The Lemon Bowl®

Healthy Recipes Made Delicious

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

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Make your own Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Larabars at home with as little as five ingredients – ready to eat in just minutes.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Larabars - The Lemon Bowl

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.

Baking Dates - The Lemon Bowl

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.

Larabars in Tray - The Lemon Bowl

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.

PB Chocolate Chip Lara Bars - The Lemon Bowl

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.

Asher Stealing Chocolate - The Lemon Bowl

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…

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Larabars - The Lemon Bowl

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.

3 from 2 votes
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Larabars - The Lemon Bowl
Print
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars
Prep Time
10 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 
Make your own Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Larabars at home with as little as five ingredients - ready to eat in just minutes.
Course: Snack
Servings: 16 bars
Calories: 182 kcal
Author: Liz DellaCroce
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
US Measurements - Convert to Metric
Instructions
  1. 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.
  2. When the mixture forms into one large ball, you know you're ready to form the bars.
  3. 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.
  4. Press the chocolate chips evenly on to the top of the bars before refrigerating until chilled.
  5. Slice into 16 bars and store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Recipe Notes

I recommend using all natural peanut butter made with just peanuts and salt. I would not recommend using creamy natural peanut butter that contains fillers like molasses or other ingredients.

Nutrition Facts
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars
Amount Per Serving
Calories 182 Calories from Fat 74
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8.2g 13%
Saturated Fat 1.5g 8%
Polyunsaturated Fat 6.7g
Sodium 95mg 4%
Total Carbohydrates 23.9g 8%
Dietary Fiber 2.8g 11%
Sugars 3g
Protein 4.1g 8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. 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?

    Reply

  2. Hi there! Do you think these would be just as good if you swapped the peanut butter for almond butter? Thanks!

    Reply

  6. 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!!

    Reply

  11. 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!

    Reply

  13. 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.

    Reply

    • 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.

      Reply

  17. 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…

    Reply

    • 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. :)

      Reply

      • 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.

        Reply

        • 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.

          Reply

          • 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.

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