Have you ever had one of these??
It’s a Larabar!
They are my very favorite type of “bar.” Chewy…brownie-like…wonderful.
Larabars even fall into that oh-so-difficult-to-fulfill list of Paleo qualifications.
No sugar!
No dairy!
No grains!
You should try one.
Actually, you shouldn’t try one.
They are very expensive. Over-priced, in my opinion.
You should whip some up instead! And then sell them for $2.50 for a teeny tiny portion.
I recently came across a recipe that claimed Larabar copycat status. I was intrigued.
I tried out the recipe and, after sprucing it up a bit, am proud to present to you Larabar’s Doppelganger.
Really, though, this recipe is so close to the actual Larabar that I feel like I’m doing something illegal in the way of patent stealing by making them. 🙂
Try these out and never buy another Larabar again!…Unless you’re in Publix and they’re on sale and you’re starving and you don’t feel like making any of your own…
Recipe For Look-A-Like Larabars
Cast of Characters:
- 1 cup of boiling water
- 40-ish pitted noor dates (You can find these at The Fresh Market for a fairly reasonable price)
- 2/3 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
- 1 cup of roasted, unsalted cashews
- 1/2 cup of roasted, unsalted almonds
- 1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup of roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds
- 1 tablespoon of chia seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- coconut oil and vanilla extract, if needed
Directions:
1. Boil one cup of water and then pour into a glass bowl, covering the dates. Let sit for 5 minutes.
2. Drain the dates.
3. Place the dates and remaining ingredients (minus a little of the shredded coconut) into your food processor. I definitely over-filled the container…don’t do what I did. I had to take out half of everything and re-pulse and then re-add. Nightmare.
4. Pulse until it has turned into a stiff dough. You can add drops of coconut oil or vanilla extract if you need to.
5. Line a small baking pan with parchment paper and then press the dough firmly into the pan. Make sure you get the edges nice and sharp. Once again, not like mine. (It was gorgeous outside and it felt like Fall for the first time of the year and all of a sudden I didn’t wanna be in the kitchen anymore…so I rushed through this.)
6. Press the remaining shredded coconut into the dough. I told my boys it was “coconut sprinkles frosting.” 🙂
7. Cool in the fridge for at least 20 minutes, then cut into squares.
8. And finally, it is absolutely mandatory that you serve yourself one several on a pretty flower plate.
You can wrap them in parchment paper and store them on your counter, but I think they’re better left in the fridge.
Enjoy!
Any other Doppelganger recipes out there? 🙂
