Homemade Lara Bars

Lara Bars are simply dates and nuts. That is all. Because they are pure raw ingredients, they run about $1.00-$2.00 a bar. I made 1 batch of Lara Bars for about $5.00. One batch makes 10 of the store servings and you can control what goes into them. Needless to say, this recipe will be a staple in our household for a while. They are very easy to make.

Need

1 c. nuts
I used 1/2 pecans, 1/2 cashew
1.5 c PITTED dates
Food Processor

Prepare

1. Add 1 c. nuts to food processor and pulse until the nuts are finely ground.

2. Place the chopped nuts in a mixing bowl.
3. Add the dates to food processor. Before adding the dates, make sure that they are all pitted. Even if they say pitted, double check! I found 2 pits in mine and it will wreck your food processor.
4. Mince the dates in the food processor until it becomes a paste. It only takes about 1 minute.

5. Add the dates to the bowl with the mixed nuts.
6.Add a small amount of oil to your hands and mix the nuts and dates together. (The mix will stick to your hands without the oil)
6. Using a dish, or pan press the mixture to form a square. I used a casserole dish, which worked just fine.
7. Allow the bars to refrigerate for 25 minutes.
I served mine with a side of berries for a terrific sweet treat!

The base of these bars are just nuts and dates. You can use any kind of nuts you would like. You can also play around with the ratio of dates to nuts. I have a sweet tooth, so I put a few extra dates in mine. Next time, I'm going to try adding cinnamon, dark chocolate, or unsweetened dried cranberries. Yum!