Chocolate Coconut Oat Bars (a nutritiously sweet treat)

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chocolate coconut bars

This is a sweet (but not too sweet) desert or snack made from real food ingredients. It is a new family favorite and one I feel pretty good about feeding my kids (and myself).

This bar stays soft and chewy (which we like). It is also egg-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free (if you buy gluten-free oats). (The only thing you might need to be careful of is the chocolate you use. We chose a nice dark chocolate and it didn't have any dairy in it.)

Chocolate Coconut Oat Bars

This recipe was adapted from one found in the February 2011 issue of Delicious Living magazine (Basically, I took out the agave and replaced it with honey and maple syrup. I also replaced natural cane sugar with Sucanat and reduced the amount a little).

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups rolled oats (package must say gluten-free)
1 cup ground almonds or almond meal
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup sucanat
1/2 to 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips or roughly chopped chocolate

Method

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. (Yes, it is supposed to be this low.)

In a large bowl, combine oats, coconut, ground almonds, and cocoa powder.

In a saucepan combine coconut oil, honey, maple syrup, and sucanat. Heat over medium heat and stir until sucanat is dissolved. Don't boil. Pour this mixture over the dry ingredients. Stir until well blended.

chocolate

Allow mixture to cool slightly. Once cool, add chocolate chips or chopped chocolate and stir through (do this step quickly so that the chocolate doesn't melt).

Press mixture into an ungreased 8 by 8 inch baking dish.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Allow to cool completely before slicing into squares.

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Healthy Chocolate Coconut Bars

 

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26 Comments

  1. Should the cooking temp be 375* instead of 275*? They are great tasting, but I found that they took @ 40 min @ 275*. Great Recipe.

    1. I made them at 275 for 20 minutes and they were defiitely still chewy. We liked them that way, but I do wonder about the cooking time. I bought more oats last night so I can retest the recipe – BUT, I accidentally bought quick cooking oats!

      Once I get the right oats, I’ll let you know how they turn out 🙂

    2. I tried the recipe at 275 and then made another one at 375. I like the 275 one better. It does have to cool completely before cutting. I tried to scoop some out before it cooled and it just fell apart. I can see how it may not look cooked after 20 minutes at 275, but it works for me this way 🙂

  2. These are so good Stacy! I made them last night and added some peanut butter to the mixture. Mmm, they are delicious. My husband LOVES them, which is good because I made them for his lunches this week. 🙂 He’s very happy about that, but I don’t think they’re going to last all week since he’s already taken care of half the pan!

    1. I’m so glad you liked them! We certainly do. There is no way they would last a whole week around here! Maybe two days at the most 🙂 I bet they were good with peanut butter too. I might try that. Or, Almond butter…. mmmm!

    1. I hope you like them! We sure do.

      If you happen to have any almonds on hand just grind them up in the food processor. It works great (that’s what I usually do).

  3. I can’t wait to try these! New to your blog but I am loving it. Told my husband that I found a girl that gets as giddy over making everything homemade as I do! One thing about your recipe, though, it’s not gluten-free. Oats have gluten unless you specifically buy “gluten-free oats”. It know for sure that gluten is found in grains like wheat, rye, kamut, and oat. Some Gluten free grains are rice, corn, millet, and quinoa. Gluten-free oats are easy to find though in the organic section of my grocery. Keep all of those natural remedy posts coming! I just can’t learn enough.:)

    1. Thank you so much for your comment. I was getting ready to leave town when you left it and haven’t been able to reply until now (bad internet connection).

      I’ve updated the post so people are aware that they must buy gluten free oats to make this truly gluten free.

      Thanks again.

      P.S. I’m happy to hear of another person who is obsessed with make stuff from scratch. It is fun, isn’t it?

  4. I know this may be a silly question . . . but I have everything on hand to make these EXCEPT for sucanat and I do not know that that is or if I can substitute something else for it . . . I know I can just make a trip to the store . . . but maybe you could give me some help on what it is first!

    thanks 🙂

  5. Can you recommend any substitutions for the almond flour? I am (unfortunately) allergic to almonds. Walnuts or pecans maybe?

    1. I’m not sure. I’ve never tried it with another flour. Walnuts or pecan might work, but will definitely change the flavor quite a bit.

      Sorry I’m not much help. If you find something that works, let me know.

  6. Choc coconut bars. Taste great but fall apart. I have even left them overnite and still very crumbly. Any solution? Tks