I love healthy, hearty energy bars with simple ingredients. It great to be able to grab a bar and head out the door, knowing that know matter where my day takes me, I’ll have a healthy snack on hand until I can make it home for a meal. I also love to grab one in the morning with my juice if I know I’ll be out for awhile or don’t have a lot of time to make oatmeal or even toast.
My favorite flavor so far is apple cinnamon. It tastes just like apple pie! These bars contain just 4 ingredients and are super easy to make. The best part – they are sweet with absolutely no added or artificial sugar. Just simple sweetness from the apples and dates.
DIY Apple Cinnamon Energy Bars (aka Larabars!)
Recipe adapted from Larabar
1 cup Raw almonds, soaked for 20 minutes
1 dehydrated apple, or 1 package dried apple slices (soft)
10 pitted dates (the big ones, medjool)
1-2 tsp cinnamon (to taste)
If you are dehydrating your own apple – cut into thin rings and dehydrate approximately 6 hours unitl the rings are slightly hard. *You can also use store bought dried apple slices if you don’t own a dehydrator or are short on time. Just look for one’s with minimal to no preservatives. *
Soak almonds in a bowl of water for at least 20 minutes to soften. After 20 minutes and after apples are dehydrated, add all ingredients into a high speed blender or food processor. Blend until incorporated, but allow the almonds to stay a bit chunky.
Spread onto a piece of parchment paper. Top with another piece and roll out into a square shape. You can also press into a bread pan if available (I only have one and it was filled with fudge ;)). Transfer into a freezer safe pan and press top flat. Remove top piece of parchment. Cut into 1 inch thick pieces (lengthwise). Place in freezer for about 1 hour, until firm. Transfer to individual bags or containers and store in fridge until ready to grab-n-go!
Enjoy these super delicious pieces of pure, raw energy! What other flavors would you want to try? Leave a comment below and let me know.
Peace and love,
Jessi
Willow
February 23, 2013 at 2:25 pmThese sound fantastic. I have also made them with walnuts or cashews for the nuts and dried apricots. Jessi, Where are you going to get your holistic wellness coaching certification? This is something that I am interested in doing someday as well. Any suggestions?
thehouseofhealthy
February 24, 2013 at 9:13 pmThat sounds delicious! I have also tried cashews, but I’ve never tried walnuts or apricots. I am obtaining my health coaching certification through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. It a year long program with a bonus year to help grow your business. You learn about tons of different dietary programs, as well as a 6 month program to help coach people. I absolutely love it. Any questions you have, please ask!
Chelsea
February 22, 2013 at 12:46 pmthese look delicious! I’m going to make them this weekend!! Is there anyway to incorporate lemon (maybe zest)?
thehouseofhealthy
February 22, 2013 at 3:20 pmThanks! You could definitely add some lemon zest into it. Just add it in with the other ingredients and blend.