Wellness Weekly

By Sandy Considine

Have you ever had a Larabar?
They are delicious!!

Larabars taste like an extremely decadent dessert, but they are typically made with just nuts and fruit–that is it!
However, they are very pricey–Thankfully for my wallet (and YOUR wallet), making larabars at home is extremely easy, and much more economical.

Key Ingredients
It doesn’t get much healthier than larabars, as the base is made with two wholesome ingredients: nuts and dates.
Nuts contain fiber, protein, and healthy fats. Dates are a natural source of sweetness and contain many vitamins and minerals, they are perfectly sweet, making these bars taste like a dessert or candy bar, while not containing any added sugars.

•Nuts: You can use any combination of nuts you like. Almonds are the most common nut found in larabars, but any variety of nuts you like, or a combination of nuts will be delicious.
•Dates: Dates: Use either dried pitted Deglet Nour Dates or dried Medjool dates. Just be sure to use whole pitted dates, not chopped dates, as they are typically coated in sugar and cornstarch.

How to Make Larabars at Home
The base of Larabars is simple–nuts, dried fruit, and a dash of salt. My perfect ratio for Larabars is 3 parts fruit to 2 parts nuts. I add a dash of salt to bring out the flavor and if needed, a bit of the date soaking liquid to help bring the mixture together.

The ratio may sound complicated. But do NOT be overwhelmed, I have broken the recipe down for you in detail. But basically, this means for every 1 cup of nuts, use 1 and ½ cups of dried fruit.

•Step One: Soften the Dates
For the dates to process easily into the bars, they need to be soft. Soften your dates by soaking in hot water for 10-15 minutes before making homemade Larabars.
Once the dates are softened, drain off the soaking liquid, reserving the liquid to use in the bars if needed.
•Step Two: Process the Ingredients
In a food processor fitted with an s-blade, process the nuts until small chunks are formed.
Add in the softened dates along with a dash of salt and pulse until a thick paste forms, adding in up to 1 tablespoon of the soaking liquid from the dates if needed to help the mixture come together. The dates and nuts should be broken down and a thick, sticky paste formed.
•Step Three: Form
You can choose to press the Larabar mixture in a 7×11 pan lined with parchment paper or roll into 1-2 inch balls, for Larabar Bites.

Each recipe will make 6 bars depending on the size, you like.

8 Varieties of Homemade Larabars
Once you master the basic recipe, let your imagination run wild! The variations of larabars are endless to make. These are 8 of my favorite varieties. Prepare any of these flavors by first pulsing the nuts until they break into small chunks and then adding the remaining ingredients and pulsing together until a thick paste forms.

Cashew Cookie: 1 cup cashews combined with 1 ½ cups of pitted whole dates.
Peanut Butter Cookie: 1 cup peanuts combined with 1 ½ cup of pitted whole dates
Oatmeal Raisin: Combine 1 cup walnuts with 1 cup raisins, ¾ cup oatmeal, 1 tsp cinnamon, and ½ tsp vanilla extract.

Cherry Pie: Combine 1 cup almonds with 1 cup dried unsweetened cherries, ½ cup dates, a dash of salt, and ¼ tsp cinnamon.

Dark Chocolate: Combine ½ cup almonds and ½ cup walnuts with 1 ¼ cup pitted dates, 3 tablespoons bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate, and 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder.

Apple Pie: Combine ½ cup almonds and ½ cup pecans or walnuts with 1 cup dried apples, ½ cup pitted dates, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, and a dash of salt.

Pecan Pie: Combine ¼ cup almonds and ¾ cup pecans with 1 ½ cups pitted dates and a dash of salt.

PB & J: Process 1 cup peanuts with ½ cup packed dried cherries, 1 cup pitted dates, and a dash of salt.
Are Larabars whole30 approved or paleo. The answer is not a simple yes or no.
In order to be whole30 compliant and paleo, larabars need to not have any added sugars and contain no legumes or grains.

Watch for the following:
Be sure that you use dried fruit that has no added sugar.
Do not add oats in Paleo or Whole30 Larabars, as in my Oatmeal Raisin Larabar Variety.
And only walnuts or almonds as your choice for nuts. Peanuts are a legume and not allowed on whole30 or paleo diets. Cashews are highly debated. Some people say they are paleo, some say they are whole30 approved, and others say they are not either. Cashews are not a nut or a legume, but actually a seed–so it can be tricky to tell where they fall. To stay safe, I suggest just using a combination of almonds and/or walnuts for whole30 approved larabars.

For any recipe that calls for peanuts, substitute them for almonds, walnuts, or cashews and your homemade bar will be whole30 approved.

The recipe for Pecan Pie Larabars, Apple Pie Larabars, and Cherry Pie Larabars, and the base recipe are all whole30 compliant.

Enjoy!! and try creating a new flavor of your own.

Please feel free to email on what you what to know about for a future article at
sandra.considine@yahoo.com