Banana Nut Bars

Larabars are tasty and they have good ingredients, but at a buck and a half a bar, they're a splurge. I have a dehydrator, so I decided to try making my own. Holy crap.

Not only did I get a yield of twelve whole bars, but they turned out so fresh and chewy I may never buy a Larabar again. Sorry, Lara.

These bars taste exactly like banana nut bread, but their sweetness comes from whole fruit sugars, and their fat from omega-3 rich nuts and seeds. Plus, making them put a dent in my bargain bin banana bunch. Out-alliterate that, bitches.

4-Ingredient Banana Nut Bars
Total Kitchen Time: 20 minutes. Makes 12 bars

3 ripe bananas
1 1/2 cups raw almonds
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds, rinsed and swished
1/2 cup whole pitted deglet noor dates

Mash bananas well in a large mixing bowl.

Chop or process almonds finely and combine with banana. Ditto dates and seeds. You can also leave the seeds whole, as I did.

Form "dough" into bar shapes and arrange on parchment paper at least two inches apart. The dough will be wet and messy, but easily shaped.

Dry at 135 degrees several hours, flip the bars, and dry several hours more.

Consume ravenously.