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When it comes to snack bars, it doesn’t get much simpler than this.
What I’ve always loved about Larabars is their simple ingredient list. The first flavor I ever tried was “Cherry Pie,” and the nutrition label included only 3 real ingredients: cherries, dates and almonds. Love that!
Unfortunately, I feel that the quality of Larabars has declined since the company’s sale to General Mills, and I don’t feel comfortable supporting a company that spent money to block GMO labeling initiatives, either.
Luckily, these bars are so easy to recreate at home, there’s no need to spend extra money on those store-bought varieties! These portable snack bars are loaded with natural sugars and antioxidants from the dried cherries and dates, plus healthy fats and protein from the almonds–> making them a perfect energizing snack!
Not to mention, these bars only take about 10 minutes to prepare. That’s faster than you could drive to the convenience store for another snack option!
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Cherry Pie Larabars
makes 8 bars
Adapted from this recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup dried unsweetened cherries
1/2 cup Medjool dates, pitted
1 cup raw almonds
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Directions:
In a food processor fitted with an “S” blade, combine the dried cherries and dates and process until a sticky dough is formed. (Be patient– this takes a minute or so!) Add in the raw almonds, then process again until the almonds are broken down and the batter looks uniform.
The resulting mixture may appear to be a bit crumbly, but it should stick together easily when you pinch the mixture with your fingers.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and transfer the batter to the flat surface. Press the dough into a flat, bar-like shape. (You could use a rolling pin for this, but I just used my hands.) Once the dough is evenly thick, you can slice it into 8 bars.
Separate the bars and store them in a sealed container in the fridge for best shelf life. When you need to keep a snack in your purse or bag, simply wrap one of these bars tightly in plastic wrap or parchment paper, and it should last an entire day or two at room temperature.
*Note: If you’d rather skip the bar-making process, you could also easily roll this mixture into balls for an easy-to-grab snack!
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried unsweetened cherries
- 1/2 cup Medjool dates , pitted
- 1 cup raw almonds
Instructions
- In a food processor fitted with an "S" blade, combine the dried cherries and dates and process until a sticky dough is formed. (Be patient-- this takes a minute or so!) Add in the raw almonds, then process again until the almonds are broken down and the batter looks uniform.
- mixThe resulting mixture may appear to be a bit crumbly, but it should stick together easily when you pinch the mixture with your fingers.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and transfer the batter to the flat surface. Press the dough into a flat, rectangle shape. (You could use a rolling pin for this, but I just used my hands.) Once the dough is evenly thick, you can slice it into 8 bars.
- Separate the bars and store them in a sealed container in the fridge for best shelf life. When you need to keep a snack in your purse or bag, simply wrap one of these bars tightly in plastic wrap or parchment paper, and it should last an entire day or two at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Calories per bar: 182, Fat: 10g, Carbohydrates: 20g, Fiber: 3g, Protein: 4g
Hope you enjoy!
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite Larabar, or other snack bar, flavor?
Hey Megan!
I have a friend who has a nut allergy but is looking for more healthy snacks such as this recipe. What would you or could you use as a nut replacement!?!?
So THANKFUL that I found this site -my family and I are doing a year of no sugar and Lara bars were one of our go to snacks for the year -sad to hear that they’re a branch of GM’s! 🙁 But now we have an alternative!
Thanks!!!
Maybe sunflower seeds would work?
Hi. Can frozen organic cherries be used instead of dried cheeries? Thanks!
No, I think they have to be dried in this case, since it’s the dried fruit that helps bind these bars together.
Can you tell me where to purchase unsweetened cherries ?
Are they a dried fruit or fresh ?
How do I know if they have sugar in them
I bought mine at Trader Joe’s, but they should be available at other grocery stores, too. They are a dried fruit, and the ingredient list will let you know if there is added sugar or not.
Could I make these with fresh apples that I process through my food processor? Instead of dried fruit since I don’t have any right now!
I just made these and they taste exactly like Larabars. Delicious. My husband thinks they are quite tasty, too! Thanks for posting your recipe.
Yes. I have seen those before! TJ’s must have been out last week when I was there! Thank you!
I have some questions regarding health coaching if its possible to email with you. I am working towards my certification and would love some advice in how to get started!
Hi Megan,
I can not find unsweetened dried cherries anywhere. I saw that you wrote to someone else that you bought yours at Trader Joe’s which is where I primarily do my shopping, but have yet to find UNSWEETENED. Were the ones you made unsweetened or was sugar added to the dried cherries? Thanks for posting this recipe! Once I get my hands on these cherries I am psyched to make these bars!
Yes, I got mine from Trader Joe’s, and they don’t have any added sugar. The bag looks something like this: http://amzn.to/PAzYCQ
I came home from college to visit my parents this weekend and I had been looking forward to trying these. I finally got around to doing it and they’re so delicious that I made one batch for my parents and one batch to take back to school with me! It’s the perfect snack and has such pure ingredients unlike most “health” bars! Thanks so much for the recipe! (P.S. Do you have any suggestions for variations of this bar? I would love to see more recipes like this on your site!)
Kudos|
These are yummy snack bars. I couldn’t find cheap unsweetened cheeries here in UK, so I just used craisins, raisins, and some goji berries. A bit extra sugar but they came out good.
Thanks for the recipe.