Healthy Chocolate Coconut Bars

These Healthy Chocolate Coconut Bars are three layers of sweet chewy, nutty coconut goodness topped with chocolate.  All naturally sweetened, free from refined sugars, you can make these bars in 20 minutes, with 7 basic ingredients and there's no oven required. 

Recipe Highlights

• It's the perfect coconut and chocolate combination - like a homemade bounty but with a nutty base
• The shredded coconut centre is sweet, sticky, and soft
• They hold together perfectly and wont melt or crumble
• Perfect as a dessert or mid morning snack
• They keep in the fridge for a week like these Date and Nut Bars
• Makes 12 generously sized (big!) bars
• They travel well and make great finishers for picnics and BBQ's
• It will satisfy your after dinner cravings naturally just like these delicious Date Snickers!
• Made with ingredients that are full of fibre these bars will keep you fuller for longer

Often Chocolate Coconut Bars contain lots of white or brown sugar and flour, and some even require cooking.  There is no brown or white sugar in this recipe, no flour and no cooking.

Its completely no bake with the sweetness coming from the dates in the base and sugar free maple syrup sweetening the coconut centre, making the balance just right.

With a food processor to blitz the ingredients these will be made in under 20 minutes, probably more like 10 minutes.  Then let them set in the fridge for 2 hours and they are ready for slicing.  While you can slice it into 12 generous bars, you can also slice into 24 smaller bite sized bars to make them go further, or just to manage your portions.

I love no bake recipes and some of my others include Raw Caramel Slice Bars (one of my most popular recipes!), No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars, and Double Chocolate Fudge Slice, and these Chocolate Weetbix Bars

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes

• Shredded Coconut:  Ideally you want a coconut that still has some moisture in it which is why shredded coconut is better to use than desiccated coconut which tends to be drier.    Shredded coconut are bigger and thicker coconut "strands" that have more texture and flavour.
• Medjool Dates:  These are plump and juicy with soft skins and a caramel like centre, perfect for adding sweetness to the base.
• Walnuts:  Natural walnuts or toasted walnuts are fine to use, or alternatively you can use pecans.  You want a nut that has moistness to it which is why walnuts and pecans are ideal.  Almonds and cashews will work, and will add a firmer texture to the base, as opposed to a softer chewier one.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder:  this adds a chocolate richness to the base and only a little is needed.  Find this in the health food aisle at supermarkets.  Note that this is different to drinking chocolate, which is much sweeter and not recommended
• Coconut Oil:  opt for the firm coconut oil that sets in the jar as opposed to the liquid coconut oil.  You want the  coconut oil that "sets" at room temperature as this will help to firm up the coconut filling
• Maple Syrup:  Pure maple syrup or a naturally sweetened maple syrup are both good options.  I love using Lakanto Maple Syrup as it has lots of flavour and to me tastes just the same without the calories.
• Sugar Free Chocolate:  Use a sugar free dark chocolate block, bar or chips.  It doesn't matter as it will be melted.  Alternatively you could use a 70% or 80% Dark chocolate.  Milk chocolate doesn't work nearly as well as dark chocolate in this recipe but feel free to try it if that's your preference.

How To Make

These chocolate coconut bars are made in three layers and three steps.

Base

1. Microwave pitted dates for 30 seconds
2. Blitz dates, walnuts, coconut and cocoa powder in a food processor  on high for 1 minute until a moist crumb is formed. 
3. Transfer crumb mixture into a lined square or rectangle baking tray, ensuring baking/parchment paper runs up the sides of the tin for easy removal.
4. Press crumbs into tin, ensuring they are even and level.

Middle

4. Add shredded coconut, maple syrup and softened coconut oil to a large mixing bowl and mix together thoroughly with a spoon.
5. Transfer the coconut mixture into the baking tin, spreading over and completely covering the based layer, pressing down to smooth out.

Top

6. Melt sugar free chocolate pieces in a heatproof bowl and microwave on high for 30 second bursts until chocolate is  "just" melted.  Stir to melt completely.
7. Pour chocolate over the coconut layer, smoothing out with the back of a spoon until chocolate covers the coconut layer
8. Cover baking tin with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours to set

Recipe Tips

• Chocolate:  When looking for a sugar free chocolate, try to find a stevia sweetened chocolate.  I like to use these Noshu Sugar Free Dark Chocolate Chips, or Well Naturally No Sugar Added Chocolate Baking Chips.  I recommend going for a dark chocolate as it tends to set better than a milk chocolate.
• Slicing:  Rinse a sharp knife under hot tap water for 20 seconds, then quickly and cleanly cut bars into 12 slices.  Using a hot sharp knife will give those clean sharp edges to your bars.
• Storage:  Store the bars in an air tight container with lid in the fridge for upto 1 week.  Not suitable to freeze.

