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?
Yummii! These sounds good! The recipe is so close to the one I use for raw brownies, and they are insane! So I know I would love these too 🙂
I just, for the first time, tried a Larabar yesterday. I have been making your chocolate cookie dough ones for a few months and have to say I like them better. Homemade is always better because they were made with love! My girls like yours better too 🙂
Awww that made me smile 🙂
I tried to make clif bars a couple days ago and utterly failed. I don’t enjoy lara bars that much, but I’ll try your recipe!
I haven’t tried making my own Clif bars yet, but it’s on my to-do list!
Homemade is definitely better! 🙂 I’ve only ever tried a cashew cookie Larabar, and it was good (I would possibly buy it again), but it wasn’t great. I really want try a cookie dough Larabar, and I recently bought a peanut butter chocolate trip to try! 😛 And then if I don’t like any of those, I’ll make your chocolate ones instead! Actually, I’ll probably make yours even if I DO like the others ones!
Gorgeous pictures by the way – as ALWAYS 😀 You somehow make your food look like fun… like it would be fun to eat and fun to make, and it always is!
Have a wonderful weekend, Katie!
<3 <3
Thank you! As I told Averie, I had to do this photoshoot twice because the first bars did NOT look appealing at all! lol
Dates in bars are the best!
I’ve never had a Larabar! They haven’t made it across the pond 🙁
I tried to make clif bars a couple days ago and utterly failed. I don’t enjoy lara bars that much, but I’ll try your recipe!
yummmm!! these look so good…stop it!
Is Jocolat a type of Larabar, or a whole different product? I LOVE PB chocolate chip Larabars the most…I also like the chocolate brownie, coconut, lemon & tropical. I tried some others like banana bread, gingersnap (LOVE gingersnaps!) & cinnamon bun, but I didn’t really care for them. I think I’ll try making your recipe 😉
It’s made by the Larabar company, and it *looks* like a Larabar (i.e. shape and size). And it’s also just dates, cocoa, and other natural ingredients like a Larabar. I think the only difference is they’re probably targeting a more upscale market with the Jocalats, which seem fancier. I like the chocolate Jocalat best; it tastes like a darker-chocolate version of the chocolate-brownie Larabar. 🙂
I recently tried my own variation of a larabar and they came out wonderful!
http://ohshineon.wordpress.com/2011/08/09/im-lazy/
but this recipe also looks great, and so simple. i’ll be sure to test these ones out
I like the coconut pie, peanut butter cookie, and of course all the Jocolat’s.
I just made these and I really like them a lot! But I must say that I made a few changes: because I didn’t have enough dates, I subbed most of them with dried apricots and I used a mix of nuts (mostly almonds) instead of walnuts only. The apricot and chocolate go really well together 😀
Have you ever tried subbing apricots (or other fruit) for the dates? I gives the bars another flavour (all the new possibilities!) and I think the taste was softer too.
Btw: For breakfast I had your double chocolate brownie batter pancakes, my favourite flavour until now. Again, the chocolate worked very well with the apricot jam I put on top.
I haven’t tried other fruits (except a bad experience with figs once), but I know a lot of others have tried raisins… I’ve been meaning to try apricots! Your version sounds so good!
You are a genius. I love these and I haven’t even made them yet!
I made these this afternoon and they rock! I’m a Larabar fanatic and can’t wait to try new flavors. Thanks Katie!
Thank YOU for trying them! It always makes me so happy when someone tries one of my recipes :).
What are your thoughts on adding a scoop of either vanilla or chocolate flavor whey protein? Have you experimented with any protein bar options/flavors?
I’m a vegan, so I’ve never used whey protein. But I do know that a lot of readers have had success adding protein powder to some of my homemade Larabar flavors 🙂
I have now made this recipe three times, and it’s awesome everytime! I made some substitutes the first time around with almond slivers and almond meal (had on hand). I’m bringing the second two batches to a potluck, one set made with dried cherries and dates (aaand almonds) and the other with a mix of almonds/coconut which I then rolled in crushed up dehydrated strawberries and toasted coconut.
Oh my goodness, your strawberry ones sound SO good!!
I don’t like ANY of the fruit flavored Larabars, but my favorites are the chocolate chip cookie dough, chocolate brownie nut, and peanut butter chocolate chip ones! I also like the plain chocolate and coffee chocolate Jocalat bars… mmmmmm! 🙂 These sound delicious, I am making some tonight!!! I think I’m going to add some peanut butter to the mix too!