Nut-free Larabars
A nut-free version of the legendary store-bought Larabars.
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 2 cup old-fashioned oats gf oats will work too!*
- 10 medium dates soft and pitted*
- 2 tbsp melted coconut oil melted, refined (or olive oil)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 dash salt
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk any milk will work here!
- ¼ tbsp dark chocolate
Instructions
- First off, if your pitted dates are not super soft, I recommend placing them in a bowl and pouring boiling water over. Cover, and let the dates sit for about 5-10 minutes to get soft.
- Blend your oats and soft dates together in the food processor. It doesn't need to look like anything but crumbled oats and dates;)
- Next, pour in your melted coconut oil, vanilla, and salt.
- Depending on the softness of your dates and the power of your food processor, the amount of milk will vary. Start with 2 tablespoons, and add the remaining one if the dough doesn't come together. Once it starts rolling itself into a ball in your machine, you know it's done!
- Evenly spread the nut-free Larabar dough into a shallow dish, or small loaf pan. Place in freezer (this is optional, but helps the chocolate set a bit faster if you are impatient like me;))
- While your dough is in the freezer, melt your chocolate. I like to add a ½ tsp of coconut oil to help thin the chocolate. Make sure to microwave the chocolate in intervals of 10 seconds, stirring in between, to insure you don't burn the chocolate.
- Lastly, once the chocolate is melted, pour over the oat bar dough and place in fridge to set. Once chocolate has hardened, cut into bars and serve! Store in fridge. *
Notes
* If you do not have a blender, I believe this recipe is still possible to make. Soak the dates overnight (or a few hours) in the hot water and then mash them as best to your ability with a fork. Add oat flour (if you don't have oat flour you can try whole oats). And continue recipe incorporating ingredients the best you can! The texture won't be as smooth, but the taste should be "en pointe".
* I don't recommend quick oats as using that would change the texture and consistency of the dough.
* I find that organic dates are the most juicy and soft. I like to buy a big container of dates every month or so (depending on how many I'm going through) at Costco, Sam's, or a different wholesale store to get the cheapest price. Dates can be spendy!
* If you want to snack prep these bars for future use, I recommend wrapping each bar in a small sheet of parchment paper and keeping in a container in the refrigerator until ready to use! If you are on the go, they won't need refrigeration unless it is warm where you'll be. It's just to keep the chocolate set. (*If you use dairy milk I'd keep them cold if possible)