Tiramisu LÄRABAR Bites

Because Fooduzzi is a safe place, I want to admit something to all of you: I often fall victim to the snack attack.

Hangryism runs deep within the Peduzzi household. My brother’s hangryness is so bad, that he eventually becomes adamant that he isn’t hungry and refuses to admit he just needs a fulfilling snack to get him back to his normal bright-eyed and bushy-tailed self. It’s just a lovely experience for all involved.

Because I don’t want to be left without a nourishing solution when my hangryism rears it’s ugly head, I have to have healthy snacks within an arm’s reach at all times.

While fresh fruit or vegetables and nuts are usually my go-to, sometimes I crave something a little different, yet equally wholesome and delicious. Enter: LÄRABAR.

I had first heard of this brand from one of my favorite blogs. I was intrigued by LÄRABAR’s short and whole food-packed ingredient list, so I was thrilled when our grocery store started to carry them. These naturally vegan and gluten free bars have so many flavors that can tempt any kind of taste bud. Fancy fruity flavors? Try their Blueberry Muffin or Banana Bread bar. Is chocolate more your style? Their Chocolate Chip Brownie and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough bars are the answers to all of your snack-time woes. My favorites are Peanut Butter Cookie and Cashew Cookie. 2-3 ingredients. Nutty. Fulfilling. Perfect. I adore LÄRABAR (and no, I’m not getting paid to say that. I just love them that much).

While LÄRABAR has many different flavors, there is one flavor that is missing from their collection: Tiramisu. This classic Italian dessert is a simple, yet impressive combination of coffee, chocolate, and mascarpone. Today, I’m going to show you how you can make Tiramisu LÄRABAR Bites in a snap. Yippee for healthy solutions for when that inevitable hangryism appears!

As with all LÄRABARs, our tiramisu variety starts with a simple blend of medjool dates and nuts (in this case, I used almonds). I’m a HUGE fan of dates, or those sticky, sweet, caramely whole food delights. To play along the tiramisu theme, we’re letting some of the dates soak in…coffee. I doubt there’s a more delicious way to eat a date than soaking it in some of this bold liquid love. Use regular, use decaf, use vanilla-flavored; just be sure to allow the coffee to chill before adding your dates.

I added a touch of cocoa powder to the mix. I love dutched-processed cocoa, but I realize it’s not nearly as healthy as it’s natural cocoa or cacao cousins. Choose whatever variety you wish, but be sure to taste the mixture to adjust the amount as necessary. To play on the mascarpone, I added a touch of nutritional yeast to our mixture. Nutritional yeast contains amino acids and B vitamins, making it a favorite ingredient among vegetarian and vegan eaters. I really like it for its nutty, cheesy flavor; therefore, I think it’s a great substitute to the dairy component found in tiramisu.

If you know how to push “Blend” on a food processor, you can make these Tiramisu LÄRABAR Bites. These vegan and gluten free bites smell like a sweet mocha; the coffee and cocoa powder create such an addictive aroma. Add dates, almonds, and nutritional yeast to the mix? I guarantee you will not be able to stop at just one.