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?
Added some dried coconut flakes, coconut oil, and a bit of soy milk (my dates were on dry side). Turned out very smooth and delicious with hint of coconut. Excited to try other variations!
–MJ
Okay, hope this isn’t to weird to ask, but have you ever thought of adding chopped up greens like kale to make these even more healthy?
Clearly I’m straight CREEPING your larabar recipes. I always get so excited for them then I’m a little disappointed… not as good as the real thing, but these brownie fudge ones sound MUCH better than their version!
What brand of cocoa powder do you like to use for these? Also, Sunsweet dates are very soft and work well too.
I know Katie has used Dagoba in the past. Hersheys works though.
I just made these and O.M.G!!! They are incredible! And tasty. And I didn’t have to spend several dollars for a tiny snack bar 😉 Thank you so much!
Can you freeze these?
Yes
How many bars does this make? What is the nutrition facts for this recipe? My son has type 1 diabetes and we count carbohydrates, sugars, and fiber.
oh my god, these are freaking awesome!
I just got hooked on the store-bought Larabars, but they are getting pricey! These look absolutely amazing and I would love to try it out. Would I be able to use a Ninja to make these instead of a MB or other food processor? It’s all I have right now 🙁
I don’t have dates, so I used raisins to make these…I thought they were delish! Just curious why you almost always use dates to make your bars?
Oh my gosh!!! Just made these and they are so yummy! I only used 1/2 cup walnuts, and added a 1/2 cup oats instead and it turned out great. The only thing is I think I may have broken my food processor in making these…. but it was worth it :p
I made the oatmeal raisin one last week to bring to my work so that I could have one as an afternoon snack – then this week I tried these. I am actually obsessed with all of these! They are delicious and so easy / quick to make! Thank You for all of these recipes!
Do you know how much the dates measure after processing? I have date paste and am having difficulty finding a conversion. Thank you.
Christine- She also noting a weight of 220 g for the dates. I used that since I wasn’t sure if the measurement was for diced or whole dates. it should work for the paste.
Ok, I know this is an old post and I am late to the game, but… I just made these and WOW! They are soooooo good! I don’t normally comment on blog posts, but i felt compelled because honestly, these rock! They are so rich, such a treat! I am embarking on a 30 day vegan retreat and I think these will be my saviors! Thanks for a great recipe.
have made so many of your recipes this week but these amazed me the most! made them into bite sized squares and balls and they’re lasting ages. totally satisfy any naughty cravings and taste like fudgy brownies 100%!
Oh my! These are amazing and quick and easy to make!! Just whipped up a batch and made one ball to eat as my son woke up and had to feed him. Now I’m dying for another but have to wait until he’s done breastfeeding 🙁 will be making these again, probably sooner than expected!