Chocolate Bar Base

1. Line an 8" square pan with foil and grease foil with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine the almond flour, dates, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt in a food processor fitted with the steel blade attachment and process until the mixture is coarse. Add the oats and pulse in to incorporate - bits of oat should still be visible. Add the water, espresso, maple syrup, and vanilla extract and process until most of the dough clumps together.
3. Press mixture evenly into the bottom of prepared pan (it helps to use a wide, flat spatula greased lightly with cooking spray to do this). Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 1 hour.

Espresso Almond Butter Filling

1. Mix together the almond butter, espresso, and espresso powder until evenly combined. Press over first bar layer in pan to cover. Refrigerate until firm.

Chocolate Top Layer

1. Melt the chocolate in a heat-safe bowl in the microwave for 30-second increments, stirring in between, until completely melted. Stir in the coconut oil until smooth. Pour over the almond butter layer of the bars and tilt the pan around to allow chocolate to spread and smooth out evenly over top. Cool for a minute or two before sprinkling with sea salt, if desired. Allow to cool at room temperature until chocolate has set (it will still be soft) before slicing into bars. Store bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator.