Mock Cherry Pie Larabars

I love Larabars.  They are vegan, gluten-free, Non-GMO, only contain a few ingredients, and they are all natural ingredients.  Unfortunately, they are not the cheapest bars out there.  Even though it is nice to buy a variety of already packaged bars that you can easily grab for a snack as you head out the door, sometimes it is nice to create your own.  It only takes about 15 minutes and you can double this recipe to have enough for a week!  You will have ready to-go bars that did not cost as much money!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup pitted dates
• 1/4 cup dried cherries
• 1/3 cup almonds
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Soften dates by soaking in warm water for about 4 hours.
2. Combine dates (not the soaking water), dried cherries, almonds, and cinnamon in a food processor.
3. Blend until all ingredients are combined.  If you want more texture in your bars, blend for less time.  Alternatively, blend dates, cherries, and cinnamon first.  Then, add almonds and pulse a few times to leave almond chunks to create texture.
4. After all ingredients are combined, roll mixture into a big ball using your hands.
5. Place on a flat clean surface.  Place a sheet of wax paper on top of the ball.  Using a rolling pin, flatten out the ball to form a square.
6. Cut bars into 4 equal pieces and individually wrap each bar with wax paper.  Store in the fridge.

This recipe makes about 4 bars.  However, you can also make these into smaller or bigger bars based on your preference for size.  Or just roll these into balls and enjoy as a bite sized snack!

I was pleased with how well these mock lara bars stayed firm.  They really tasted just like a store-bought Larabar.  In fact, if I had one store-bought and one homemade, I don't think I'd be able to tell the difference!

1 bar yields approximately 116 calories and 2.5g protein.