Making LARA BARS
By Jeff and Leah
I totally ripped this off word for word from
Enlightened Cooking
the only credit I take are the few LARA BAR combos I made up.
Very Cherry Bars (use as a template for almost any combination)
LARA BARS use a multi-layer package that keeps out
UV light and oxygen, which, in turn, maintains freshness without the use of
preservatives. I use plain old plastic wrap and my refrigerator, then pop one in
my bag when I’m ready to go.
1/4 cup chopped dates
(roughly chopped whole fresh dates; see my note about
pre-chopped below)
1/4 cup dried cherries or
dried cranberries
1/3 cup whole pecans, almonds or walnuts
1/8 teaspoon
cinnamon
Set out two pieces of plastic wrap for shaping and wrapping the
bars. Do this first; you’ll have sticky fingers when you need it.
Place
the dates and cherries in a food processor. Pulse until processed to a paste
(photo 1). Transfer paste to a medium bowl (don’t clean processor).
Add
the nuts to the processor and pulse until finely chopped (photo 2). Add the
nuts, along with the cinnamon, to the bowl with the fruit paste (photo 3). Use
your fingers to knead the nuts into the paste (just keep squishing, it’s fun;
brings back memories of play-dough; see photo 4).
.
Divide mixture in
half. Place each half on each of one of the sheets of plastic wrap. Wrap the
plastic around each bar and start squishing into a bar shape form, 3 and 1/2
inches long, 1 inch wide and 3/4-inch thick); press against
countertop to flatten
bottom side, flattening top side and ends with flat of hand (photo 5) Tightly
wrap the plastic around each bar and store in the refrigerator. Makes 2
bars.
.
Nutrition per Serving (1 bar): Calories 207; Fat 9.4 g (sat
.8g, mono 5.2g, poly 3.1g); Protein 3.9g; Cholesterol 0mg; Carbohydrate 24.9g;
Sodium 0.4mg. (Note: I did the nutrition analysis using
Diet Analysis Plus
7.0.1)
Note about using pre-chopped dates: Pre-chopped
dried dates are much cheaper than whole dates, and sometimes are the only option
available at the supermarket, depending on where you live. However, they are
typically coated with oat flour (to prevent sticking), and sometimes a bit of
sugar, too. They are too dry and hard to work as is in this recipe, but with a
bit of tweaking, they will work just fine. To make them usable for larabar
purposes, place them in a small bowl and cover with warm water (not hot or
boiling water; this will make them turn to mush). Let stand 3 to 5 minutes until
softened; then drain and pat dry. Not only will this soften the dates, it will
remove any oat flour and/or sugar).
A Few Ideas for Variations:
Apricot-Almond: Use 6 tablespoons coarsely chopped
dried apricots and 2 tablespoons date (to measure 1/2 cup total); use almonds
for the nuts.
(Made this and it is delicious. I am eating it and typing, I added cashews, half and half)
Tropical: Use tropical fruit bits (these come
pre-packaged at the
supermarket); use raw cashews for the nuts. Add 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2
teaspoon finely grated lime zest, and 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice to the
mix.
PB & J (cheap and delicious!): Use 1/4 cup dried cherries
or cranberries and 1/4 cup raisins or dates; use raw or roasted peanuts (lightly
salted or unsalted) for the nuts.
Blueberry Bliss: Use 1/4 cup
dried blueberries and 1/4 cup dates; use almonds for the nuts. Add 1/2 teaspoon
finely grated lemon zest, and a drop of almond extract to the
mix.
Cashew Cookie Dough: Reverse the proportions of fruit to
nuts--Use 1/3 cup dates for the fruit and 1/2 cup raw cashews for the
nuts.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: Same as cashew cookie dough,
but add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, pinch of cinnamon and 1/2 ounce very
finely chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate to the
mix.
(I made this and it is amazing how much it tastes like cookie dough! WOW! YUMMY!)
Pistachio Heaven: Same as cashew cookie dough, but use raw
pistachios and add a tiny drop of almond extract.
Peanut Butter Cookie
Dough: Same as cashew cookie dough but use raw or roasted (lightly salted)
peanuts for the nuts.
LEAH'S BARS
Okey-Dokey family and friends, these are some combos I made up and seriously just make this!
I love roasted nuts and so I cheated and made some non raw bars.... I don't know if I like them BETTER but they do feel more like a dessert and make me happy.
Dating your almonds: Use 1/2 cup dates and 1/3 cup roasted almonds! DONE! :)
Nutty Coconuts: Use 5 dates, 1/4 cup plus coconut, 1/3 cup raw cashews, 5-8 roasted almonds.
And my crowning achievement! SOOOO GOOOOOD!
Apple Pie: Use 4 dates, 1/4 cup dried apples, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 1/3 cup roasted almonds. (If you want to be really cheaty add a drizzle of maple syrup or sprinkle of sucanat)
But seriously people, just start mixing your favorite fruit nut combos and you will be surprised at how good everything is! (But by doing so you must promise to SHARE!)
