an appetite I can work up hovering over a food processor. Tell me I’m not alone.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Energy Bars
Yield
10-12 servings
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
These are my take on the popular Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Larabars. Now you can make them at home for a fraction of the cost! I like to store them in the freezer so I have an energy bar ready whenever I need a pick me up. For thick squares, press the dough into a 9x5-inch loaf pan. For thinner bars, use an 8x8-inch square pan.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (230g) raw cashews
- 1 cup tightly packed pitted Medjool dates (190g)*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 teaspoons water, if needed
- 1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 tablespoons mini non-dairy chocolate chips (regular size chips work too)
Directions
- Add cashews into a food processor and process for 3 to 4 seconds, until a coarse meal forms.
- Add in the pitted dates and vanilla. Process until the mixture comes together, for about 15 seconds, or longer if needed. The mixture should stick together easily when you squeeze it between your fingers. If it doesn’t stick or it’s still a bit crumbly, add a very small amount of water (1 teaspoon at a time) and process it again. I usually add between 1 to 2 teaspoons of water.
- Finally, add the salt, to taste, and the chocolate chips, and process briefly to combine.
- Line a loaf pan or an 8-inch square pan with a piece of parchment paper so that there's overhang to lift out the bars after freezing. Scoop the mixture into the pan and smooth out with your hand until it’s level. Push down firmly all over the mixture. The more you pack it down the better the bars will hold together. Roll out with a pastry roller if you have one.
- Freeze, uncovered, for at least 15 to 20 minutes and then slice into bars. For on-the-go, wrap bars in plastic wrap or tin foil and store in the fridge or freezer. I prefer these straight from the freezer. Most of all, hide from other members of the family!
Tip:
- *If your dates are stiff or dry, soak the dates in boiling water for 30 minutes before beginning. Drain well and quickly pat dry before use.
If you are looking for another tasty energy bar/ball recipe, check out my Dark Chocolate Cherry Energy Bites. Love those!
What’s your favourite Larabar flavour of all time?
Just made these bars. Oh my, they are delicious. My son loves larabars and he said these are better. Way better and way less expensive. I can’t wait to experiment with different flavors. Thank you Angela!
I made these bars yesterday and they are delicious!! Thank you for the awesome recipe!
I made these and they are very sticky and lighter in color than yours. Any ideas what I did wrong? Or is the stickiness normal?
hi Angela,
love your blog even though I’m not vegan I love all of your recipes and am obsessed with your perfect veggie burger! my kids and husband love it too. I love the cherry pie lara bar and just posted about it on my brand new blog here, just days before reading your lara bar post :)
http://www.blondeburnett.blogspot.com/2013/01/healthy-homemade-cherry-pie-bars.html
Sounds yum, I will check it out!
Oh my gosh Angela! These are ammmmmazing! They are better than any store-bought Lara bar I’ve ever had! AND because I got to purchase the ingredients, they are mostly organic (unlike Lara bars) and much CHEAPER!!! I can’t wait to try out other versions, maybe peanut butter next!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! :)
Yay!! Thanks for your feedback :)
My 6 yo gave these 1,000 thumbs up and my 2 year old inhaled them!! So easy to make and I love giving them a healthy snack – thank you!
I love Larabars! Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough is probably my favorite hands down. Cherry flavor is probably the worst.
Thanks for the recipe, Angela. I made these this weekend and just ate one. They are so delicious. These and your dark chocolate cherry bites are my favorites. Thank you for making this recipe so easy and delicious.
Thanks for this great recipe! II simply wanted to note that these bars taste great with some toasted coconut pressed on top. I used melted coconut oil to make the toasted coconut stick (esp since it hardens after you stick it in the freezer), and they taste amazing. I don’t know if you’ve ever had Girl Scout Cookies in CA, but for the US readers, it reminds me of the Girl Scout Samoa cookies.
Thank you SO MUCH for this recipe! We do buy Larabars because they are so good with very few and only REAL ingredients. They are costly at around $1 each on sale. I made these on Sunday and they were DELICIOUS! Perfect. I will never buy them again :)
Another reason not to buy Larabars…
http://anewscafe.com/2012/10/02/breaking-up-with-larabar-is-hard-to-do/
Can’t wait to try these!! My favorite are the Larabar apple pie bars. Just found your blog today – been vegan for 10 whole days. I’m totally clueless and SO happy to have found you!
I’m so happy to hear that you are enjoying the blog! Thanks Stephanie :)
I made these the other day and they were fab! The only thing i’d suggest is a bit more vanilla to give it that cookie dough flavor, otherwise a great recipe!
I made these last night as a snack to have in my lunch this week, and they were so easy! Plus they took no time at all to make. I couldn’t resist myself, so I sampled some after I let them sit for 15 minutes in the freezer, and my gosh they tasted good! I was apprehensive because I don’t eat dates and wasn’t sure if I would like it, but I’m pleasantly surprised!
Any tips on getting the bars to stick together better? Mine patted into the pan nicely but once I cut them they were a crumbly mess. (Tasted yummy though!)
It sounds like you needed the water? if the mixture is a bit dry when mixing add some water in to make it sticky. I used 1 tsp or so but you may need more
I think I added too much water. My bars are super sticky. (They’re more like dough than bars, really.) Any advice on how to make the mixture drier after you’ve added too much water? :)
Yes you can add more nuts or oats to dry it up, goodluck!
Hey! I’m a huge fan of the homemade “larabars”. I make a mean PB&J version :) Anyway, just wondering if you’ve even made them in your Vitamix? I use it and they texture is really interesting. Obviously they aren’t chunky, but totally smooth almost like fudge. I pass my chocolate coconut (dates, coconut, salt, cocoa, cashews) version off as “vegan fudge” all the time. If you haven’t already, try it! I usually make squares or balls and roll them in coconut.
I am a new vegan and live in a severely health-food deprived area. I can’t find raw cashews anywhere, but I can get a hold of raw almonds. Would that work as a substitute?
Yes Im sure it would be just fine!
Hi Angela,
Just found your website – nice! I couldn’t believe it when I saw that you also got into running (hope 2013 brings you meniscus relief) and that you live in TO. I’m just down the highway from you and it feels comforting to know that there are other vegan runners/triathletes out there and not that far away. I’ve been vegetarian since 1988, vegan since 2007 and gluten-/soyfree since 2008. It’s been a challenge but new products and new restaurant offerings are making it easier and easier. The recipes you provide are fantastic, thank you for all that work and looking forward to seeing your cookbook, hopefully at Toronto Veg Fest!
Hey Helene, Thanks for your comment! It’s a pleasure to meet you :) Thanks for reading, Angela
Oh my gosh! Even my picky kids devoured these, including one who “hates cashews”. These were a major hit!
Note to self: BUY CASHEWS this week! :D
Hi Angela.
I came across your site yesterday when I was looking recipes to make my own oat and almond milk.
I ended up spending almost all day going through recipes & articals on here!
I just made these bars as my first recipe from here and they are easily one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted!!
Iam currently awaiting surgry to remove my gallbladder & have had to make big changes to my diet to control attacks & pain, there are so many good things on your site I should be able to eat! Thank you so much! I’m looking forward to trying so many more recipes, lucky I’m a baker!!
Hi Bek, Welcome! So glad you are enjoying the blog so far.