Make your own Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Larabars at home with as little as five ingredients – ready to eat in just minutes.
Larabars are one of my go-to travel snacks. They taste delicious, they’re super convenient and, most importantly, they’re made with a handful of simple ingredients like dates, peanuts, cherries, cashews, etc.
Given my love of Larabars, when I saw these baking dates at a Middle Eastern grocery store recently I knew I had to pick them up. Homemade date paste is not difficult to make but if you can find baking dates online or at an international market, I highly recommend picking up a pack.
There are a million and one recipes you could make with date paste but I knew right away I wanted to try making homemade Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Larabars first. With all of the travel I’ve been doing lately, I’ve become quite smitten with these sweet, salty and chewy snack bars.
The entire recipe is just 5 simple ingredients and comes together in just minutes. We like to refrigerate them so that they can harden a bit before slicing.
But sometimes a certain toddler or two isn’t that patient and we eat them right away. And by eat them I mean take off all the chocolate chips first…
Once you get down this recipe you can mix and match the ingredients to create any number of flavors. Dried cherries and raw cashews are next on my list but the options are endless.
What are your favorite travel snacks?? I’m all ears.
No forks required.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars
Ingredients
- 13 ounce package date paste store-bought or homemade
- 1 cup all-natural peanut butter salted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons chocolate chips
Instructions
- Place date paste, peanut butter, vanilla and salt in a high-speed food processor and pulse until smooth, adding 1-2 tablespoons of water if needed.
- When the mixture forms into one large ball, you know you're ready to form the bars.
- Spray a 8 1/2" x 11" baking dish with cooking spray. Remove the date and nut mixture from the food processor and press into a smooth, even layer in the dish.
- Press the chocolate chips evenly on to the top of the bars before refrigerating until chilled.
- Slice into 16 bars and store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Juliana
October 23, 2016 at 11:27 amIf i don’t have date paste, can i just start with real pitted dates? If so, what amount equates to the amout of date paste in your recipe? Equivalent? Or maybe 1.5 cups dates?
Liz DellaCroce
October 27, 2016 at 12:46 pmYes exactly!!
Kbee36
April 2, 2015 at 10:26 amHi there! Do you think these would be just as good if you swapped the peanut butter for almond butter? Thanks!
Liz DellaCroce
April 3, 2015 at 3:53 pmYes absolutely!
Marly
March 20, 2015 at 10:06 amI think these homemade larabars are gonna rock my world!! :)
Liz DellaCroce
March 21, 2015 at 3:55 pmI think you’re right!
Joanne
March 19, 2015 at 3:42 pmHow did you know I’m a larabar junkie?! Making them at home would save me so much money. Hmmm…I need to get on this.
Liz DellaCroce
March 19, 2015 at 5:19 pmhaha I am SO a larabar junkie too!
Phi @ The Sweetphi Blog
March 17, 2015 at 11:23 pmI literally just discovered Larabars last month, and now I can’t get enough of them. Now you show homemade larabars? need need need to try!!
Liz DellaCroce
March 18, 2015 at 11:11 amAren’t Larabars the best?? You’ll love making homemade!
Leah
March 17, 2015 at 9:44 amThese look divine! I’m a sucker for Larabars, but an even bigger sucker for make-it-yourself recipes :) Can’t wait to try these!!
Liz DellaCroce
March 17, 2015 at 5:38 pmI am a sucker for them too!!
Dixya @ Food, Pleasure, and Health
March 17, 2015 at 7:04 ami like when i have all the ingredients to make things! this looks divine.
Liz DellaCroce
March 17, 2015 at 5:38 pmIsn’t that the best?
Ishita
March 16, 2015 at 9:33 pmLiz looks yummy and right on time for travel
Elizabeth at Pineapples and Polka Dots
March 16, 2015 at 9:18 pmThese look amazing! Thanks for sharing! I’ve never cooked with dates, but this might inspire me to try!
Liz DellaCroce
March 17, 2015 at 5:38 pmLet me know what you think!
Gaby
March 16, 2015 at 7:05 pmI love this! It is so great to be able to copycat a favorite at home!!!
Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat
March 16, 2015 at 5:54 pmIt looks like both you and I were on the same snacky wavelength today Liz! I was also doing some bar making experimentation this weekend (surprisingly a success, which is rare considering I almost never bake!) but right now one of my go-to favourite snacks is apples with cinnamon. So simple it’s almost silly, but they’re just so good! On a side note, I was raised in the Middle East for 5 years so I definitely share you love for Middle Eastern (and worldly) flavours. I’m looking forward to poking around your blog more!
