These paleo peanut butter flavor DIY Larabars don’t actually contain peanuts!! By using roasted sunflower seeds, you can make a delicious energy bar perfect for snacking and anyone doing a Whole30!
This post is part of May 2013 Go Ahead Honey It’s Gluten Free over at Shirley’s GFE! Come visit to see all the recipes under the theme” “When You’re Grain Free and Feeling Like a Nut, But Don’t Eat Tree Nuts or Peanuts”
Peanut Butter Chocolate Larabars were my eldest daughter’s very favorite flavor of all. And really, who can blame her?! Peanut butter and chocolate are such a great combination!
When my son’s hives pointed to peanuts, we knew we needed to get all peanuts out of the house.
It took a few tries, but my girls love sunflower seed butter as much as they ever loved peanut butter. We go through one homemade batch a week!
And when we shifted towards a more paleo lifestyle, sunflower seeds were already well established and loved in our house.
I am not sure why it took me so long to think of recreating my daughter’s favorite Larabar with sunflower seeds as a base…but life is like that sometimes (we were already regularly making my chocolate homemade Larabar version). The obvious kind of lurks in the recesses until one day, BAM! You have an epiphany.
I am happy to report the whole family loved these bars, and my daughter has her favorite flavor back!
More no bake energy bar ideas:
- Collagen Cookie Dough Fat Bombs
- One of my personal favorites are these brazil nut lime energy bars!
- These apricot chia energy bars intrigue me!
- I love matcha, so these no bake match energy bites are right up my alley!
DIY Larabars Recipe:
If you try these no bake homemade ‘peanut butter’ larabars, be sure to come back and leave a comment!
'Peanut Butter' Chocolate Chip Larabars
Ingredients
- 2 cups roasted unsalted sunflower seeds
- 15-18 Medjool dates pitted
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt or more to taste
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips to taste (omit for Whole30)
- 2-4 tablespoons coconut oil if necessary
Instructions
- Place toasted sunflower seeds into the bowl of a food processor. (I seriously LOVE mine, and have used it for over a decade!). Whir for a couple of minutes and watch as the sunflower seeds turn into a flour and then start to clump up a bit as it converts towards a butter!
- Add in your dates and salt, and process to break up and pulverize the dates. Mixture should be sticky and press together easily. If not, add a tablespoon or two of melted coconut oil, just until the mixture presses together easily.
- Add in chocolate chips and pulse a few times just to mix.
- Press the sticky batter into an 8 x 8 or comparably sized pan. I like to line with waxed paper for easy removal.
- Press the mixture evenly into the dish.
- Refrigerate or freeze to firm up, then slice up into desired shapes & size.
Nutrition
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I also switched to sunflower seed butter and don’t really miss peanut butter anymore! This looks like the perfect recipe for me.
I made these yesterday and loved how chewy and tasty they were! My little boy loved them!
I have made these several times and they are amazing! I cut them in to small size bars and keep them in the freezer for when I have a sweet/chocolate craving!
Thanks for the feedback Amy! They are a good fix for a sweet tooth, I agree!
Hi just made these and they are AMAZING!! I will be making them over and over 🙂 thanks for this recipe!! BTW not sure if you can call them paleo as the chocolate chips are processed ( for the strict paleo people) but I am not one of them so thanks again 🙂
Hi juli, thanks for your feedback! Yes, dark chocolate is not technically Paleo….but I am like you, little here and there a welcome treat!
Do you need to use toasted sunflower seeds? I buy raw, unsalted sunflower seeds. Can I just use those or should I toast them? Do you know times/temps for toasting the seeds?
Hi Lauren1 I d not think this would taste very good with raw seeds, but it would certainly work. I toast my own seeds at 350 for about 20 minutes…you start to smell them and they will look golden!
They are my favorite midnight snack.Thank for answering @Claire regarding sunflower butter. I thinking about using until i noticed your reply.
Hi!
Haven’t made these yet, but I’m wondering if you know how much in cup amount of already made sunflower butter the 2 cups of seeds translates to? I have the butter already, but wondering if you know? Thank you.
Claire
Hi Claire! Sunflower butter will not work for this recipe…it won’t hold together, it is too runny. The seeds are not processed long enough to get to nut butter stage in this recipe. I could help you modify based on what you diet needs/wishes are if you like! Paleo? Sugar free? Treat? Snack? Just GF?
Thanks for the info:). I can use the butter otherwise! I will just go with the seeds!
This is fantastic. My kids are not allowed to bring any food with nuts, which rules out most bars at the store, but these would be a wonderful option. Thanks so much!
These look sooo good! I can’t wait to make them 🙂
I just made these. They are AMAZINGLY GOOD! I’ve made other date and nut “Lara” bars from other Paleo sites and they are also good, but these are incredible. Just be patient forming the mass. Mine was quite crumbly, use your hands to bring it together into a ball. Place between wax paper and smash it as flat as you can with a 9×9 Pyrex dish or similar.
Hi Ford, so glad you loved them! The mixture should not be so hard to press together…maybe process longer next time..good for you for making it work! Thanks for your feedback….
I love making cherry larabars. These look great too!