Cashew Coconut Larabites
These cute Cashew Coconut Larabites are just like Larabars, except they’ll only cost you a fraction of the price! And they’re super easy to make, too!
Larabars are just the best, don’t you think? Personally, I love love love to have them around when I find myself in need of a quick little afternoon snack.
What I enjoy most about them is the fact that, unlike most snack-slash-granola-slash-protein-bars out there, Larabars are entirely natural and made from a very short list of nothing but real, wholesome ingredients.
Let’s be honest, though; the healthy bars are a bit on the pricey side. The good thing is, the very fact that they contain so few ingredients makes them super easy to recreate at home for a fraction of the price! The trick resides in getting the right ratios… but with a little bit of experimentation, you very quickly get the hang of it.
And then, you can make pretty much any flavor you like and make your bars any size you want, too! Like I did with these cute Cashew Coconut Larabites. Get it? They’re just like Larabars, except I made them much smaller, almost bite size, so I called them Larabites.
I prefer my bars (or bites, rather) to be on the thick side, so I like to use a loaf pan to shape them. I find it gives them the perfect thickness. If you prefer yours to be on the thinner side, feel free to experiment with different size pans. Don’t ever neglect to grease the bottom and sides of your pan, though (I like to use ghee or coconut oil to do that) and then line it with parchment paper, leaving a bit of an overhang on 2 sides. This will make the removal of the bars SO much easier once they’re good and set.
Once your pan has been dealt with, combine your pitted dates, coconut oil and salt in the bowl of a food processor; pulse several times until the dates are reduced to a thick and sticky paste and start to form a ball and then add the coarsely chopped cashews.
Note that you could use any other kind of nut that you prefer here, just be sure to use the same quantity.
Walnuts, almonds, pecans or even pistachios would be amazing!
Pulse a few more times until the nuts are chopped and well incorporated.
You want there to remain bits and pieces of nuts in the mixture, so be sure not to over-process it. It’s not date paste we’re making!
Add the shredded coconut…
…and pulse again until it too, gets to be well incorporated into the date mixture.
Transfer this date mixture to the prepared pan and press it really firmly and evenly.
Don’t be afraid to push down pretty hard on that stuff: it needs to be firmly packed or else it won’t hold its shape and form into nice bars.
I find it helps to place a piece of parchment paper over the mixture and then flatten it down with a flat bottomed object, such as a drinking glass for instance.
This is what your mixture should look like once you’ve pressed it down good. Try and make that top as even as possible, too!
Refrigerate the mixture for a few hours and then lift it off the pan (you’ll thank me for the parchment paper lining) and cut into 20 bars.
Or however many bars, or bites, you want!
Keep your finished Larabars in a cool dry place in an air tight container for up to several weeks.
And if you like them extra chewy like I do, try storing them in the fridge!
Cashew Coconut Larabites
Ingredients
- 2-3/4 cups pitted dates
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/4 tsp salt, I use Himalayan salt
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- 1/2 cup chopped dry roasted cashews
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
Instructions
- Grease the bottom and sides of a loaf pan with coconut oil then line the pan with parchment paper, leaving a bit of an overhang on both long sides.
- Combine the pitted dates, coconut oil and salt in the bowl of a food processor; pulse several times until the dates are reduced to a thick and sticky paste and start to form a ball.
- Add the cashews pieces and pulse a few more times until the nuts are chopped and well incorporated.
- Add the shredded coconut and pulse again until it too, is well incorporated in the date mixture.
- Transfer this date mixture to the prepared pan and press it really firmly and evenly. It helps to place a piece of parchment paper over the mixture and then flatten it down with a flat bottomed object, such as a drinking glass.
- Refrigerate for a few hours before cutting into 20 bars.
- Keep in a cool dry place in an air tight container for up to several weeks.
Nutrition
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3 Comments on “Cashew Coconut Larabites”
I need cashews! This is the second recipe I would like to make using cashews. These look wonderful.
Yum! Great idea for back to school! Making soon!
PS. Whose little mitten is that? So cute!
Haha! Good catch! That would be my baby grand-daughter. She loves to kneel on a chair next to me when I do photo shoots and sample the goods! Oh, and reorganize granny’s styling, too! 😉