Liz DellaCroce
March 17, 2015 at 5:39 pmOh man I’m so jealous you lived there!! I would love to visit!!
Julia
March 16, 2015 at 2:02 pmWill would go crazy for these…and so would I!!
Patti
March 16, 2015 at 1:44 pmTrying to figure out what my teenaged boys would think of these-is the consistency more like a fruit roll up? I can’t tell from the pic-but the sweet salty combo with protein would be great addition to the lunch/afterschool rotation.
Liz DellaCroce
March 17, 2015 at 5:41 pmThe longer you keep them in the fridge, the more firm they get. My boys all loved them – the peanut butter and chocolate chips make them addictive. I like using the dates because they are a natural sweetener and have loads of minerals.
Paula - bell'alimento
March 16, 2015 at 12:50 pmMy peanut butter lovin kids would go coo coo for these!
Liz DellaCroce
March 16, 2015 at 1:18 pmMy boys are obsessed with peanut butter too!!
She Rocks Fitness
March 16, 2015 at 11:33 amThese look delicious and a versatile recipe when you need/want to switch things up. Thanks for sharing!
Shawnna
March 16, 2015 at 11:31 amThose look very interesting!! I think I would like these!
Liz DellaCroce
March 16, 2015 at 1:19 pmI hope you try them!
Susan
March 16, 2015 at 11:08 amMy favorite snack is Quest Bars (the naturally sweetened ones), especially the double chocolate chunk ones. They may not be as simple as Lara bars, but they have a good amount of protein (20g), and I do better with more protein – it keeps me satisfied longer. I like the calorie level of your bars, but not the amount of protein. Your bars sound good, though, and I wish my body wasn’t so picky about how much protein it wants…
Liz DellaCroce
March 16, 2015 at 1:20 pmI’ve never seen Quest bars without 10+ ingredients. I will have to keep searching! To be honest, they are not my favorite flavor-wise and they just taste a bit too processed/chemically to me but again no judgement here. It’s really a taste preference. :)
Susan
March 16, 2015 at 2:31 pmLiz, I hear you about the ingredients – and flavor. I, too, would prefer bars with fewer ingredients and more natural flavor. However, I can’t find any that are 200 calories or less, with enough protein and few enough carbs. Which is why I eat Quest bars. I’m just glad that they make some that are sweetened with Stevia rather than Sucralose.
Liz DellaCroce
March 17, 2015 at 5:40 pmSo I’m really trying to avoid stevia and instead use naturally sweetened foods like bananas and dates because they have other vitamins and minerals. The truth is, I get plenty of protein and limit carbs all the time so I’m ok having them in my snacks. :) I just cut out stevia a couple months ago.
Susan
March 17, 2015 at 6:28 pmStevia isn’t my favorite, but at least if you buy the pure stuff (no additives) it is natural, made from ground up dried leaves. I keep a supply on hand, but don’t use it much. For me it is far preferable to all the almost inescapable Sucralose (Stevia doesn’t cause digestive problems for me, which Sucralose does). I stay as far away as I can from any artificial sweeteners.
Nicole - Coking for Keeps
March 16, 2015 at 10:07 amHow have I never heard of larabars?? I just recently got into dates after trying a raw date crust on a “cheesecake,” and totally fell in love. I need to give these a try!
Liz DellaCroce
March 16, 2015 at 1:20 pmOmg… I’m larabar obsessed! I love the idea of using dates for a crust!
Consuelo | Honey & Figs
March 16, 2015 at 10:04 amThese look like a wonderful snack! I love that pb-chocolate combo ;) Thanks for linking up to my recipe! xx
Lauren @ Climbing Grier Mountain
March 16, 2015 at 9:43 amI so need to get on the granola bar making train! These look off the charts!
Liz DellaCroce
March 16, 2015 at 1:20 pmDude. You sure do!!
Liz @ Floating Kitchen
March 16, 2015 at 9:14 amLara bars are my favorite too. But, ahem, not so much the price. Making them at home is WAY better. These look perfect, Liz!
Liz DellaCroce
March 16, 2015 at 1:21 pmTell me about it… I spend so much money on them!