My toddler might be tiny but she can eat. And one of her favorite snacks these days are Homemade Lara Bars. Packed with all the good stuff she needs to fuel her day!
[Post Updated 2/4/19, originally posted 12/9/16]: Lately my kids have been extra busy and extra hungry! Although we still do the traditional kiddo snacks like goldfish and pretzels, I’ve been trying to push for more satiating treats.
Lara Bars and now the Target Good and Gather Brand Date and Nut bars are back as a family favorite. So in an effort to make over buy, I carved out some time to whip up a batch of this old favorite!
When I first posted this recipes, apple cinnamon and cherry were the favorites. Now we are into Cashew Date Chocolate Chip! Same easy recipe new fun flavor!
Our mornings lately look at little like this:
6:15am – Poppy wakes up and starts talking to Baba, her lamb stuffed animal.
6:20am – We head down stairs. I pack the hub’s lunch and prep Poppy’s breakfast. 3 mini pancakes and ½ cup of yogurt on the toddler breakfast menu today.
6:30am – We say bye to Dada and enjoy our breakfast.
7:00am – Play time and clean up/work time for me.
8:00am – I attempt to do a workout video while Poppy tries to…
- sit on my face while I do ab work
- sit under my legs while I am trying to lift and lower them
- put toys on my back while I do planks
- find my tickle tickle (belly button) while I do sit ups
8:30am – Poppy races to the fridge and starts whining and saying coo-coo aka cookie aka one of 2 things: 1) Healthy Breakfast Cookies OR 2) Homamde Lara Bars. Today she munched on a delicious cherry coconut Lara bar.
So here we are 2pm and I’m writing about Homemade Lara Bars.
Have you ever had a Lara Bar? You know those little delicious bars made with around 5 natural ingredients including dates, nuts and other delicious things depending on which flavor you get. Anyway, I love these bars! Love love them! They are one of my favorite snacks and a few months ago, I was eating one, when my tiny tot went in for a bite. I gave her a little tiny piece just to try it and WOW! That was a mistake. There went half my snack.
Seeing as she loved this little healthy treat so much, I decided to start making them at home for my little and me!
Great news is that now that I am making these at home, I am saving money, customizing flavors to our preferences and keeping them in my fridge all the time just ready for snack time.
Before we get to the recipe, I must call out a few things. My kid is not allergic to nuts and our pediatrician has recommended that she eat more nuts because they are good for her. So these Lara bars are an easy vehicle for more nuts in her diet. But for anyone who cannot eat nuts, you can still enjoy these bars! Simply substitute nuts for oatmeal. My homemade Lara Bars are friendly for nut or non-nut eating Littles ☺️
Alright let’s get to the good stuff…
Yields 8-12 bars or squares
Ingredients
- 1 cup pitted medjool dates, fresh and soft are best!
- 1 1/4 cup raw cashews
- 1/2 cup your favorite chocolate chips
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dried apples
- 2/3 cup pitted dates, soaked*
- ½ cup almonds or oats*
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 cup pitted dates, soaked*
- 2/3 cup cashews or oats*
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1/3 cup dried cherries
Instructions
- Place cashews in food processor or powerful blender and process until quite small. You still want some chunks. Empty into a bowl and set aside.
- Next pulse the dates until small pieces form and they're sticky. Add back in ground cashews, salt and chocolate chips. Mix or pulse until well combined.
- Press mixture firmly into a parchment paper-lined 8-inch baking pan until compact. Refrigerate at least one hour or as long as you want before eating. Store in the fridge in Tupperware to keep fresh.
- Place almonds in the food process and pulse until chopped into small pieces. Place ground almonds in a bowl and set aside.
- Put dates and apples into the food processor and pulse until a paste forms (it will form into a sticky ball).
- Add almonds back into the processor with the date/apple mixture and pulse. Add cinnamon and chia seeds. Pulse until well combined.
- Remove dough from processor and press evenly into your prepared dish (8x8, pie dish or even loaf pan) lined with parchment or wax paper. Press the dough down really well so that the bars stay together.
- Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to harden up and then slice into bars or squares.
- If using oats, simple combine all ingredients into the processor and process until it forms a thick paste. Then follow the steps above by pouring mixture in a prepared dish.
- Place cashews and coconut flakes in the food process and pulse until chopped into small pieces. Place ground mixture in a bowl and set aside.
- Put dates into the food processor and pulse until a paste forms (it will form into a sticky ball).
- Add nut and coconut mixture back into the processor with the dates mixture and pulse. Add chia seeds and dried cherries. Pulse until well combined.
- Remove dough from processor and press evenly into your prepared dish lined with parchment or wax paper. I like using an aluminum loaf pan lined with parchment or wax paper. Press the dough down really well so that the bars stay together.
- Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to harden up and then slice into bars or squares.
Notes
Cinnamon Apple and Cherry Coconut: If dates are dry and not soft/mushy, place pitted dates in a bowl and cover with warm water. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then use in the recipe. Also, you can swap nuts for oats if desired. If using oats, simple combine all ingredients into the processor and process until it forms a thick paste. Then follow the steps above by pouring mixture in a prepared dish.
Store all bars in the fridge with parchment paper or wax between them for up to 2 weeks. You can also store the bars in the freezer if you want them to last even longer.
Originally posted 2020-02-08 14:10:00.
MELANIE says
Valerie says