Recently when I was grocery shopping, I felt like trying something new. I grabbed a couple Larabars. They looked interesting and I had never tasted one before. I opened one for dessert after supper that evening. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! One bite and I was hooked! It was awesome–delicious but not overly sweet, and the ingredients weren’t all chemicals or adulterated foods! They even passed the husband test!

With that, I looked on the Internet for recipes for such bars. They were everywhere. BUT, what I noticed was that the recipes were basically the same. All mimicked the original Larabar. Because of my nutrition background, I decided to work with it a little to boost the nutrient value even more. For starters, I came up with the recipe below. Chocolate Brownie Bars are no bake, grain free, no soy, etc. I added flax meal and chia seeds to boost the nutritional value, while cutting down a bit on the added chocolate chips. You can add more if you want, but I felt less was best here (from a health standpoint).

So…try them for yourself. They’re really easy and quick to make, and oh-so-yummy to enjoy. The recipe can easily be increased to make more at one time. I recorded a YouTube video and placed the link below, so you can see how they’re made. Enjoy! Judi

Chocolate Brownie Bars (No bake, grain free)

1/2 cup chopped dates
2 Tablespoons water
1/4 cup walnut pieces*
1/4 cup cashew pieces*
2 tsp flax meal
1 Tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp ground chia seeds
Pinch of salt**

Place chopped dates in a small bowl. Pour 2 tablespoons of boiling water over dates and allow them to soften for 5 to 10 minutes. Alternatively place chopped dates in a small microwave safe bowl. Add 2 tablespoons tap water. Microwave about 30 seconds, until water has boiled. Remove and allow dates to soften for 5 to 10 minutes. Drain any remaining water from the dates, but no need to pat them dry on a towel.

Place all ingredients in a food processor or high-power blender. Process until ingredients are well chopped up and stick together.

With a spatula, remove mixture to a large piece of waxed paper or plastic wrap. With spatula, form into a bar shape. Wrap tightly and place in refrigerator overnight to firm up and for flavors to blend.

Slice into small pieces and enjoy!

Note: This recipe can easily be increased so it can be formed in a loaf pan for larger size serving pieces. Line the loaf pan with plastic wrap before placing mixture into the pan. Wrap the formed bar with the excess of the same piece of plastic wrap before placing bar in the refrigerator to firm up.

* Walnut and cashew pieces may be natural or roasted and salted

** Omit added salt if walnut or cashew pieces are already salted