You're going to wonder if all we eat around here is homemade Larabars.
Homemade Larabar-type snacks are pretty popular with the kids. Especially these strawberry ones. I may make them the week before Valentine's Day as a healthy alternative when the candy starts rolling in.
I wanted to make a strawberry "Larabar", but fresh fruit is too wet. Dried fruit is sometimes OK, but dried fruit usually has a lot of extra sugar.
That's why I used freeze-dried strawberries. You can use any type of freeze-dried fruit in these -- strawberry just happens to be our favorite. I found some at Trader Joe's, but I know that many emergency preparedness companies sell them to add to your long-term food storage.
I should really buy these in bulk. Having Larabars around when the zombies attack might be a good thing.
By the way, they don't really have cream. I find that when I use cashews in things like this it gives them a "creamy" flavor without adding dairy. I'm sneaky like that.
these are looking pretty good to you, you might like the Chocolate-Hazelnut bars I recently posted or the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Larabars! (Those are MY favorite.) I also have a Blueberry Muffin version headed your way!
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Homemade Strawberry Cream "Larabars"
Freeze-dried strawberries give these Larabar-type snacks an intense strawberry flavor without making them mushy!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup cashews
- ½ cup almonds
- 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries, crushed
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 12 medjool dates, pitted and ripped in half
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
Line a small rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap.
Place nuts in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Add crushed berries, vanilla, dates, and salt. Pulse until everything is finely chopped and thoroughly incorporated.
Transfer mixture to prepared baking sheet and roll it out to about ¼-inch thickness. (Or whatever thickness you like.) Using a glass or a small rolling pin helps the tops to be smooth and uniform. Use a pizza cutter or pastry wheel to cut them into squares. Transfer squares to an airtight container and store at room temperature for at least a week.
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says
I have dates that I've been meaning to use!! This sounds incredible!!
Stephie @ Eat Your Heart Out says
These look so good! Got to get on this homemade larabar train.
India says
Just bought fresh strawberries at farmer's market today and was hoping I could use them for this recipe. Any ideas how to tweak it? Thinking it'll be mushy b/c freeze dried are so different. Looks delicious!
India says
...oops just read the recipe more carefully. You addressed the fresh berry issue. :)
Elizabeth Biesemeyer says
I would try the fresh strawberries and see how they turned out.
Karen @ The Food Charlatan says
I've never had Larabars, but these look amazing! And I'm heading to your house when the Zombies attack. Your food storage sounds WAY more appetizing than my inherited-25-year-old-cans-of-oats.
Jessie says
Wow.. Just made this bad boy last night! Amazing flavor and super easy. Thank you for sharing!! Xoxo
Gwen @SimplyHealthyFamily says
I really need to make a big batch of these! My kids are in full snack attack mode at 3pm and so am I. Good thinking on the zombie preparedness btw! ;}
Kira - HealthAble Old Soul says
I love larabars and making them home made reminds me of raw bars! I have never heard of the strawberry idea and it makes me look forward to the weekday snacks!
Fructe uscate says
A very healthy recipe!
Valerie says
I made these, and stored them in an airtight container for a week, but they went bad, and I had to throw them out...
Lauren says
I just made these and they are FANTASTIC!! Such great flavor. I used blueberries and found this to be a great combination as well. Better yet, my toddlers both love them. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe. I can't wait to try some of your other "larabar" recipes.
Natalie Perry says
Oh yum! We love blueberry ones, too! So glad you liked them :)
Karin C. says
I had a bunch of nice fresh strawberries too. I just sliced them and put them in my dehydrator just so I can make larabars with them. I chose this recipe-pretty sure it'll turn out good if you don't have freeze dried, but have a dehydrator, or an oven turned on the lowest setting! :) Can't wait to try them this afternoon! Thanks for sharing your recipes!
Ashley Piercy says
I don't know how your bars look like they do because I followed your recipe exactly and what came out of my food processor was a big pile of nut and strawberry dust. When I doubled the dates and added almost a half a cup of water I had a nice sticky Lara bar like consistency. I suppose I could have overprocessed the nuts and strawberries but it seems unlikely that this recipe as it is would yield the consistency needed to create a homemade Lara bar.
Natalie Perry says
I'm sorry it didn't work for you! The size of the dates and how moist they are might have made a difference. The ones I buy are quite large and soft. I'm glad you made it work, though. If my dates happen to be a little dry, I add more and a little water as well.
Casey says
I used dried figs instead of dates for a little less sweetness, subbed the almonds for macadamia nuts, and gave it a flavor twist with some unsweetened shredded coconut! They’re delicious - thanks for the recipe inspiration!
Natalie Perry says
Oh yum! Love that variation. Thanks for sharing