One of my favorite new party items and snack foods for my kids are homemade Lara bars.  If you’ve never had a Lara bar it is similar in concept to a granola bar, but with mostly fruit and nuts.  Just a few really good ingredients…no junk.  They are usually gluten free and can be dairy free as well which is perfect for a couple of my kids with allergies. I began searching for a recipe and came across this awesome blog with healthy-ish desserts. This recipe was taken and slightly adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie.

Fair warning: Once you make these, you will be obsessed!  I make these often and will never be without the ingredients in my house again. These are super easy and quick to make, not to mention healthy and delicious!

Ingredients

• 1 c walnuts
• 1 1/3 c dates (pitted)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 5 Tbls cocoa powder
• 3-4 drops pure peppermint essential oils (I only use Young Living brand)
• 1 pinch sea salt

Put all ingredients into a food processor or blender (I use my Vitamix and it works great!)  Blend the ingredients together until it’s all combined and looks kinda crumbly. (The first time I made these, I thought that I had done something wrong because it didn’t seem wet enough…but it really is fine!) Pour the mixture into a bowl and form into balls. You could press into a flat dish and cut into squares, but they are a bit more crumbly that way. Enjoy!

For all of the variations, check out the original website here. I love her girl scout cookie ones that are nut free. They taste awesome!

What is your favorite healthy snack food? Leave a comment below.