Snicker Doodle "Larabars"

Several months ago, I shared a recipe for our homemade Chocolate Mint "Larabar" Recipe. We make Larabars about once a month and have experimented with many different flavors. My daughter, Abbey, I think hit upon the best one yet. Last week she purchased some of the authentic Larabar holiday flavors and we couldn't believe how much the snicker doodle one tasted exactly like a cookie.

She set upon the task of making her own version...and she nailed it!

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1 cup raw almonds
• 2 cups pitted dates
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (preferable Fair Trade)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons organic cinnamon (this can be adjusted to taste)

Grind the cashews and almonds in your food processor or blender until a coarse meal is achieved. Place a scant amount of these crumbs in the bottom of your dish to prevent sticking. Put the rest of the nuts in a large bowl. Next process the dates until they are broken down and begin to form a ball. It's difficult to describe this. They don't really chop, grind or liquefy. They basically mash down and then begin to stick together. Place the dates in the bowl with nuts. (Now this is the messy part!) Add your vanilla, sea salt and cinnamon and mix all together by hand until a soft ball forms. Spread the mixture in any pan, cover and refrigerate. A small bread loaf pan can give you the approximate thickness of a real Larabar. Using a larger pan, means thinner bars...but it is not a runny mixture so you can shape it in the pan to be smaller, as Abbey did in the photo above. I have also read blogs where people shape them and wrap in wax paper. No need to refrigerate for a long time before eating.

These are absolutely delicious. No need for baked cookies filled with white, sugary badness this holiday season. Instead, make some raw, vegan "Larabars" that will satisfy that sweet tooth just as easily.