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.
Chef's Notes:
Nutrition:
Juliana
If 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
Yes exactly!!
Kbee36
Hi there! Do you think these would be just as good if you swapped the peanut butter for almond butter? Thanks!
Liz DellaCroce
Yes absolutely!
Marly
I think these homemade larabars are gonna rock my world!! :)
Liz DellaCroce
I think you’re right!
Joanne
How 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
haha I am SO a larabar junkie too!
Phi @ The Sweetphi Blog
I 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
Aren’t Larabars the best?? You’ll love making homemade!
Leah
These 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
I am a sucker for them too!!
Dixya @ Food, Pleasure, and Health
i like when i have all the ingredients to make things! this looks divine.
Liz DellaCroce
Isn’t that the best?
Ishita
Liz looks yummy and right on time for travel
Elizabeth at Pineapples and Polka Dots
These look amazing! Thanks for sharing! I’ve never cooked with dates, but this might inspire me to try!
Liz DellaCroce
Let me know what you think!
Gaby
I love this! It is so great to be able to copycat a favorite at home!!!
Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat
It 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
Oh man I’m so jealous you lived there!! I would love to visit!!
Julia
Will would go crazy for these…and so would I!!
Patti
Trying 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
The 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
My peanut butter lovin kids would go coo coo for these!
Liz DellaCroce
My boys are obsessed with peanut butter too!!
She Rocks Fitness
These look delicious and a versatile recipe when you need/want to switch things up. Thanks for sharing!
Shawnna
Those look very interesting!! I think I would like these!
Liz DellaCroce
I hope you try them!
Susan
My 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
I’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
Liz, 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
So 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
Stevia 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
How 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
Omg… I’m larabar obsessed! I love the idea of using dates for a crust!
Consuelo | Honey & Figs
These look like a wonderful snack! I love that pb-chocolate combo ;) Thanks for linking up to my recipe! xx
Lauren @ Climbing Grier Mountain
I so need to get on the granola bar making train! These look off the charts!
Liz DellaCroce
Dude. You sure do!!
Liz @ Floating Kitchen
Lara 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
Tell me about it… I spend so much money on them!