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.
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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 for the first time. Oh. My. Goodness. I only made a half-recipe, and am now kicking myself for my lack of faith….because I might eat the entire half all by myself, and there won’t be any left for my husband and sons! Thanks, Angela, this is wonderful. By the way, I took the lazy cook’s option and rolled these into balls, then rolled the balls in a mixture of cocoa and sugar. Am thinking of mixing a little ground chia into the next batch…
Could you put the carb and fiber count (any nutrition info)??
Thanks!
My wife sent me in search of a recipe for the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Lärabar.
We swore off of them ever since we heard her owners contributed half a million dollars to fight our right to know. Now my wife is pregnant and has been buying them against our better judgement for a few weeks now. Time to fight back, again.
Ok…For the record: these are WAY better than Lärabars…
omg just made these (double batch) & they are delicious!! its going to be hard to only eat 1 bar at a time!!
Do you think it would be possible to substitute the almond meal from your almond milk in place of the cashews here? I’m thinking of what to do with all that almond goo.
It definitely could work, although I would probably try and dry out the pulp a bit before using (try popping it into the oven at the lowest heat setting) until mostly dry
Oh… I LOVE this flavor of Lara bars! I buy the entire box at the store! And, I’m getting my new food processor tomorrow so was looking for this exact recipe! Thank you so much!
I’m getting the Magimix processor that is made in France (not China) but in the US is only sold apparently at Williams Sonoma.
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/magimix-4200xl-14-cup-food-processor/?cm_src=PIPRECENTVIEW
I had this one before and loved it… worth the money! And, I’m supporting non-Chinese industry. Love my Chinese friends but would prefer some industry to remain in Europe/North America!
do you store these in the freezer?
yup!
I added shredded coconut and organic cinnamon!
These are AMAZING!
Thank you!
I love this bar and many of your snacks. I make them all the time for my kids. But, my son is starting in JK this year and he has to pack no-nut alternatives. I don’t do soy and find the seed butters out of my price range, any ideas? You need to do a ‘school friendly vegan lunchbox’ post sometime! You know, no nuts, no fridge required, kid friendly ingredients and not so out there that the other kids will think his parents are hippies. I am happy to provide a taste tester with my 4yo son. :)
HI Angela,
For anyone interested, I made a “protein” version of this:
I added 1 1/2 scoops of raw vegan vanilla protein powder (Sun Warrior – Warrior blend), and it was delicious! Didn’t notice the protein powder, but felt better about eating these ;)
This recipe sounds delicious! Could I use cacao nibs instead of chocolate chips? I’m not sure if it would work the same. Thank you xx
easiest. recipe. ever.
absolutely delish :)
thanks for sharing
Thanks for sharing your recipe! I made these today, and they are delicious!
I just made these and they are delicious! Our local grocer sells blocks of pitted dates. Since they are fairly dry compared to Medjool dates I added a few teaspoons of water. I made them into balls instead of bars. Thanks for the recipe!
I made half a batch of these yesterday and they’re almost finished already. Yum!
I made these and brought them to work. At first my colleagues were skeptical so I offered them a bar and they loved it! I love how it’s delicious and sweet and yet healthy.
Daaaaamn are these good! I just made my first batch. For some reason I only got about 6 bars. But cry, cry, cry – I’ll just have to make more. Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe!
Yumm made these lasts night. Dangerously delicious. Thank you.