New Obsession: Vegan Fruit and Nut Bars

So my friend/fellow quartet member is vegan. She also happens to convince pretty much everyone around her that vegan food is amazing, because she is a really great cook. She debunks a lot of the stereotypes of vegan food (esp. with the sweet stuff; you know how vegan desserts can often taste really bland? Not hers!)

She recently shared a homemade version of those fruit and nut bars, like Larabars. Larabars are awesome, but kind of expensive. I had never really bought them, but Johanna gave me a taste of a homemade version with dried cranberries and cashews and I was so in love I immediately demanded the recipe.

Here is what I was given:

1 cup nuts (any)
1 1/2 cups dried fruit (any)
1 cup dried shredded coconut
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
Zest of 1 lemon or lime
1/4 tsp. salt

You just pulse it all together in a food processor, press it into a  9x9 pan, stick it in the fridge to firm up a little, then slice.

I have to say, I had a hard time getting to the 9x9 pan part...I kept eating the mixture!

I had a ton of dried fruit and nuts in my pantry; I always think I'm going to just snack on them, but never do. So, this was an exciting experiment!

Cherry/Almond
1 cup slivered almonds
1 1/2 cups dried cherries (I used a mixture that had dried Rainier and Bing cherries)
1 cup dried coconut (sweetened, because that's what I had on hand)
1 TBSP lemon juice (I didn't have a fresh lemon, so I just used what I had)
1/2 TBSP vanilla extract (I have fancy Sonoma Syrup Co. Vanilla Extract "Crush" which is a mixture of Madagascar Bourbon and Tahitian vanillas)

Shameless plug? No, seriously, I love this stuff.
I can't tell you how much I love this vanilla extract.

They were so amazing, I could barely stop eating the mixture before I put it in the 9x9 pan to firm up. So, I decided to immediately make a second batch.

Thai Inspired Peanut Bars
1 cup roasted peanuts
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup dried currants
1 cup sweetened dried coconut (again, what I had on hand, but unsweetened would probably work well, too)
1 TBSP lime juice
1 TBSP vanilla extract
A few sprinkles of toasted sesame seeds
Pinch of cardamom

The second batch is awesome, too! I added more vanilla to these because they needed a little creaminess. Johanna wanted to try a curry powder with the peanuts and lime juice and coconut (and possibly dried mango), but I wasn't that brave yet!

I briefly contemplated making them non-vegan and adding sweetened condensed milk or coconut milk (which I also had in my pantry...), but I didn't want to open a whole can just to use a teaspoon or so, so that experiment will have to wait for another day.

There are plenty of ideas that I have...walnut+cranberry; thai style with crystallized ginger, dried mangoes, lime, and peanuts; pistachio+cashew+dried strawberry; pecan+apricot; slivered almonds+dried raspberries+dutch process cocoa...the possibilities are exciting!