Dark morning picture from my cell phone before work

All this talk of Larabars got me excited about showing you all the bars that I make. This recipe is adapted from this recipe over at MDA. I took it, experimented (a LOT of experimenting) and morphed it into a whole new monster.

The process for making these bars is a little involved. It is worth it though because they are delicious. Once you have done it once, it is actually pretty easy too. I can whip these out in under 30 minutes now. Please give them a try! you will not regret it.

What you will need:
- 2 cups of nuts and seeds. Any mixture will do. I am currently using 1 cup almonds and 1 cup sunflower and pumpkin seeds. You can use all almonds if you want.  I have also tried walnuts, pecans, brazil nuts, macadamia… they all work great.
- 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut.
- 1/2 cup coconut oil.
- 4 tblspn organic butter. (If you don’t eat butter, add 4 tblspns extra coconut oil)
- 1/2 cup almond butter.
- 2 teaspoons organic vanilla.
- 2 tblspns unsweetened cocoa powder.
- 1/3 cup powdered egg whites
- 1/2 cup almond flour.
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup fruit. I have been using 1/3 cup currents, 1/3 cup dried apricot and 1/3 cup freeze dried blueberries. Due to research on Larabars and fruit however, I will be switching to only using berries in the future. (I get freeze dried strawberries. Going to try strawberry and blueberry).

Directions:

1.  Place nut/seed mixture and shredded coconut on a baking tray and toast in oven until coconut turns golden brown.
2. Pulse toasted nuts and coconut briefly in a food processor.
3. Combine dry ingredients (almond flour, cocoa powder, egg whites and sea salt) in a separate bowl and mix together.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, coconut oil, almond butter and vanilla. Microwave approximately 2 minutes until all melted.
5. Fold pulsed nuts and coconut into melted butters/oil/vanilla.
6. Fold dry ingredient mixture into melted melted butters/oil/vanilla/pulsed nuts.
7. Fold your fruit into the mixture.
8. Press mixture into a baking pan. Top with some extra unsweetened untoasted shredded coconut. Press into pan again (the more compressed your mixture in the pan, the better the bars will turn out).
9. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
10. Remove from oven, press into pan again and set out to cool.
11. Once cooled, press into pan AGAIN and place in refrigerator for further cooling.
12. Once cooled in refridgerator, cut and enjoy!

Store in refrigerator.These bars soften as they warm but will keep in tact if you want to throw them in a ziploc and take them with you. The better you compacted your bars while making them, the more solid they will be.

These bars are extremely filling! I use this recipe to make 8 bars. I eat a whole bar and my wife eats half bars. They are very tasty and very filling. Even my sugar and grain loving family enjoyed them when they visited.

What do you think?

P.S. I get my Almond flour, powdered egg whites, and freeze dried fruit all online from this company if you are looking for ingredients: Honeyville Foods