Paleo Almond Joy Bars
Trick or treat yourself with these homemade paleo almond joy bars!
Can you believe that Halloween is almost here? Whether you’re into Halloween or not, be sure to treat yourself with these homemade almond joy bars that are paleo, vegan, gluten free, and refined sugar free.
These candy bars bring me back to my childhood going around the neighborhood filling pillow cases with candy. Almond joys were my favorite growing up more towards my late teens. There’s something about the combination of coconut and chocolate that gets me, and still does to this day!
Anyways onto adult life and finding ways to replicate some of my favorite treats that both taste good and are good for your health - though there is nothing wrong with enjoying the real deal here in there.
I must also mention I’m not one that LOVES being in the kitchen, but I do love experimenting with making healthified versions of my favorite foods to better support my health. These are SUPER easy to make and do not disappoint. Let’s just say they went really fast and I’ll be making these again real soon.
Almond Joy Recipe (adapted by @frommybowl)
Prep time 15 min
Cook time 30 min (in freezer)
Yields 7-8 bars
Ingredients
1 cup shredded unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup coconut butter, melted
2 tbs maple syrup
24 whole almonds
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 oz homemade dark chocolate
1/4 tsp sea salt
Directions:
Line a bread pan (or even square or rectangular tupperware pan) with parchment paper.
Combine shredded coconut, melted coconut butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and sea salt in a bowl.
Press combined ingredients for the filling into the lined pan.
Press 2-3 almonds per bar (3 in a row) firmly onto the filling (for 7-8 bars total)
Freeze coconut mixture with almonds for about 20-25 minutes until solid
Line baking sheet with parchment paper
Melt vegan chocolate (or DIY, see below) via stovetop or microwave into a medium sized bowl
Cut solid coconut mixture into 7-8 bars
Dip bars into melted chocolate using two forks, flipping the bar until it’s coated. Let excess chocolate drip off. Place covered bars on lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining bars.
Spinkle a tiny pinch of sea salt on the top of the bars (optional)
Freeze bars for another 5-10 minutes. If you want a thicker chocolate shell, repeat step 9, freezing for 5-10 minutes before adding another coat of chocolate.
*I modified by making my own homemade dark chocolate (3/4 cup cacao butter, 1 tbs coconut oil, 1/2 cup cacao, dash of sea salt, dash of vanilla extract, 1 tbs maple syrup). This made enough to dip the almond joy bars in twice, and then freeze the small remainders for regular chocolate eating.