Welcome to another round of let's-eat-chocolate-for-breakfast-and-call-it-healthy-too. Mondays of all days call for chocolate... unless of course you're like me and every hour of every day seems to call for chocolate. Life is tough. ;)
Remember these healthy dark chocolate no-bake bars and this double-chocolate, almond, and coconut granola? If not, here's what you need to know: they're chocolatey. They're healthy. They're good. I love them and you will too. Anyway, this is me, once again figuring out how I can eat chocolate throughout the day and call it healthy/feel good about it. Verdict? Mission ACCOMPLISHED.
I think I first made these two summers ago, at which point they tasted similar but looked wayyyy different. In its current easy-to-make, easy-to-eat, chocolate-drizzled state, these bars are exactly what I dreamed of them being: healthy, satisfying, no-bake, choco-fied, and good with a capital "G". They're the kind of breakfast/snack that you crave all day because they taste desserty and way too naughty to being eating in the middle of the day, even though they're totally not.
In my ever-going quest to make sense (HAH), I made these bars with a vision of healthified Almond Joys in mind, even though, as I've mentioned before, I've never been especially keen on Almond Joys. I do, however, love coconut and almonds and (obvi) chocolate, so the idea of an Almond Joy-ish bar that has those flavors combined in a healthier, better-tasting package, made from natural ingredients rather than who-knows-what, is right up my alley. These have a perfect blend of all those flavors, and even though they don't taste like candy (because you can't eat candy for breakfast ofcourse), they're dang good. My only complaint is that they leave me wishing I could sneak chocolate into all of my meals. It's on the to-do list. ;)
Here's to chocolate on Mondays!
Recipe Card
Healthy No-Bake Chocolate, Almond, and Coconut Bars {GF, Vegan, Refined Sugar Free}
No-bake snack bars that taste as good as they look - for those days when you're craving a chocolatey treat but need something healthy and filling.
- Yield: 12 large or 24 small bars 1x
Ingredients
Chocolate, Almond, & Coconut Bars
- 8 ¾ ounces (2 ½ cups) sliced almonds
- 11 ounces (2 cups) pitted and halved medjool dates
- 4 ¼ ounces (2 cups) unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 ¾ ounces (½ cup) natural cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3-4 tablespoons water
Coconut Almond Butter
- 10 ½ ounces (3 cups) sliced almonds
- 2 ⅛ ounces (1 cup) unsweetened coconut flakes
- 2 pinches of salt
- 1 ⅜ ounces (¼ cup) pitted and halved medjool dates
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Dark Chocolate Drizzle
- 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used 70%) (for dairy-free and sugar-free, I recommend Lily’s Sweets baking bar)
- ¾ teaspoon coconut oil
Instructions
Chocolate, Almond, & Coconut Bars
- Place almonds, dates, and coconut in a food processor fitted with the steel blade attachment and process until the mixture is coarse, resembling small pebbles. Add the cocoa and salt and process in to combine. Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time, processing in until the mixture starts to clump, feels slightly wet, and can be easily brought together with your hands.
- Transfer the mixture to a foil-lined pan (I used a 5 ½" x 12" biscotti pan, but an 8" square pan would also work) and press down into the bottom of the pan to cover the entire surface in a flat, compact layer. Using a large, flat spatula works well here. Once done, set aside while making the almond butter.
Coconut Almond Butter
- Place the almonds, coconut, and salt in the food processor and process until finely ground. Add the dates and continue to process until a smooth almond butter forms, stopping to wipe down the bottom and sides of the food processor as needed. This will take a while (about 10 minutes with my food processor), so be patient and give your machine a break if it's getting too hot. It may also be helpful to processor half of the nut butter until smooth, and then add the remaining half and continue to process until entirely smooth again. Once smooth, process in vanilla just until mixed in.
- Pour the almond butter over the first layer of the bars and smooth out the top briefly. Shake the pan gently back and forth to further smooth the top layer. Cover tightly with plastic wrap (to avoid touching surface of almond butter) and refrigerate or freeze until set. Once set, use foil to lift bars from pan, and slice as desired.
Dark Chocolate Drizzle
- Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and microwave for another 15-30 seconds as needed until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Add the coconut oil and stir in until smooth, reheating very briefly if needed to melt the oil completely.
- Transfer sliced bars to a large sheet of parchment paper and use a spoon to drizzle chocolate over bars. Place in refrigerator to set. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.
Notes
Depending on the size of your food processor, it might work best to split both the base layer and the almond butter in half when processing and make one half at a time.
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dina
great healthy bars!
Rachel
These popped up on my Instagram and wowza they look scrumptious! I am a new follower of your blog and I cant wait to try out some of your recipes! I am also eyeing your strawberry/basil galette- yumm!! Thanks
alexandra
Aww yay! SO happy to hear it. :) The galette is another one of my favorites!
Amy @ Amy's Healthy Baking
Chocolate every hour of every day? Where can I sign up?? There's seriously never such a thing as too much or an overdose, and your gorgeous bars are proof. They look so soft and fudgy and amazing! Yum!
alexandra
Hahaha YES! I feel like when we finally meet it will have to involve chocolate. ;)
Amy @ Amy's Healthy Baking
YES!!! Most definitely. I can't wait!!
Leah | So, How's It Taste?
Yum, these sound divine! So awesome that they're no bake!
Thalia @ butter and brioche
wow what an awesome idea! love that the recipe is no bake and relativley guilt-free. thanks for sharing, this is definitely a recipe i will be making as an afternoon treat!
alexandra
Yay!
Erika
UGH THESE LOOK AMAZING. As did your ice cream for OXO and Sally Lunn bread. I've been quietly stalking you these days, but just wanted to let you know that all of your creations are looking FANTASTIC and I really want to try these!!!
alexandra
Aww haha thank you for being my silent stalker! ;)