One of the things I love is realizing that I don't have to buy something in the store; I can make it by myself at home! At the CHFA show, I bumped into a long lost friend of mine, Rita, (happy day!) and she gave me a couple of Larabars to try.
I am usually not a fan of fruit and granola bars but as soon as I bit into the key lime bar, I fell in love! It was awesome!
Quite by accident, I decided to buy a new brand of dates at the store. They were on sale and were in a bigger pack than the ones I usually buy.
Honey dates indeed! They were so sweet and sticky. That's when I got an idea: why not try and make something Larabar-esque using these sticky, sticky dates?
It was a bit impromptu so I didn't weigh the ingredients exactly. I used roughly:
1 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
1/2 cup assorted dried fruit and nuts (I used almonds, pistachios, raisins and cranberries)
1 tbsp baobab flour (that was a moment of genius!)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground cardamon
1 tsp ginger
Some dark chocolate shavings
1 tbsp butter
I heated the butter then added the chopped nuts and fruit mixture. I sauted them until golden brown and then set them aside.
Next, I added the dates to the saucepan and heated them on medium heat until they started melting a bit. I then added the remaining ingredients and mixed well and shaped them into small ball-like shapes.
I just loved how they tasted! I could really taste the baobab fruit flour too. What's even better is that there's so much more room for experimentation! I'm thinking next time I could add some citrus zest, dried cherries, peanut butter, cinnamon and even dried mangoes!
