Homemade Lara Bars chocolate coconut

IMG_20151230_102606I bought a case of these bars at a Discount Store in our area and I loved them!  They were great to have on hand for something quick to eat.  Well, after they were gone, I decided to make my own version of them.

I like having these types of bars to grab when I need a quick bite to eat.  We have made these other types and I keep them in the freezer to grab when we need to run out the door :

My husband calls them my bird seed bars:)  They do get tiny seeds stuck in  your teeth, be sure to check them after eating them:)

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The ingredients on the bar say:  dates, almonds, walnuts, unsweetened coconut, and cocoa powder.IMG_20151230_102629

Yes we had all those ingredients—but I did something different.  I had an abundance of big plump raisins that no one will eat around here, so I decided to substitute that for the dates.  The raisins give it a more sweeter taste.  If I didn’t already have the raisins I would have used the dates, but I am using what fragments I had.  IMG_20151230_103023

I put the raisins into my food processor.  Dates grind up really quickly, but the raisins had to go for a bit longer.  I decided to add like a spoonful of water to help the mass separate.IMG_20151230_103140

Then it looked like this. Much better.IMG_20151230_103207

I added my cocoa powder—I bought 25 lbs of this at a bulk food store in this area.  We will be having cocoa powder for a really long time:)IMG_20151230_103226

I then beforehand chopped up almonds and walnuts in the food processor, I added them next.IMG_20151230_103243

Some unsweetened coconut, bought my online from Amazon a 15 lb bag.IMG_20151230_103519

It then got too hard for the processor so I put it into a bowl and started kneading it by hand.IMG_20151230_104149

I tasted it and knew it needed more cocoa powder, so I kneaded that into the bar.  IMG_20151230_104405

Here is my bar mixture and the Lara Bar piece at the top.  I had to keep going back and forth until I knew that the flavors were exact.  Like I said the raisins gave it a sweeter taste, but for the most part they tasted exactly the same.IMG_20151230_104729

I rolled them out and cut into bar shapes.  I rolled each one up in waxed paper sheets and put them into bags to freeze.IMG_20151230_105138

Madelyn walked by and wanted a sample.  She said they tasted like brownie bites:)  The other children weren’t so easily fooled—smile.IMG_20151230_110218

I made two bags to freeze.  IMG_20151230_111724

I then decided to roll some into balls to grab for a smaller bite to eat.  To these I added some chia, hemp, and flax seeds for added nutritional value.

Here is my recipes:

  • 2 cups raisins–use dates if you have them
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut
  • 3/4 cup chopped nuts–walnuts and almonds

Place all in a food processor and blend.  Place in a bowl and knead with cocoa powder until not sticky.  Roll out and cut into bars or make into balls.  Place in freezer. Enjoy!

 

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