These paleo Almond Joy bars are a healthier, low-carb version of the classic candy bar. Naturally sweetened flaked coconut is topped with whole toasted almonds and then enrobed in smooth, rich dark chocolate. Toasting the almonds in this recipe makes a world of difference — trust us.
Homemade Paleo Almond Joy Bars [Vegan, Grain-Free]
Ingredients
- 36 raw almonds
- 4 cups unsweetened coconut flakes, firmly packed
- 6 tablespoons monkfruit sweetner (or granulated sweetener of choice)
- 12 teaspoons water, divided
- 10 teaspoons coconut oil, at room temperature (should be the consistency of softened butter)
- 6-8 ounces stevia-sweetened chocolate (see notes)
Preparation
This step is optional. Heat your oven to 375°F and place the almonds on a baking sheet. Cook until browned and “nutty” smelling, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
Line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving some to hang over the sides to use as a handle.
Place the coconut flakes and monkfruit in a large food processor and pulse until the coconut flakes begin to break down, scraping the sides as necessary.
Add in 8 teaspoons of the water, as well as 8 teaspoons of the room-temperature coconut oil. Blend on high speed for 1 minute, stopping to scrape the sides as necessary.
Add in the remaining 4 teaspoons of water and pulse until the mixture turns crumbly.
Pour into the prepared pan and press out evenly and very firmly. You want to make sure the bars stick together.
Use a very sharp knife to slice into 18 bars (six rows of three bars) as it’s hard to cut these after freezing. Place two almonds firmly in the center of each bar. Make sure to really press them in firm, or they will fall out when you dip them.
Chill in the freezer for 1 hour until firm.
Once chilled, melt the chocolate and remaining 2 teaspoons of coconut oil in a small microwave-safe container using 50% power and 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval (see notes).
Quickly dunk each bar into the chocolate, gently shaking all the excess chocolate off, and then place onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Note: if your almonds fall off, dunk them in a bit of chocolate and use it as a glue to stick it back on the bar before dunking it in chocolate!
Store in the refrigerator and serve.
Nutrional Information
Calories: 166 | Carbs: 8.2 g | Fat: 15.9 g | Protein: 1.9 g | Sugar: 1.1 g | Sodium: 5.6 mg
Notes
To keep the chocolate warm, place a kitchen towel on top of a skillet that you have heated to the lowest setting, then place the container that holds the chocolate on top.
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AUTHOR & RECIPE DETAILS
Over-the-top dinners and desserts that are deceptively easy to make. Taylor is the blogger, recipe developer, photographer and general mess maker behind the blog Food Faith Fitness. Her blog aims to show that eating healthfully does not have to break the bank or equal bland and boring! It can be easy to make and totally delicious. Taylor believes in living a balanced, whole life so Food Faith Fitness also focuses on fitness/nutrition tips and working on keeping Christ at the center of daily life. However, Taylor also believes that moderation is key, so sometimes it’s ok to just go and eat a cookie! When she isn’t blogging or messing up her kitchen, Taylor leads a pretty simple life. Places that you could find her include: the gym, her Bible study or just snuggling up on the couch with husband and doggy, watching The Food Network (Chopped in particular!) Taylor also has not-so-secret obsessions with all things peanut butter, cookie dough (even better if they are together!) pink and leopard print. Keep up with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/homemade-paleo-almond-joy-bars/