Bars

I forgot! I was going to tell you about the great Larabar experiment.

One of the things that is nice to be able to eat once in a while (like on road trips, or after yoga class) is a bar. Obviously Nutrigrain bars are out. So I've tried a number of different bars in the last several years - SoyJoy, Cliff, Luna, Kind, etc.

My favorites are Larabars. Two downsides to the Larabar: 1. they have crazy flavor names like Key Lime Pie. Well, frankly, if you have a craving for Key Lime Pie, this will do absolutely nothing for you. But it has a pleasant hint of lime. 2. They are ridiculously expensive, rolling in at $1.59 for a single bar.

I started to do some research. Often it is cheaper to buy things in bulk (like not by the single bar). But none of the stores around here sell Larabars by the pack. So I looked online. Amazon (and all the other retailers) sell cases, which are 16 bars, ranging in price from $21 - $28. Which still makes an individual bar cost between $1.24-1.60.

I decided to make my own. Part of the beauty of the Larabar is the very small list of ingredients. For example: Dates, Cashews, Lime, Raisins.

Seriously.

I took out my blender (ok, I started with the food processor, but let me assure you that the blender was the better tool for the job). I put in 1/4 cup of mixed nuts that I got at Target last week for my road trip, and added 1/2 cup of raisins. Then I blended. To get a more Larabar look, I then added more raisins, probably winding up with 3/4 cup of raisins. Then I patted the mixture into bar shapes.

Next time I will buy dates and try this again. I think dates probably have a more subtle flavor than raisins.

From eating the Larabars I didn't think they were baked, but mine are really sticky and mushy. Even after sitting out to dry overnight. So I think I may try them in a low oven for a little while next time.

Total cost: Nothing. I made this from stuff I had in my pantry. How satisfying.