Simple Homemade Lara Bars

I first tried Lara Bars at a health show a couple of years ago. At one of the booths they were giving away free samples of the different flavors available. I loved that there were only a few ingredients on the package and that the ingredients were things that I can actually pronounce. Not any additives that are 20 letters long like "glyceryl lacto esters of fatty acids". Like, what in the world is that?!!

Lara Bars can be a little pricey per bar. The best price I have found is at our local Costco. They sell them for $16.69 for 18 bars, which works out to $0.93/bar. Not bad.

Not to suddenly change the subject (I am going somewhere with this), but I am a Pinterest addict (and can spend way too much valuable time on there).

I saw a pin for making your own Lara Bars and searched on different recipes for making your own. I pinned a bunch to my Paleo - Treats board and my Healthy Snacks board.

I wanted a really basic recipe to try, nothing fancy schmancy at first. I found the one. So I gave it a go.

First I placed all the ingredients in the bowl of my food processor: walnuts, raisins, and dates.

I then processed everything for about 30 seconds.

Then I continued processing for about 1-2 minutes.

I spread the mixture into an 8x8 pyrex dish covered with parchment paper. I initially used a knife,
but then covered my hand in a ziploc sandwich bag and flattened out the mixture.

I decided to cut them into smaller squares, then the typical Lara Bar rectangle.

They are SO good! And with only 3 ingredients. Next time I am going to experiment with other
things like coconut, hemp seeds, and chocolate chips.

Simple Homemade Lara Bars
1 cup walnuts
1 cup raisins
1 cup dates

Place the walnuts, raisins, and dates in the bowl of your food processor.

Process all the ingredients for 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl. Continue processing for another 1-2 minutes until a large clump (ball) is formed.

Place the ball onto a lined 8x8 dish. Spread the mixture with a knife, then use a sandwich bag or plastic wrap covered hand to flatten the mixture evenly in the pan.

Cover and chill for about an hour or overnight. Cut into squares or bars. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted slightly from Styles Group Fitness