Trail Bar Recipe

We’ve talked about Lara Bars before. These simple bars combine a three to four ingredients, such as dates, berries, and nuts into some delicious flavors. These bars are loaded in simple carbohydrate sugar for quick energy and heart-healthy unsaturated fat, making them an ideal snack for backpackers. Not only do these bars burst with flavor, but also contain about 200 calories per 1.7 oz (48g ) bar. We’ll show you how you can make these EASY fruit and nut bars at home. The recipe takes only a few minutes to prepare since no cooking is required.

Basic Trail Bar Recipe (yields 2 bars)

These date fruit bars are vegan and gluten-free.

• 1/4 cup chopped whole dates (not pieces coated in dextrose)
• 1/4 cup dried fruit (cherries, cranberries or apricots are good)
• 1/3 cup nuts (almonds, peanuts, pecans, walnuts are good)
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions: Pulse pitted dates and fruit in a food processor until a paste forms. Remove the paste and pulse the nuts until finely chopped. Mix the nuts with the fruit paste and cinnamon. Divide mixture in half. Knead the mix into 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Wrap the plastic around each bar and shape into a bar form, about 4″ long, 1 inch wide and 3/4-inch thick. Tightly wrap the plastic around each bar and store in the refrigerator until your hike. These will stay good for several months if kept refrigerated or frozen. Eat within 3 – 6 weeks if you do not refrigerate.

Nutrition per Serving (1 bar, 48g): Calories 207; Fat 9.4g; Protein 3.9g; Cholesterol 0mg; Carbohydrate 24.9g; Sodium 1mg.

Flavor Variations

This recipe can be adapted for countless flavor variations.  Here are a few –

• PB & J (cheap and delicious!): Use 1/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries and 1/4 cup raisins or dates; roasted peanuts for the nuts.
• Apricot-Almond (our 2nd favorite): Use 1/3 cup dried apricots and 2 tablespoons dates (to measure 1/2 cup total); use almonds or pistachios for the nuts.
• Tropical: Use tropical fruit bits (pre-packaged from the supermarket); use raw cashews for the nuts. Add 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lime zest, and 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice to the mix.
• Blueberry Bliss: Use 1/4 cup dried blueberries and 1/4 cup dates; use almonds for the nuts. Add 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, and a drop of almond extract to the mix.
• Cashew Cookie: Reverse the proportions of fruit to nuts–Use 1/3 cup dates for the fruit and 1/2 cup raw cashews for the nuts.
• Pistachio Heaven: Same as cashew cookie, but use raw pistachios and add a tiny drop of almond extract.
• Peanut Butter Cookie Dough: Same as cashew cookie but use raw or roasted (lightly salted) peanuts for the nuts.
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: Same as cashew cookie but add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, a pinch of cinnamon and 1/2 ounce very finely chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate to the mix.

Making PB & J (Outdoor Herbivore’s favorite)

Measure out 1/4 cup of whole pitted dates
1/4 cup of dried cherries
1/4 cup of roasted peanuts
Pulse dates and fruit in a food processor until a paste forms. Remove fruit paste.  Pulse nuts separately.
Mix in the nuts and spices (cinnamon in this case) with the fruit paste.
Divide mixture into 2 balls. Wrap the plastic around each bar and shape into a bar form, about 4″ long, 1 inch wide and 3/4-inch thick.

These will stay good for several months if kept refrigerated or frozen. Eat within 6-8 weeks if you do not refrigerate. We suggest making a batch of different flavor combinations and keeping aside for outdoor pursuits. Enjoy!

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• Quinoa as a Backpacking Food
• Backpacking with Peanut Butter