One of my main foodie resolutions this year is to eat more whole, natural foods. I want to make as much of the food that we consume as I can at home, to control the ingredients and the flavors and make sure there’s no weird aspartame lurking where it shouldn’t. I mean, we all need some full-blown, no-holds-barred cheddar goldfish or potato chips every now and then, but for the everyday, I’d like to try to up the ante on the natural-ness of our food. Honestly, it’s not that I’m generally bad at this, but we all have room to improve, right?
I don’t eat TOO many pre-packaged foods, but one of my favorite pre-gym snacks is and always has been a good energy bar. It always fills me up and satisfies me, and I love the variety and tons of flavors you can find at pretty much any grocery store nowadays. Now, don’t get me wrong – there are TONS of generally good-for-you options out there for an energy-packed on-the-go snack bar, and I don’t feel guilty in the least eating a KIND bar or a Clif bar before gettin’ my run on. But in the spirit of my resolution, I thought it would be fun to try to make my own version that was just as filling and satisfying and hearty as the ones I turn to as an afternoon pick-me-up.
I couldn’t be happier with how my homemade energy bars turned out. I used this imitation Clif bar recipe as a base, and changed it up based on my personal preferences. I subbed almond butter and almonds for the peanut butter and peanuts, and added white chocolate chips and dried cherries because I absolutely love the flavor combination of almonds, cherries, and white chocolate. The result was incredibly close to a real Clif bar, just a tad lighter in texture, and so easy to put together – these bars are totally no-bake! Most importantly, there is not a single bad-for-you ingredient in the whole thing (unless you count white chocolate, but there’s only ¼ cup in the whole batch, and besides, nobody wants a life without chocolate). Plus, you’ll save tons of money by making your own – those individual bars get really expensive, yo!
These white chocolate cherry almond energy bars are the perfect afternoon pick-me-up, pre-gym snack, or breakfast on the go. I absolutely loved them, and I think anyone, energy bar fan or not, would agree. Here’s to New Year’s Resolutions that celebrate food, not shame it – something I can totally get behind!
- 1 cup pitted dates
- 1 ¼ cups crispy rice cereal
- 1 cup quick oats
- ¼ cup coarsely chopped raw almonds
- 2 tbsp. ground flaxseed
- ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- Pinch kosher salt
- ½ cup almond butter
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips
- ¼ cup dried cherries
- Spray an 8 x 8 inch pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- Add the dates to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped and a thick paste forms. In a large bowl, combine the chopped dates with the crispy rice cereal, oats, almonds, ground flaxseed, cinnamon, and salt. Stir very well.
- In a small saucepan, melt the almond butter and the honey together over medium heat. Once fully combined, remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour over the date mixture and mix to combine fully. Stir in the white chocolate chips and dried cherries and mix to combine again.
- Spread the mixture into the prepared pan, pressing down to get it in all the corners. Smooth the top so it is even. Allow to cool in the pan until completely set (at least 1 hour) then cut into 9 squares and wrap individually in plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week!
- These are very customizable - feel free to sub your favorite nut butter, chocolate chips, and/or dried fruit for the ones I use above!
Looking for more on-the-go healthy snack ideas?
Tropical White Chocolate Coconut Granola Bars
Whole Wheat Banana Muffins with Dark Chocolate and Toasted Pecans
Vegan Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Bread
I often have snack bars like these on hand for whenever I need an energy or sugar boost.. so this recipe is just perfect for me. I have to make them, love how healthy they are!
Thanks so much Thalia!! They are DA BOMB – I hope you like them!! 😀
This looks AMAZING! Where do you by pitted dates? Could I sub in raisins?
PFfffffff I meant BUY, derp on my fast typing.
HA you’re never a derp!! I bought dates w/ pits at Plum Market and then just pitted them myself, but I’ve also seen them just in the regular grocery store already pitted! I wouldn’t sub raisins because dates are so much stickier and sweeter and they’re one of the main binders in the bars so I think they’re importante. You should TOTES make them though I loved them!!
mmm yummy energy bars, looks so tempting.
Thanks so much Amallia! I love them 😀