Chocolate Fudge Coconut Bars
I love coconut and I love chocolate. And I especially love them together. These bars are, for me, kind of a paleo-friendly version of a Bounty Bar, an Almond Joy and a fudge brownie all combined into one. I will not be eating them all myself, tempting as that may be (they are really, really good). I love trying out new things and making desserts, but I absolutely believe that treats should be for ‘sometimes’, not ‘all the time’. I’ll be taking these in to work or in to Fit2Day to share.
The Bottom Fudgy Brownie Layer
This part is actually a recipe that I have been making for years. I make little fudge truffles out of it. I roll the dough into balls and try not to eat them all. I thought the dough would make the perfect chocolaty base for this recipe. Feel free to just make this part and roll it into little truffle bites (they are really good rolled in grated coconut).
- 1 cup of nuts (any), today I used almonds
- 8 large medjool dates (about 225 grams), pitted–must be medjool dates, other kinds are just too dry
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 4 Tablespoons of cacoa powder
These are the dates and the cacoa powder that I use. I got the dates at Coop and the cacoa powder at Migros.
What you’ll need
- Throw it all into a food processor together and mix until a dough ball forms.
What it should look like
- Grease an 8″x8″ pan and press your dough into it. Use a spatula or a spoon because it’s a little sticky.
- Set your bottom layer aside while you make the coconut part.
The Coconutty Layer
- 1 1/2 cups grated coconut (“Kokosnuss gerapselt”), unsweetened and finely shredded
- 2-3 Tablespoons honey (I used 2)
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- pinch of salt
Put it all in a bowl and mix it up together until well combined. Spread this over your bottom layer and use a spoon to press it down firmly.
The Fancypants Part
- 25 grams of 70% dark chocolate
- 20 almonds
I tried to make these bars look all pretty by drizzling melted chocolate over the top. I’m pretty sure I’m not very good at drizzling…
My drizzle skills are lacking
I melted 25 grams of 70% dark chocolate (1/4 of a bar) over low heat. I don’t have a microwave, but that would totally work. Then you drizzle. Easier said than done. I used a spoon, but you could probably use a piping bag or something fancy like that. Then place your almonds on top in neat little rows so that you end up with one per bar.
Ready for cutting
Now put it in the refrigerator for an hour (or the freezer for 15-20 minutes if you are impatient like me) before using a knife to cut into squares.
Taste as good as they look!
Ingredients
- 1 cup of nuts (I used almonds)
- 225 grams (8 ounces) medjool dates, pitted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 4 Tablespoons cacoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups grated coconut (unsweetened)
- 2-3 Tablespoons honey (I used 2)
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- 1/4 coconut oil, melted
- pinch of salt
- 25 grams (about 1 ounce) dark chocolate
- 20 almonds
Instructions
- Put all of the ingredients in a food processor together and process until a dough ball forms
- Grease or line the bottom of an 8X8 pan with parchment paper
- Spread the mixture out over the pan. Tip: lay a piece of parchment paper over it to help press it down with you hands or a spoon and you won't have to get all sticky.
- Set aside and make the next layer
- Mix all of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl until well combined
- Spread out over the bottom layer and press down with a spoon
- Melt your chocolate and drizzle it over the top of everything
- Top with whole almonds if you want
- Now put it in the fridge for a few hours before cutting into squares
Notes
You can use other nuts in the bottom layer and it will work just fine.
49 Comments
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Thanks Lisa!!! It sure looks yummy!!!! I don’t have a food processor so can I mix with my hand mixer??? If not, guess I’ll just have to go buy one…
Hi Nicole!!
I don’t think a hand mixer would work for the bottom layer. The dates really need to be mixed with a food processor. I didn’t have one for years and now I use mine all the time. Tell Julie to get you one for Christmas 😉
I think this looks delicious…but can I leave out the dates? never liked them that much…
Hi Mina,
I don’t like dates either and would never just eat them plain. I don’t think this recipe tastes like dates at all. The only thing I can think of for a replacement would be the same amount of dry figs. The dates add all the sweetness and hold the base together. The other thing you could try would be to make a fudgy brownie layer like this one http://www.health-bent.com/treats/paleo-fudgy-brownies and then put the coconut layer on top of that. Or try our our magic bars which are also chocolaty and coconutty.
Hi Lisa,
I actually made it last night WITHOUT the dates..i made a paleo brownie…
http://gabbysgfree.com/2012/08/no-bake-brownie-bites-toasted-coconut/
and with your coconut layer…OMG AMAZING!
Hi Mina,
Yay!! Thanks for the update! Glad you were able to work it out and that it turned out yummy 🙂
I was wondering if baking them would make them tastier?
Hi Brenda,
I’m not sure how the consistency would hold up if you baked them. If you try it, let me know how it turns out 🙂
As delicious as this looks and sounds exactly as it’s written, I can’t handle dairy at all, so I’ll make a minor adjustment. I’m thinking a drizzle of cocoa powder mixed with warm coconut oil should work just fine for the top. If not, I may try it like a sandwich with the brownie portion top and bottom. Thanks for the idea and the beautiful detail.
