Raisin Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies (cheapskate Larabars)

BEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE

I love these so much that posting about them on a hungry stomach is just a terrible idea. I'm going to have to rush through this, then hurry into my kitchen and make some more. They are just fantastically good. They make for a quick grab-and-go breakfast if your kids sleep in (like one of mine did this morning). They make for a great post workout snack. They make for a great healthy dessert that doesn't really taste like a healthy dessert.

They are like Larabars in that they combine fruit and nuts (and chocolate) to make something divine. But they combine the cheapest dried fruit and the cheapest nut. The cost of the entire batch is about not more than $2.00. The last time I bought a box of Larabars on sale, it was $5.00.

And the truth is that they taste 500 times better than those expensive Larabras. So make them.

(P.S. Freeze them if you want to keep them around longer than 40 seconds. My kids descend upon them like locusts of Biblical fame--consuming all.)

You can find the recipe below and the original post HERE.

Want more Larabar knock-offs. Try THESE. Or THESE BROWNIE BITES.

Raisin Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies (aka Cheapskate Larabars)
adapted from Chocolate-Covered Katie
Makes about 12 (um, a little foggy here on the amount; I must have been snitching too much dough)
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cost: $1.70
peanut butter: .70, raisins: .70, peanuts: .30


Note: These are oily when you form them into balls--at least mine were. I just set them on a paper towel and all was well.

Another note: If you'd like, you can add any variety of dried fruits or nut butters. I did a batch with raisins, coconut, peanut butter, and almonds. It was also delicious, although this original recipe was still may favorite. Nevertheless, feel free to play around with the recipe a bit.

1 1/4-1 1/2 C raisins
3/4 C peanut butter
6 Tbsp peanuts (I used raw, but plain roasted will work too)
3/4 tsp vanilla
dash of salt if that's your thing (it's mine)
chocolate chips, optional (I added them sometimes and didn't other times--both were awesome)

Combine raisins, peanut butter, and peanuts in a food processor. (Note: In an attempt to save on dishes I tried this in my cheap blender. It didn't work; the raisins were just too sticky.) Process until smooth (you'll have a few bits of peanuts, but not big chunks) and coming together like a dough. Add vanilla and salt (if using) and process. (If using chocolate chips, you can add these at the very end and give them a whirl or two, but I like mine chunky so I didn't pulverize them.)

Take out, form into balls. Place balls on waxed paper or paper towels and press into cookie shapes using a fork or spoon.