Homemade Apple Pie Larabar

I tasted my first Larabar years ago and thought they were delicious!  Mostly because of the price tag, I never really became a slave to the tasty little snack bar though.  When I first started following the Paleo lifestyle I noticed that several Paleo food bloggers had recipes to create their own... now we're talking!  Save money and get crafty in the kitchen?  Sign me up.

For a while, I was content just making the recipes that I had found on Pinterest.  Then one day Matt came home with a bag of dehydrated apples and I thought I could create an apple pie version of my own!  After a few trial runs, I'm finally satisfied with the final product!

To make these bars you'll need to gather almonds, walnuts, dates, raisins, dried apples, cinnamon, ginger and coconut oil.  I make these in the middle sized Ninja Master Prep Pro bowl, but any food processor should do the trick!

The first step to making these bars is to combine the raisins and dates into the food processor and puree them until they have broken down.  Once you think they've broken down enough, go a couple extra seconds!  This mixture should look like this...

Go ahead and add the apples at this point and break them up a bit too!

Add the almonds and walnuts to the container with the pureed fruit.  Now you'll want to sprinkle in the spices and give it a whirl to combine everything all together!  You'll want to scrape the sides of the food processor as needed.  At this point I stop the blender and melt some coconut oil in the microwave.  To get the ingredients to really come together I have the best luck drizzling the oil in as I have the blender running.  Once you're satisfied, you'll line an 8x8 pan with wax paper and empty the contents into the pan.

Then use your hands and press into the pan, creating a uniform thickness.

Stick the pan in the refrigerator and let the bars cool!  And now you wait.  After a few hours, I generally let them sit undisturbed for about two hours.  Once the bars have had a chance to cool, you can cut them into squares or rectangles.  I generally cut the large square into eighths, but you could do smaller or larger!  Tip: cut in the bars in the pan, rather than lifting the large square out first.  This makes them easier to cut!  I wrap each individual bar in plastic wrap and then store them in a resealable bag in the refrigerator until I'm ready for a snack.

And now I'm officially hungry!

So I make my own Larabars, do you make anything at home because you refuse to buy it at the store?  Let me know, I'm always up for trying something new!

Homemade Apple Pie Larabar
Yields: 8 bars

Ingredients:
1 cup dates, pitted
3 Tablespoons raisins
1 cup dehydrated apples
3/4 cup almonds, unsalted
3/4 cup walnuts
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
coconut oil

Directions:
Combine dates and raisins in food processor.  Puree until the dried fruits have broken down.  

Add dehydrated apples to the processor and pulse until all three fruits have combined.  You may need to use a spoon to scrape the sides of the bowl to help incorporate the fruits together. 

Now put the almonds, walnuts, and spices into the bowl of the food processor and blend until the nuts have broken down and combined with the fruits.  Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.

Melt some coconut oil in the microwave and then drizzle the oil into the bowl with the motor running.  Once all the ingredients have been blended together pour the contents into a wax paper lined 8 x 8 pan and press into a flat, uniform thickness bar.

Cool in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.  Once cool, cut into eight bars and wrap individually in plastic wrap.

Store in refrigerator in a resealable bag.

Linking up with Tuesday Tea and Delicious Dish Tuesday.