Tag: healthy snack

Larabar Bite Knock-Off Recipe

Here is my Larabar Bite Knock Off Recipe that I make pretty often. We were first introduced to the Larabar at my sister’s house. My mom, aunt, H, and I traveled home from St. Augustine last year. Thankfully, my sister lives 1/2 away, so we could stop and regroup.

Because she loves me, she had a coke, cookies, and chocolate! This is against her norm. She struggles with some food allergies. Over time, she has chosen to stay away from her food triggers. I don’t share her discipline, so she indulged in giving me comfort things.

I tell you, she loves me like that.

She gave me this Larabar thing, and I had no idea what it tasted like, but I tried it. It looked like a chocolate-covered granola bar. Frankly, I am down with that. I ate it, and I liked it. Then, she snickered and told me that it was chopped up cashews and dates and had some chocolate surrounding it.

Dates, well, they make me catch vomit in my lower throat area, LOL. Not my jam. These, however, were yummy! As I tasted it again and let H try it, my mind began to wander.

Did You Know?

Cashews are a natural anti-depressant food. Dates are good for you. Cashews contain protein which is good brain food. It seemed straightforward enough, so I thought to myself and set out to recreate this phenom.

Larabar’s are expensive unless you have a coupon, are richer than me, or are on sale. We are always trying to save money, so my wheels were turning again. I got home and went to the store and bought some unsalted or lightly salted cashews and a bag of whole, pitted dates.

Mind Over Matter

There, they sat in my pantry for a couple of weeks because I thought, “I don’t like dates.” So stupid, LOL. Finally, I girded up my loins and whipped out my food processor. I poured the canister of cashews and the whole bag of dates in there and chopped and ground it down.

The Process

Next, I got some waxed paper and laid it out. I made 24 little balls out of the mixture. I set them on the waxed paper until I was all done. The first time I made these, I melted down some chocolate chips and water to where it was really thin. I used a spoon, rolled each ball in it, and then put it on a cookie sheet. I threw it in the fridge so it would harden the chocolate.

The Mess

That worked beautifully and tasted just like the real thing. The downside was that H made a huge mess out of it. Chocolate was everywhere. This time, I do not roll it in chocolate. I just let it sit for a couple of minutes and then put it in a container. This container goes straight to the fridge, and when H is melting, I get one or two out.

Being Wild

If you are super wild, you can throw in a teaspoon of salt and a capful of vanilla. Alas, I’m not that ambitious. I’m all about having two good ingredient recipes, proteins, and help with brain function.