These healthy chocolate coconut bars really are easy to make and using a food processor to blitz the ingredients for the base makes it even easier.

They're a total crowd pleaser and very easy to eat.  Waistline friendly, high in fibre so very filling and naturally sweetened so you can control your sugar levels.  Great to make on a Sunday afternoon so you have healthy snacks on hand for the week ahead.

More No Bake Bars

• Sugar Free Chocolate Oat Granola Bars
• No Bake Protein Bar with Oats
• Sugar Free No Bake Ginger Slice Bars
• No Bake Chocolate Oat Bars with Almonds

Healthy Chocolate Coconut Bars

Kim MorrisKim

Thee three layer Chocolate Coconut Bars are naturally sweetened, dairy free and full of fibre. They're sweet, chewy, and nutty with a moist coconut centre.

4.67 from 3 votes

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Course Dessert

Servings 12 Bars

Calories 283 kcal

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 0 minutes mins

Fridge Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Ingredients

 

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Base

• ▢ 10 large medjool dates (pitted - seeds removed)
• ▢ ¾ cup walnuts
• ▢ ¼ cup shredded coconut - (not desiccated)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Middle

• ▢ 2 cups shredded coconut - (not desiccated)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons coconut oil (softened not melted)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons sugar free maple syrup

Top

• ▢ 1 cup sugar free dark chocolate melts

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

 

Base

• Microwave 10 large medjool dates (pitted - seeds removed) for 30 seconds
• Add dates, ¾ cup walnuts, ¼ cup shredded coconut and 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder to food processor and blitz on high for 1 minute until a moist crumb is formed. (Try clumping mixture together in your hand to see if moist enough, if not add 1 tablespoon of water and blitz again. Repeat if necessary)
• Transfer crumb mixture from food processor into a lined baking tray (square or rectangle is OK) I used a large loaf tin. Make sure the baking/parchment paper runs up the sides of the tin so you can easily grab it to pull the bars out once set.
• Firmly press crumbs into tin, making sure to press evenly and flatly, across the surface and in the corners. Set aside and make the coconut layer

Middle

• Add 2 cups shredded coconut, 2 tablespoons sugar free maple syrup and 2 tablespoons coconut oil (softened not melted) to a large mixing bowl and mix together.
• Transfer the coconut mixture into the baking tin, spreading over and completely covering the base layer. Press down to smooth it out as much as possible. Set aside and prepare the chocolate.

Top

• Add 1 cup sugar free dark chocolate melts to a heatproof bowl and microwave on high in 30 second bursts until chocolate is only "just" melted with some chunks remaining. Stir the chocolate to let remaining chunks dissolve with the heat.
• Pour chocolate over the coconut layer, smoothing out with the back of a spoon until chocolate covers the coconut layer
• Cover baking tin with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours

Slice

• Rinse a sharp knife under hot tap water for 20 seconds, then quickly and cleanly cut bars into 12 slices. TIP: Using a hot sharp knife will give those clean sharp edges to your bars.

Notes

1. Shredded Coconut: Ideally you want a coconut that still has some moisture in it which is why shredded coconut is better to use than desiccated coconut which tends to be drier. Shredded coconut are bigger and thicker coconut "strands" that have more texture and flavour.
2. Medjool Dates: These are plump and juicy with soft skins and a caramel like centre, perfect for adding sweetness to the base.
3. Walnuts: Natural walnuts or toasted walnuts are fine to use, or alternatively you can use pecans. You want a nut that has moistness to it which is why walnuts and pecans are ideal. Almonds and cashews will work, and will add a firmer texture to the base, as opposed to a softer chewier one.
4. Unsweetened cocoa powder: this adds a chocolate richness to the base and only a little is needed. Find this in the health food aisle at supermarkets. Note that this is different to drinking chocolate, which is much sweeter and not recommended
5. Coconut Oil: opt for the firm coconut oil that sets in the jar as opposed to the liquid coconut oil. You want the coconut oil that "sets" at room temperature as this will help to firm up the coconut filling
6. Maple Syrup: Pure maple syrup or a naturally sweetened maple syrup are both good options. I love using Lakanto Maple Syrup as it has lots of flavour and to me tastes just the same without the calories.
7. Sugar Free Chocolate: Use a sugar free dark chocolate block, bar or chips. It doesn't matter as it will be melted. Alternatively you could use a 70% or 80% Dark chocolate. Milk chocolate doesn't work nearly as well as dark chocolate in this recipe but feel free to try it if that's your preference.

Nutrition

Calories: 283kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 2gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 14gFiber: 4gSugar: 8g

Note: Sugars contained in this recipe are from naturally occurring sugars in fruits, vegetables or other natural sweeteners. Calories have been calculated for your convenience using My Fitness Pal and are based on the ingredients listed in the recipe card.

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