Back in the spring, I scored some Kind bars at my local Grocery Outlet store (THE best place to find trail snacks for cheap when you don’t have time to make them). Rather than go for the fruity ones (most had peanuts) I decided to try the Strong & Kind Hickory Smoked Almond Protein Bars (that’s a mouth full. Literally.)
OMG. So delish.
Sitting up on top of Excelsior Peak trying to imagine the view I couldn’t see due to the darn clouds that ALWAYS tend to be in attendance when I do a hike up HWY 542 by Mount Baker, I pondered how truly yummy these bars were.
And of course, the thought came to mind, “I could make something like these.”
#walnuts #driedapples #driedapricots #cacoa #smokedseasalt #liquidsmoke #dates #almonds
It took me awhile to get around to put these together (that darn hiking thing keeps me so busy) but I think they turned out rather well. I did have to make a decision about whether to copy them exactly or go with just the essence of them.
The actual Kind bars use a sugar syrup to bind the nuts and seeds and I opted for my first attempt to go with dates instead. I feel they have just a bit more nutrition (just a bit) than any syrupy thing I could concoct. This, of course, makes them more like a Larabar. I know, not exactly a copycat. FYI: you have to click on this link just so you can hear their website sing to you about little boxes in the grocery store. Hilarious.
Okay, on with the recipe. I chose walnuts for my base and soaked them ahead of time. I try to do this as much as possible when cooking with nuts because it helps remove the phylates that interfere with nutrient absorption. You can read more about this HERE. If soaking and drying seems a bit much for you, you could skip this step and the bars will still turn out great.
These were in the fridge a few days but overnight works. I then drained and dried them in the oven so that they would not have extra water in the bars. That would definitely complicate things. I tossed these into the food processor and then added some dehydrated apples and a few dried apricots. Got to be careful with those, they provide A LOT of fiber. Just sayin’.
Pulse until finely minced.
I tossed in some cacoa and smoked alderwood sea salt and then tasted. Hmmm…not quite enough smoky flavor and if I added more they would be way too salty.
So, I remembered I had some liquid smoke up in the cabinet so I tossed a little of that in. Perfect!
Side note: I can not tell you how long this bottle has been in my cabinet. Five years? A decade? Truth is, I don’t even remember buying it. But I really didn’t give it a thought until I went over to my bf’s house and saw his bottle. Well, turns out that stuff must last FOREVER ‘cuz these taste amazing and I’m still alive. Just keepin’ it real, folks.
Okay, now for the dates. And by this I mean date paste. Haven’t used this before? It is the bomb. You can read more about it on my post The Perfect Date. If you can’t find date paste, soft medjool dates will work, too.
I blended that in a little at a time until the “dough” made a ball that held it’s shape, then tossed in some sliced almonds to give the bar some texture.
I pressed the dough into a 8×8 glass pan lined with parchment paper to make one large square. Using the parchment paper to lift out the square form, I set it on the counter to cut. Then, I cut them into bars about 1 1/2″ wide.
You could also roll them into protein balls. Just as fun. This recipe will make 10 bars, 20 squares or 20 balls depending on how you cut/roll them.
There are a few ways you can store these. You can use those snack size ziplocs, plastic wrap or if you are trying to reduce your plastic exposure, there are some great paper sacks on the market.
How I know these are good? Besides the fact they disappeared rather quickly. I had two great taste testers over while making them and they gave them a thumbs up. And 9 year old boys can be hard to please.
Here are some other energy balls and bites I have made:
- Pad Thai Snack Balls
- Guayaba Coco con Col Rizada Energy Balls
- Tangy Bacon Pineapple Energy Balls
- Classic Spumoni Energy Bites
Have you made homemade Larabars before? What are some of your favorite flavors?
Hickory Smoke Larabars
Prep Time
25 minutes
Total Time
25 minutes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Gluten Free, No Dehydrator Needed, Paleo, Vegan, Whole Food
Servings: 10 bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups walnuts
- 1 cup dried apple slices
- 1/3 cup dried apricots
- 1 teaspoon cacoa
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon hickory liquid smoke
- 1 cup date paste or medjool dates
- 1 cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Pulse the walnuts, dried apples and apricots in the food processor until finely minced.
- Add the cacoa, sea salt and liquid smoke and blend.
- Add the date paste and blend until thoroughly mixed. You should be able to make a little ball and have it hold shape.
- Pulse the sliced almonds in lightly.
- Press the mixture into a 8×8 glass pan lined with parchment paper. You can skip this step and roll the dough into balls if you would like. Makes about 20.
- Use the parchment paper to lift out the bars and cut into desired shape. Should make either 10 bars or 20 squares.
- Place in snack size ziplocs or paper sacks. (I keep mine in the fridge until I take them out on the trail. Or until I just eat them)
Editor’s note: Kind no longer makes these bars, all the more reason to try this recipe. However, if you do a Google search you will see plenty of stores advertising them. You may get lucky!
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