These bars have a buttery almond base with the sweet coconut & date topping and a chocolate drizzle to make each little square bursting with flavor
These bars were born from an effort to make a healthier, trans fat free version of some Girl Scout cookies, namely the Samoas.
They didn't turn out as planned, but they are still too good to pass up sharing with y'all.
Almond Coconut Bars have an almond shortbread base and are topped with a gooey {in a very good way} date & coconut mixture. I drizzled some melted semi-sweet chocolate over some, and I think those were my favorite. I mean, there are few desserts that are not improved with a drizzle of chocolate.
The buttery almond base with the sweet coconut & date topping and a chocolate drizzle make each little square bursting with flavor.
These are by no means healthy, just so ya know. You can't always have healthy things. Life would be too boring.
But these are improved from most desserts. You can use unsweetened coconut to make the only added sugar in these from the tablespoon of honey in the shortbread base.
I used sweetened coconut flakes because I ran out of unsweetened {I've been making lots of coconut treats this week}. But they would have been sweet enough, thanks to the dates, had I used unsweetened.
My point is that you can use either and the bars will still be delicious. Unsweetened would obviously be the better choice but can be hard to find.
The natural sugar in dates are what make these bars so deliciously sweet. Dates can be found near the raisins & other dried fruit or in the bulk section of the grocery store.
The coconut isn't too overpowering but has the perfect balance with the almonds. The chocolate adds another layer of scrumptious flavor that I definitely wouldn't leave out if you have chocolate chips.
I am pretty in love with these weird little things, and I think you will be too
They really are worth the little extra effort they require
Almond Coconut Bars
Ingredients
For Shortbread:
- 2 cups almond flour or almond meal
- 4 tablespoon butter cut into pieces
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil room temperature
- 1 tablespoon honey
For Coconut topping:
- 1 cup dates
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 cup coconut flakes
For Chocolate drizzle {optional}:
- 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1-2 tablespoon unsweetened vanilla almond milk
Instructions
- Put the dates in a bowl, and cover with very hot water. Set aside for at least 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8 or 9 inch baking pan with foil.
- In a medium sized bowl, cut the butter and coconut oil into the almond flour. Stir in the honey. You might want to use you hand to mix everything together.
- Press the almond mixture into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the almond shortbread is lightly browned. Put on a cooling rack to cool completely.
- After taking the shortbread out, put 1 cup coconut flakes on a baking sheet and put in the oven until lightly browned, about 10-15 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on them because they burn easily.
- Meanwhile, drain the dates and add to the bowl of a food processor along with the almond milk {start with 1/3 cup and increase as needed}, vanilla extract, salt, and 1/2 cup coconut. Process until the mixture is pureed and very smooth.
- Once the coconut is toasted, add 1/2 cup toasted coconut to the pureed date mixture. Process until combined. Fold the remaining coconut into the mixture.
- When the shortbread has cooled, spread the date-coconut mixture over it. Put in the freezer to harden.
- Once it has hardened, cut into squares.
- If topping with chocolate, put the chocolate chips and almond milk in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then repeat until it has melted. Drizzle over the bars.
- Keep these well covered in the freezer. You could also keep them in the fridge; I think room temperature wouldn't work very well.
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