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’m determined to make these! They look amazing!! 🙂
You know I have turned into a photography weirdo when the first thing I do is
scan the post for pictures
then read your text
then go back and re read the recipe
And your pictures are awesome. The way the light is hitting the bars in the opening shot. And also the middle shot on the plate/top down (I like the grates or table or whatever that is underneath) and the closeup…all stunning.
And Im impressed you can narrow down your pics to just three! I take like 100. And swear I can’t edit under like 15-20. I need to streamline like you 🙂
Yup, I do that too! Photos are always first for me now. I honestly don’t even bother looking at others’ recipes anymore, since I always come up with my own (and since many of the photo blogs I like aren’t vegan). It’s all about the photos now. Actually, my favorite foodie site is probably foodgawker lol! I’m so busy looking at the presentation and place setting, color scheme, and background that I often don’t even notice what food I’m looking at!
Haha you should’ve seen my first attempt… I had to re-do it, because the first shoot looked like… well, certainly not chocolate bars, if you know what I mean 😕
these look so good! i’ve never had a Larabar
I didnt like LARA at first either. Now I am in LOVE! I am actually doing a giveaway for LARA. But these look amazing. I defs do not mind another chocolate recipe! Keep em coming 😉
Katie, I love that many of your recipes can be made 1. without turning on the oven and 2. using ingredients I already have. I made a variation of these today (low on dates and no walnuts, subbed almonds and coconut oil/agave to make it stick together) and the result was amazingness. THANK you for your creativity!!
Thank YOU for trying them! That always makes me so happy!!
I’m not sure, but I THINK I saw the Jocolats at the store yesterday. If you need a fix, I may be able to make it happen! If I’m wrong, I’m sure this recipe will suffice 🙂
Oh my goodness, you are the SWEETEST!!! No, seriously. 🙂
I could never ask you to do that, but if you do find them, eat an extra one for me!!! Or maybe an extra three… more chocolate is always better ;).
This is great! I got my mom hooked on Larabars when I came home from college and we both love them now! But we’re always searching for which supermarket has the best flavors and SALES… I’ll have to just make her some homemade ones!
And I loveee all of the chocolate ones! The Jocalats and the brownie ones are awesome… but my nutritionist thinks I’m a disordered nut for liking them. Too bad for her… and more for me!
Haha you should see me at Whole Foods, cutting out the coupons like a crazy girl whenever they have coupons for Larabars!
I wonder if your nutritionist has actually TRIED the bars… in my experience, the people who think I’m nuts for liking something (such as pb-banana sandwiches in high school) haven’t actually tried it, themselves. Then when they do, they understand my love and leave me alone ;).
My favorite Larabars are Cherry Pie, Banana Bread, and Peanut Butter and Jelly. I am allergic to walnuts though so I haven’t been able to try a number of the flavors they offer!
I don’t really like the Jocalats, but I think I might like these because they’re more customizable. My favorite larabar flavor is probably the lemon or anything with peanut butter in it!
I love cashew cookie and cookie dough! Well, I love most of them all, but if I had to choose favorites, those would be them.
I’ve never like Jocolats because they’ve never tasted truly chocolate-y to me. Why didn’t I ever think of making my own and adding more coco, particularly considering how many other larabar-esque treats I’ve made?!
Oddly enough, I had the same experience–I tried the cherry pie first and wasn’t all that wild about it. Eventually I tried the chocolate coconut chew and I was hooked!
Mmm I’ve actually only tried a few larabaras, but I’ve liked every one.
I’ve never tried a Jocolat, but that may change soon 🙂
Which do you like better, homemade or Jocolat?
Homemade, taste-wise… but Jocalat earns points for convenience. I love them both!!! 🙂
I have tried a few Larabars but usually only buy them when I find them on sale 🙂 There is something about dates that makes me nervous but these look so delicious that I might finally face my fears!
I absolutely HATED larabars the first time I tried them. The weird thing is, the first flavor I tried was chocolate. I was on a road trip and got really sick right after I ate it, so for a long time I connected that feeling to chocolate larabars. Then I fell in love with them when I tried the cashew cookie a few years later. They’re one of my favorite snacks! I even like the chocolate now.
I didn’t like the cookie dough one when I first tried it! I don’t even remember what made me give it a second chance… but I’m so glad I did, because the taste grew so much on me that now it’s one of my favorite snacks!
I’m not really a fan of any of the fruity larabars. My faves include the coconut cream pie, cashew cookie, peanut butter cookie, peanut butter & jelly, peanut butter chocolate chip, and chocolate chocolate chip. Everything else I can do without. I have a blueberry larabar I have yet to try though, so we’ll see if it finally changes my mind on the fruity larabar flavours.