Cherry Pie Laura Bars are simply my version of the amazing Larabar. The bars contain only three ingredients and are ready in about 15 minutes. To keep these bars easy to handle I like to belly wrap each bar for easy snacking at school or whenever you need a healthy and quick bite to hold you over.
My kids are obsessed with many of the Larabars and for good reason. They have a a huge variety of flavors, they taste amazing and best of all contain super clean ingredients. It is our go to road trip snack and hiking food.
The original Larabar contains unsweetened cherries, dates, and almonds. My Laura Bar is similar but I substitute cashews. I have found my kids enjoy cashews a little more than almonds so I use them as an almond substitute. A nice bonus is that cashews are a little less expensive which is key when you begin to notice how quickly these disappear.
My two biggest hang ups when it comes to Larabars is the cost and the fact they are not organic. A single bar can cost anywhere from $1.50-$2.00 depending on where you purchase them. When I totaled up the cost for me to make 12 bars with organic ingredients, the total came to $12.33. That is $1.03 per bar. I needed up using whole cashews rather than cashew pieces. If you can find cashew pieces, they will be even cheaper thus saving you even more money!
A couple notes about Cherry Pie Laura Bars:
You don’t have to make bars:
The Laura Bar recipe can be scooped and rolled into balls instead of cut into bars. This is a fun way to get your kids involved in back to school snack planning. My daughter has helped make these bars and she loves to roll them out in the kitchen, while snacking on the mix of course! I have found when she is involved in the planning and preparing of her meals, she gets excited and is more likely to enjoy them.
Can I freeze granola bars and energy bites?
Yes, you can freeze granola bars and energy bites! Just like most granola bars, energy bites or energy balls these can all easily be frozen for future consumption. Just pull a bar out of the freezer thirty minutes to thaw slightly before enjoying. If not storing in the freezer, these bars can be kept in an airtight container on the counter or in the fridge for over a week to maintain their fresh and sweet delicious flavor.
Looking for more snack recipes? Make sure to check these out:
Cherry Pie Laura Bars
Ingredients
- 20 Medjool dates, pitted
- 1.5 cups cashews (whole or pieces)
- 1 cup dried cherries
Instructions
- Combine the dates in a food processrr and process until smooth
- Add the cashews and process for about thirty seconds or until they are well chopped up. The cashews shouldn't be as fine as a flour but rather be in fairly small pieces
- Next, add the dried cherries and pulse a few times to get them incorporated. Don't over process where they turn into a paste. You want them to be chopped. Once processed, scrap out onto an 8×8 pan lined with parchment paper and press into an even Layer. Allow the bars to rest for about thirty minutes before cutting. Enjoy!
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