Hi Pamela,
I use cocoa powder mixed with coconut oil all the time as a substitute for chocolate so I’m sure it’ll work just fine 🙂 Even drizzling a bit of almond butter on top would be delicious (and dairy free).
Thanks, Lisa. I shared this on my FB page (with a link back to your blog, of course.)
Thanks Pamela!!
maybe it is different where you live..but A LOT of the commercially available chocolate here in the US IS dairy free…it is a common mus-conception for many. I think the cocoa butter throws people off. Obviously milk chocolate is NOT what you want, but a dark chocolate with no milk powders or cream! Let me know if you need brand specific ideas!
Hi LIsa,
I tried this immediately–just the bottom as a sort of pudding. I used regular micros figs (I have a POWERFUL blender so it was okay), plus macadamia nuts, cacao, vanilla sugar (just cause I didn’t have the liquid vanilla), no salt, and rice milk. I blended and put it in the freezer for two hours and it is AMAZING.
Hi Danielle!!
Great modifications! So glad it turned out and that you liked it 🙂 I LOVE figs!
that would be MIGROS figs. I also threw in almonds.
Those look fabulous. Adding this to the Thanksgiving plan.
Hi Angela,
Thanks for stopping by! They would be great for Thanksgiving because they are no-bake. My oven is always too busy with a turkey to bake much of anything else on Thanksgiving!
These look amazing! Hmmm, I think I have all the ingredients at home…
Don’t you just love it when you run across something delicious sounding and you have everything you need to make it? 🙂
I am featuring these incredible bars (I could eat 4 right now!) this week on Allergy-Free Wednesdays 🙂
Thanks Laura!!
These were great! I did find I had to add a tiny bit of water to the date mixture and I made about 1.5 times the amount of coconut topping.
Hi Pam,
Glad you liked them! Yum, extra coconut to make them super thick 🙂
We had these for Thanksgiving! Big hit with the family.
Hi Cindy,
I’m so glad everybody enjoyed them 🙂
These were delicious. Thank you.
Hi Sandra,
So glad you enjoyed them! They are one of my favorites 🙂
I made these and they are delicious. I cannot believe how rich and chocolaty that bottom layer is. I had no honey so I used maple syrup for the coconut layer, it tasted great, but I think the honey would make them hold together better. Overall a big hit. Thanks, Lisa!!
Hi Rachelle,
YAY!! I’m always so glad to hear it when things taste as good to other people as they do to me 🙂 I actually make truffles out of the bottom layer mixture by rolling it into balls and then rolling them in coconut or cocoa powder (or even melted chocolate). I used to make truffles with that mix even before I was paleo.
Wo bekomme ich diese tollen Datteln her? Würde es nämlich gerne ausprobieren!
I always get mine at the normal food shops here in Switzerland (Coop or Migros). Like the bananas though, it’s a good idea to weigh them for the recipe. I made this again today for a party and it took several more than 8 dates (how many I needed last time) to make 225 grams. Ich hoffe du kannst Datteln irgenwo finden 🙂
Ich werde mir diese Datteln demnächst im Internet bestellen, da ich sie bis jetzt nirgendwo gefunden habe.
Hi there!
This recipe looks really yummy 🙂
I have dates from Migros in my cupboard… I was wondering if you have tried these. Should I go ahead and use them or will I ‘waste’ my time making brownies that won’t turn out as good?
Thanks!
Hi Doreen,
I have used those dates before. You will probably just need to wing it a bit because they are quite small and dry (if they are the ones I’m thinking of). You’ll just need to use more of them and maybe add a bit of water if the mix seems too dry. You’ll still get good flavor from them. Good luck with the recipe 🙂
Thanks for your reply! I actually went to buy the medjool dates and they are AMAZING!
Now I’m still trying to find almond flour in Switzerland, do you know which store sells it?
I’m really looking forward to trying this recipe and your fudge cake! Thanks a lot!
Hi Doreen,
I just use the ground almonds from the nut section at Migros or Coop for ma almond flour. I wrote about it in this post here and it has pictures of what I use. http://swisspaleo.ch/wp-admin/index.php
I just found the answer on your blog.. thanks 🙂
OMG – I just made the fudgy chocolate part of this recipe and it tastes like a chocolate pop tart. Amazing!!! I divided it into 16 pieces and topped each one with an almond – 86 calories a piece!
Hi Julie,
Glad you liked it! 🙂
Hi Lisa,
I was wondering if I could store a batch of these in the freezer or the fridge and how long would the freshness last? That’s if they don’t get demolished by the time I finished baking them
Hi Stacey-Lee,
I’m guessing up to a week in the fridge and quite a bit longer in the freezer. Gotta say though….the longest they have ever needed to be stored at my house was 3 days. We eat them too fast 😉