I am thankful for all the input that I received on my recent twitter request for yummy and nutritious larabar and granola bar recipes. Thanks for all the recipes! I wanted to share a collection of the recipes received here today with you all. My purpose in finding a good recipe was to have a good snack bar to have on hand. The hubby in particular was requesting something to give him a little boost occasionally during his long work hours. Here is my version of a good protein bar that we totally love thanks to Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship for her tweaked almond bar! Let me say that again…it is awesome! A great source of protein and a fun way to get those nutritious nuts, seeds and dried fruit into your diet. Great for pregnant mommies too! I simply threw all the ingredients into my Blendtec Blender (my favorite kitchen appliance and functioning food processor at our home) and pulsed it for a few seconds and it turned out beautifully, but you can also use a food processor as described below.
2 cups almonds
1/4 cup flax seeds, chia seeds or pumpkin seeds (ground in a coffee grinder or blender) – I used chia with delicious results!
1/2 cup dried prunes, dates or raisins (we used prunes!)
½ cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
½ cup unsalted peanut butter (original recipe uses almond butter, but I didn’t have that!)
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup coconut oil (melted)
1 Tbsp maple syrup or honey (we used honey!)
2-3 teaspoons vanilla extract
a few squares dark chocolate, less than half a bar needed for thin layer
(optional) – I melted about 1/4 bag of chocolate chips in a small saucepan for the topping
Place almonds, flax meal/seeds, dried fruit, shredded coconut, almond/peanut butter and salt in a food processor. Pulse briefly for about 10 seconds.In a small sauce pan, melt coconut oil over very low heat. Remove coconut oil from stove, stir sweeteners and vanilla into oil. Add coconut oil mixture to food processor and pulse until ingredients form a coarse paste. Press mixture into an 8 x 8 glass baking dish. Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour, until mixture hardens. In a small saucepan, melt chocolate over very low heat, stirring continuously. Spread melted chocolate over bars; return to refrigerator for 30 minutes, until chocolate hardens. Remove from refrigerator, cut into bars and serve. Makes about 12-15 bars. Store in refrigerator or freeze for later enjoyment!
Other Snack Bar Recipes
Granola Bars – (Danielle @ Naturally Knocked Up)
Larabar Recipe – (Clean Eating Online)
Granola Bars (Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship)
Just for your website. Love it! Love your mission. Can’t wait to spend more time here. I just started a blog, http://www.MommieCan.com. It’s purpose is to encourage Christian moms toward the abundant life Jesus gives. Thanks for being an inspiration and great example of intentional living for Jesus!
And, of course, can’t wait to try these bars:)
I loved this recipe so much, linked back to this recipe in my blog, http://www.dotlessis.blogspot.com Thanks!!
I loved the flavor but my first batch didn’t want to stay together. I doubled the dates and covered them with a thin layer of chocolate chips. We LOVE them! Thanks for the recipe! It’s a keeper!
Hi,
I was wondering if you measure the 1/4 cup of flax seeds before you grind them or the 1/4 cup is the ground flax seed? I just don’t want to put too much in. My Dad once ate too many flaxseeds at one time and had a severe gallbladder attack. My kids will be eating these scrumptious bars, so I want to make sure the measurement is right. Thanks!
I usually measure the whole flax seed before putting it into the processor.
Has anyone priced out how much they spend per batch to make these wonderful bars? I would love to make them weekly!
Can someone provide the nutritional content on these bars, if cut 12-15 bars per batch?
Thank you.
It would depend on your own variations. I use cashews, add rice protein powder and double the coconut oil, and I get 19g protein per bar, depending on how evenly I spread and cut them.
So my brand new blender died on the second batch. Lesson learned. What food processor do you use? (or anyone that makes these on a regular basis).
I use a Blentec total blender for this recipe and it works great!
Oh wow…. way out of my budget! I picked up a Hamilton Beach food processor, and I’m going to test that out once the baby wakes up. Thank goodness the batter is fine!
Have my first batch in the fridge now, and I can’t wait to try them! I used dates, had cashews, so tried that, and added 12 servings of protein powder (followed by another 1/2 cup or so of coconut oil to get it to blend). Thanks for posting this!
Will definitely try this recipe. I love the fact that you are using whole natural foods (with the exception of the chocolate chips). I would experiment with using Cacao powder, coconut oil, and honey for a healthier chocolate topping. As a holistic health coach, I’m always looking for healthy whole food options to recommend to my clients. This recipe is a definite keeper. Thanks so much for sharing!
Hello there, You’ve done a great job. I will certainly digg it and in my view suggest to my friends. I’m sure they’ll be benefited from this site.
These sound amazing, except that I’m allergic to coconut….it there any substitue for that???
I have been looking for a recipe like this and I have finally found the perfect one. I melted a little bit of coconut oil in to my chocolate too, it gives the chocolate a nice texture. They are delicious, thank you!
These are way too good. Shame on you!!
Okay, so I’m joking, but they did turn out spectacular! Just what I needed as a quick protein snack for nursing. And my little busy bodies love them too.
These are SO delicious!! Only 1 problem….they are VERY high fat/calorie. My sister was kind enough to burst my bubble after I made my 3rd batch and was wondering why my scale seemed to be off, lol. According to the calorie counter on myfitnesspal.com, if you cut the bars into 25 pieces, each bar has 189 cal, 16 g fat and 4 g protein. Ands thats a small piece – I would eat few pieces in a day. Just a warning
I am now feeding them mainly to my skinny boys!
Yes, but this is good fat! Coconut oil is so incredibly nutritious for you. Read more about it on the westonaprice.org site. There is a big difference. I would not worry about it.
I would like to try these, but would have to make a couple of substitutions. My daughter is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. So, I would use Sunbutter instead of peanut butter, but I’m not sure what I would use instead of the almonds. Any suggestions?
Thanks
Linda
You could probably use cashews. I recently substituted them for almonds in a homemade granola recipe, and it worked out great! Sending you blessings in your quest for homemade yumminess!
Linda, it might not be as rich in protein, but you’d really just need 2 cups of bulk. I’d maybe double the Sunbutter, throw in a bunch of pumpkin seeds and maybe even puffed amaranth or rice (I know that’s more processed) just for fun. Adding some sesame seeds are nutritious, hulled ones might work well too… but, maybe don’t pulse as long in the processor.
I didn’t have enough almonds on hand so I used oatmeal for filler, they turned out really good, and probably cut down a little on the fat and calories.