Another chocolate recipe?
My goodness, you’d think this was some sort of chocolate-covered blog.
Oh wait; that’s right. It is.
The first time I tried a Larabar, I didn’t really like it. My mistake was in choosing a cherry-flavored bar. Someone should’ve shaken me and said, Hello! Of course you didn’t like it, Katie. It has no chocolate!”
When I tried a Jocalat chocolate Larabar, it was love at first bite. As a busy college student with no time to bake brownies, these bars offered a quick cure for my chocolate cravings (or a stopgap anyway. I doubt I will ever find a cure for my chocoholism… but that’s perfectly ok with me!)
Recently, I’ve been having trouble locating Jocalats. Thank goodness I know how to make my own chocolate Larabars.
Plus, they’re cheaper than store-bought and save packaging too.
Hot Fudge Brownie Larabars
Based on the recipe for Fudge Babies.
- 1 cup walnuts (120 g)
- 1 and 1/3 cups pitted dates (220 g) (I love SunMaid dates, as they’re much softer.)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3-4 tbsp cocoa powder (or even Dutch cocoa)
- optional: 1/8 plus 1/16 tsp salt (I always add it)
- optional: chocolate chips or even a piece of a chocolate bar or baking chocolate
Blend all the ingredients, using a food processor or Magic Bullet. No need to blend the dates first; I just blend everything all at once in my MB. If you use drier dates than SunMaid, you might have to add up to 1 tbsp water. Form into bars. It might help to put dough in a plastic bag and close the bag, then shape into a bar. (Feel free to experiment with different nut combinations. I often sub almonds or cashews for some of the walnuts.)
Click for more flavors: Homemade Larabar Recipes.
What are your favorite Larabar flavors?
One of my favorite homemade larabar flavors: Homemade Oatmeal Cookie Larabars.
As for the real Larabars, my favorite flavors are the plain chocolate Jocalats and the cookie dough Larabars. I love making up my own flavors and am thinking chocolate-raspberry might have to be next! Any other flavor suggestions for homemade Larabar recipes you’d like to see?
I want to eat these right now! And I kind of want to cover them in peanut butter!
You took the words right out of my head!
A nice peanut butter layer of some sort would perfect these little treats for me too 🙂
My favorite Larabar flavor is actually YOUR cashew cookie recipe!
Seriuosly! It’s 10 times better than the packaged cashew cookie flavor. Anyone reading this, GO MAKE Katie’s cashew cookie larabars RIGHT AWAY!!!!
🙂
** seriously
Aw lol thanks, Sarah! I love that flavor too! Haven’t made it in a while!! 😕
Its my favorite too…and my husbands!
Gonna have to agree 110% 😉
Wow, I LOVE y’all!!! You’re all too sweet!! 🙂
I can’t find that recipe… the cashew cookie larabar! I have been scouring your blog, bc I would LOVE to try it, but can’t find it 🙁
Sorry for the trouble!
https://lett-trim.today/2009/11/08/homemade-cashew-cookie-larabars/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Oh no trouble!! THANK YOU!
These look delicious! 😀 What brand of cocoa powder do you normally use?
I either use Dagoba or plain ole Hersheys 🙂
I’ve never tried a larabar before! But they sound so delicious! They’re not sold here 🙁
Same here! 🙁
My favorite Larabar is Peanut Butter Cookie, but THAT one is now my new favorite just by looking at it 😀
And my favorite Larabar is the chocolate chip peanut butter cookie. BIG SURPRISE, I know!
Mmm cashew cookie 🙂
I, too, love Larabars! My first one ever was the apple one, and that’s actually still my favourite one, even after trying most of the rest (excluding the coconut ones). I love warming them up a little bit… They taste like fresh-from-the-oven cookies that way, in my opinion. I’ll eat dairy-free vanilla ice cream with a warmed apple-flavoured Larabar as a special treat, sometimes. It’s like eating apple pie, I swear.
I’ve started to make my own, though, using your recipes! The ‘packaged’ ones are awesome, but admittedly a bit pricey. The ones I make from your recipes are just as good, if not – as you’ve pointed out – better because they taste even fresher! And, of course, you can customize them. 🙂
I’ve never been a big fan of packaged bars of any kind, because they are…well in a package. Thanks for providing a different option. I haven’t made any of these yet but I plan to. Just as soon as I get some dates. =)
Making your own Larabars–SUCH a good idea! I can only imagine it would save a ton of money, which I’m all about these days. I actually saw on Barefoot Contessa the other day that she makes her own vanilla extract, a giant jar at a time, and apparently it keeps indefinitely. I’m definitely going to start doing that too!
Also, the Ginger Snap Larabars are one of my faves. I bet they’d be easy to make!
Yummy 🙂 My favorite larabars are definately either the chocolate chip cookie dough or the coconut cream pie 😛
I can’t wait to try this! I like the Ginger Snap and Apple Pie Larabars.
Yum! Those look really good!!! Is there anything that I could use instead of the dates, though…..no one sells them here! 🙁
Some people have used raisins… I can’t personally vouch for that, though. But it could be fun to experiment. Or maybe prunes?
I love Larabars soo much, but wish the Jocalat flavours were available in Canada! They’re also a bit more expensive, and don’t keep me as full, as Clif bars, so I’ve been buying more Clif bars lately! These homemade ones look awesome though – I prefer the non-chocolate Larabars, like apple pie and peanut butter cookie, but the peanut butter chocolate chip is pretty yummy too!
Haha, OMG you did get a ton of comments on that post – but for real, it IS the best giveaway ever! 😉 I like the peanut butter cookie Larabars.
These would be great to make a batch of with the school year starting soon, something to grab on those days where you need to run out the door. Do you know how long they keep for, or if they can be frozen?
They keep for at least a week… or they CAN be frozen for months!