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Made with only 6 ingredients, these homemade Almond Joy Bars are a sweet and healthy treat!
Vegan, Gluten Free, and Grain Free.
6 Ingredient Almond Joy Bars that are actually good for you? I don’t think I need to say much more…
It may sound strange, but I feel like I seemed to like the unpopular candies as a child. I practically begged my friends to give me their banana-flavored runts, and I actually didn’t like caramel either. My two favorite candy bars were 3 Musketeers (which I didn’t even know was “lame” until Stranger Things) and Almond Joy Bars.
My love for caramel has since intensified (hence these Healthy Snickers Bars), but I am also still loyal to the Almond Joy. Chocolate pairs well with mostly anything – let’s be honest – but it does work exceptionally well with Coconut. Throw some Almonds in there for a little extra crunch, and it’s basically perfection!
These candy bars were surprisingly easy to health-ify too. Even though this version only has simple 5 ingredient filling, you can barely tell the difference in terms of flavor! Which in my opinion, is a good thing 😉
This recipe is also a collaboration with my friends Jasmine and Chris of Sweet Simple Vegan; after you finish drooling over these Almond Joy Bars, head over to their blog to make some delicious looking Double Chocolate Brownie Cookies with Pistachios!
A Few Final Thoughts:
- If you have a nut allergy, or simple don’t have Almonds on hand, you can leave them out or replace with another nut/seed.
- I like this Chocolate (sweetened with Coconut Sugar) by Eating Evolved to keep these bars refined sugar free. If you do not care about this, feel free to use any vegan Chocolate Bar or Chocolate Chips of your choosing! You can also make your own 3 Ingredient chocolate following this recipe.
- I used a narrow silicone mold that actually came with my bento box to make these bars. However, you can use any narrow dish that you would like (such as a bread pan, or even a square or rectangular tupperware). If your dish is not flexible, I would recommend lining it with parchment paper before you add the filling layers into it, so they will be easy to remove once frozen.
If you’re looking for more healthier candy bar recipes, you’ll also love these Healthy Snickers Bars and these Healthy Peanut Butter Cups!
Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂
Homemade Almond Joy Bars (Vegan + Paleo)
Made with only 6 ingredients, these homemade Almond Joy Bars are a sweet and healthy treat!
Vegan, Gluten Free, and Grain Free.
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes (in freezer)
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 Bars 1x
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 1 cup Shredded Coconut
- ½ cup Coconut Butter, melted
- 2+ tbsp Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 16–30 Whole Almonds (2-3 per “bar”)
For the Chocolate:
- 4 oz Vegan Chocolate (see notes for options)
Instructions
- Add the Coconut, melted Coconut Butter, Maple Syrup, Vanilla Extract, and Salt to a medium bowl. Mix well, then press into a narrow silicone mold or lined narrow dish (see notes for options). Then, firmly press each whole Almond into the Coconut Mixture – line them up to each bar will have 2-3.
- Freeze for 20-25 minutes, or until firm and solid.
- Cut the frozen block into individual Candy Bars, then place back in the freezer while you melt the Chocolate. (Note: it helps to run the knife under hot water and then dry it before you slice the bars)
- Melt your Chocolate using either a double boiler or the microwave. If you are using the microwave, cook the Chocolate pieces at 30 second intervals, stirring in between. Once the mixture is 75% melted, stir the Chocolate together until completely melted.
- Remove the Coconut Bars from the freezer, and moving quickly place one bar into the bowl of melted Chocolate – make sure it has a wide base. Use two forks to “flip” the bar, until it is coated in Chocolate on all sides. Remove the Bar from the bowl, let any excess chocolate drip off, and place it onto a plate lined with parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining Bars.
- Place the bars in the fridge for 5-10 minutes, to allow the Chocolate to harden.
- Serve and enjoy! Bars are best stored in the fridge and will last there for up to 10 days. You can also place them in the freezer, where they will last for up to one month – just let the bars thaw for 3-5 minutes before enjoying.
Notes
- I used a narrow silicone mold that actually came with my bento box to make these bars. However, you can use any narrow dish that you would like (such as a bread pan, or even a square or rectangular tupperware). If your dish is not flexible, I would recommend lining it with parchment paper before you add the filling layers into it, so they will be easy to remove once frozen.
- I used this Chocolate (sweetened with Coconut Sugar) by Eating Evolved to keep these bars refined sugar free. If you do not care about this, feel free to use any vegan Chocolate Bar or Chocolate Chips of your choosing! You can also make your own 3 Ingredient chocolate following this recipe.
Want to save these Almond Joy Bars for later? Pin the recipe to your Pinterest boards:
Hi,
I tried this recipe and it is super delicious, besides it is very easy to make it.
Thanks for the simple and awesome recipe!
Kalina
Thank you as always, Kalina!
hi! can i use desiccated coconut to replace the shredded coconut? how about replacing coconut butter to cacao butter? thanks!
You can substitute with coarsely ground or chopped nuts, and desiccated coconut with ground nuts. Cacao butter has very mild flavor but strong chocolate aroma.
Hi! I just made these the other days and they are so yummy! Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!
★★★★★
Thanks so much for making them!
oooh gonna give this a go so I can use up my… ridiculous amount of shredded coconut (two households joined.. we both do lots of baking but oh my… so much coconut!) might even give a go at making my own coconut butter for it! ((a quick look at google found a recipe that’s simply 3-4cups shredded unsweetened coconut in a food processor until it’s smooth and creamy!.. I don’t want to not give credit but I also don’t want to tag other recipe blogs in a blogs comments so???? I’ll leave it at that?))
Will update on how amazing they are after I have eaten far to many because… I love almond joys far to much for any one human being….
Coconut and chocolate are such a great combination, it’s like a dream! You can definitely share who had the coconut butter recipe! Hope you are able to use up all that delicious coconut!
So delicious and much better than the candy bar you can get from the store. I make this every year for my boyfriends birthday and it is always a crowd pleaser!
★★★★★
How sweet!
Can I use coconut oil instead of coconut butter? Will it be the same measurement? Thanks
Hi Larissa! You can use coconut oil, but I have not tested this recipe with this substitution. I would imagine that you would need a little less, as it doesn’t have the fiber content of the coconut butter. Let me know how it works for you! x
Your recipe doesn’t mention at what point you add the almonds.
Whoops, sorry about that! I just updated the recipe so it should be there now 🙂