Chocolate Coconut Chew Lara Bars

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I love Lara bars. Best travel snack evaaaa. They have saved my life many times.

But I try not to buy them for my every day at home snacking rituals. It could get a little pricey the way I go through them. So I save my store-bought favourites for when I’m traveling (like now!).

Before I left on this trip I made a huge batch of one of my favourite flavours…Chocolate Coconut Chew Bars. They are kind of amazing. I individually wrapped each bar in cling wrap, popped them in a big Ziploc, and dropped them in the cooler. This recipe made about 10 bars…that’s 10 afternoon snacks right there! So easy to pop in your bag/purse on the way to work or school.

Chocolate Coconut Chew Lara Bars

1. 1 cup raw almonds
2. 1 ½ cups dates (I used Medjool)
3. ¼ cup pure cocoa
4. ½ cup dried coconut
5. 1 cup raw walnuts (soaked)
6. Add a little water to help the processing

The process is super simple…just whip all the ingredients up in your food processor, shape into bars, and walaa….all done. But I think it’s a good idea to soak your walnuts (and rinse) before you use them…it helps take away a bit of that bitter taste that walnuts often have.

Tip: You can make bite-size versions of this by rolling the batter in small balls. I love doing it this way too.

For this recipe, you could use any dates but I’m so in love with Medjool dates…they’re great big, juicy dates that are so sweet and succulent they’re really a dessert by themselves. Their flavour is distinctively caramel.

And I love almonds. Actually, something I used to do when I was craving something sugary, was to stuff a Medjool date with a little almond butter and then stick in a whole almond. It really does taste fantastic, like a raw version of a little mini date pastry.

Gaaah, this post is making me hungry…it’s high time for a Subway stop (yes, I’m writing this en route). We should get Subway and fast food stops to sell Lara bars on the side…that would be so handy. Well, it’s a beautiful dream.

Nutritional Info (per bar): Cals: 226, Fat: 14g, Sodium: 2mg, Carbs: 25g, Fibre: 5g, Sugars: 17g, Protein: 6g

What is your favourite Lara bar flavour? Maybe I can try to recreate it sometime!Any other bars you love that are great for travel?