Humm Food's LaraBars
Generally, I prefer to make my own snacks (such as vegan chocolate energy protein bars), because most of the bars and mixes that you purchase are too high in salt and come with a ridiculous amount of packaging. But I do like to have some things in the kitchen ready for quick getaways, when I don’t have time for long preparations. In purchased products I look for light or minimal packaging, products that are non-squashable and don’t leak, products that are dairy free (I can’t eat dairy) and free from artificial colours and sweeteners.
This year at the Melbourne Good Food and Wine Show, I tasted many snacks and museli/granola bars, nuts and preserves. My favourites were Larabars and Mrs. Mays Classic Crunches. I’ve eaten Lara Bars before (when I lived in Canada) but had not seen them here in Australia until recently. It was the first time I had tried Mrs. May’s Naturals.
Both sell themselves on their ‘natural’ ingredients. Larabars have less than six ingredients in any product and are uncooked, unprocessed and are gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, non-GMO, sodium-free, vegan and kosher. Mrs. Mays Classic Crunches have equally short ingredient lists and are vegan, non-GMO, cholesterol free, dairy-free, wheat-free, gluten-free, free from trans fats, contain no artificial colours or flavours or preservatives.
They are both really yummy, far superior to any other pre-packaged snack that I’ve tasted recently. I especially liked the Jocalat (chocolate), Key Lime and Cinnamon Roll Larabars. Like all of the flavours, they mainly consist of a base of puréed dates and ground nuts intersperced with larger pieces of nuts. All the bars contain about (it varies a few pper cent between flavours) 10% fibre, 8% protein, 50% sugars and 20% fat – not bad for a high-energy snack for endurance sports. The compositions of Mrs. Mays Classic Crunches vary much more between flavours. But as their major ingredient is either nuts or seeds and thus they contain more fat than sugar (not such a perfect endurance snack). They provide about twice as many kilojoules per 100g than LaraBars. My favourites flavours were Coconut Almond and Cashew.
The downsides of both products are that they are American (Larabar are from Colorado and Mrs. Mays from California) and therefore imported. The Larabar products I purchased were manufactured in the USA and Mrs. Mays Classic Crunches were produced in either USA (almond) or China (all other flavours). I try not to buy things produced so far away, so I’ll probably be buying them infrequently while I live in Australia. Because I liked them so much and there really isn’t anything similar produced in Australia and because they both contain only real and recognisable ingredients, I think I’ll try and make some up in my own kitchen. I’ll let you know how that goes.
Mrs. Mays Classic Crunch
Hi,
As another fan of Larabars and also preferring my own stuff, I’ve come up with a recipe for making them myself. This way you don’t need to buy imported and you get to control what goes in. I use organic dark chocolate, but this is optional. You could cut it out and use cocoa or another ingredient if you prefer:
YOU NEED:
• 500 G PITTED DATES
• 200 G RAW ALMONDS and 50 G WALNUTS
• 100 G ORGANIC DARK CHOCOLATE (70 % Cocoa), CHILLED
• 2 TABLESPOONS SESAME SEEDS (OPTIONAL)
All you do is …
Using a food processor, process the nuts until well-ground (leave a few small lumps in). Pour into a deep mixing bowl
Break the chocolate bar into small, even-sized pieces and place in processor bowl and blitz into fairly fine crumbs. Add to nuts and stir with a fork to distribute evenly through the mix. Add sesame seeds if using.
Process the dates in small batches to a stiff pulp (they will have a fudge-like texture). Add all to the nuts and chocolate.
Using your hands, knead mix until well combined. (this step is a little messy). Work the mix into a ball and pat into shape.
Line a large pastry board with baking paper to avoid sticking.
Turn mixture onto the board, press to flatten and then roll with a rolling pin into a flat, roughly rectangular shape approx a4 sheet size. It should be about 1 to 1.5 cm thick. Trim sides level and set trimmings aside.
With a sharp knife, cut the mix in half lengthways. Cut each half into eight even-sized bars. Place bars onto a baking tray and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour until very firm (the chocolate will firm the mixture as it chills.
Repeat with trimmings, rolling into a smaller rectangle and cut into similar-sized bars until all used.
When bars are firm enough to handle, wrap each in cling wrap and then foil or coloured foil wrap. Seal and label if desired.
Cheers,
Write Owl.