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Sometimes you feel like a nut.
And that’s when you should reach for one of these almond joy bars. They have all the flavors of the popular candy bar you love, including almond, coconut, and chocolate, but unlike their processed counterparts, they are naturally-sweetened and loaded with fiber and healthy fats.
These bars were inspired by my No-Bake Peanut Butter Cup Bars, but this variation features an almond flavored “cookie” crust made with almond flour and a dash of almond extract, and is then topped with a quick coconut filling. The result is an easy and delicious bar, without the effort that would go into recreating an actual chocolate-covered candy bar.
They store well in the freezer, too, so you can always have a healthier chocolate treat on hand when your sweet tooth strikes!
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No-Bake Almond Joy Bars (Vegan)
Makes 15 bars
Adapted from No-Bake Peanut Butter Cup Bars
Ingredients:
Crust:
1 cup almond meal
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
Pinch of salt
Coconut Filling:
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (I use this brand)
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon water
Chocolate Topping:
1/4 cup raw cacao powder or cocoa powder
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup (at room temperature)
Directions:
Line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper and set it aside. To prepare the crust, combine the almond meal, maple syrup, coconut oil, almond extract, and salt in a medium bowl, and stir well until a sticky dough is formed. Press it evenly into the bottom of the lined loaf pan, and set aside.
To prepare the coconut filling, combine all of the filling ingredients in the mixing bowl and stir well. Spread the coconut mixture over the crust, then use a spatula to smooth the top. Set aside.
To prepare the chocolate topping, combine all of the ingredients in the mixing bowl and use a whisk to create a silky smooth chocolate sauce. (If any of your ingredients are cold, this sauce will firm up. If that happens, simply place the bowl in a warm area or in a hot water bath briefly to liquify the ingredients again.) Pour the chocolate sauce over the top of the coconut layer and smooth the top with a spatula. Place the pan in the freezer to set until firm, about one to two hours.
Pull on the parchment paper to easily remove the solid bar from the pan, then slice into bars and serve directly from the freezer. These bars will soften fairly quickly if left at room temperature, so it’s important to keep them chilled until ready to serve.
These bars should store well in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months.
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 cup almond meal
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
- 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
- Pinch of salt
Coconut Filling:
- 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon water
Chocolate Topping:
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (at room temperature)
Instructions
- Line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper and set it aside. To prepare the crust, combine the almond meal, maple syrup, coconut oil, almond extract, and salt in a medium bowl, and stir well until a sticky dough is formed. Press it evenly into the bottom of the lined loaf pan, and set aside.
- To prepare the coconut filling, combine all of the filling ingredients in the mixing bowl and stir well. Spread the coconut mixture over the crust, then use a spatula to smooth the top. Set aside.
- To prepare the chocolate topping, combine all of the ingredients in the mixing bowl and use a whisk to create a silky smooth chocolate sauce. (If any of your ingredients are cold, this sauce will firm up. If that happens, simply place the bowl in a warm area or in a hot water bath briefly to liquify the ingredients again.) Pour the chocolate sauce over the top of the coconut layer and smooth the top with a spatula. Place the pan in the freezer to set until firm, about one to two hours.
- Pull on the parchment paper to easily remove the solid bar from the pan, then slice into bars and serve directly from the freezer. These bars will soften fairly quickly if left at room temperature, so it's important to keep them chilled until ready to serve.
Nutrition
Enjoy!
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Reader Feedback: What is your favorite candy bar?
Hi, so I’m attempting to cook and bake, which I am just hopeless at. I thought these would be simple, and followed everything to a T. It looked good until it came to the chocolate coating… What I got was a wet thin chocolate that seeped right into the coconut as soon as I poured it on. I tried to spread it around, but succeeding only in spreading chocolate coated coconut all over. Looks like rice krispies on top. Should I have done something to thicken it slightly so I got that pretty pour and nice thick layer of chocolate? It’s in the freezer now, but I fear I messed it up (like I do everything I make) and it’ll likely go straight into the trash.
Any suggestions on what to do would be wonderful.
Thanks Megan.
These are absolutely TERRIFIC ! Love them 🙂
I think I’m gonna make them often 🙂
Dear Megan,
can these be stored in the fridge too or preferrably in the freezer ?
They will be slightly softer in the fridge, but still good!
I still cannot find your recipe for pumpkin cookies on your cookie site. Thank you for answering my earlier question.
If you know what you’re looking for, you can always use the search bar located in the right sidebar of my website, near the top of the page. The pumpkin cookie recipe is here: https://detoxinista.com/2012/09/pumpkin-pie-cookies-vegan-grain-free/
Delicious! I made the exact recipe except I used lite coconut milk instead of water to add more coconut flavor. Thanks for the great recipe.
these will go down treat! Thanks for recipe; simple yet so tasty
Wow. These were amazing! Thank you!
Hi there! I’m from Greece and coconut oil is both difficult to find as well as a pricey option.. Do you think I could substitute olive oil for coconut oil in this recipe? Also, replace maple syrup with honey? (a lot of changes!)
Looks like a delicious dessert and can’t wait to make it, hopefully with ingredients that I can find more easily 🙂
Olive oil won’t work, but butter would! You need a fat source that solidifies when chilled. Honey should work fine, but it will change the taste a bit.
Thank you, Megan! I’m gonna try them today!! 🙂
Question, I have an auto-immune disease and my doctor put me on a dietary restriction of no sugar. I can only use raw honey as a sweetener. Can you substitute honey here for the maple syrup?
Yes, but you may not need as much honey as it has a stronger flavor than maple syrup. You may also need to thin it out for the chocolate layer, to make it easier to spread.
This recipe sounds scrumptious! I can’t wait to try it out.
For carb information, I think you can look at the carbs in each of the ingredients you are using (add the carbs up using the amount per serving and the amount used, then divide by how many bars you make. That would be your carb/calorie count per bar. I believe that’s the way to do it…if not let me know…because I’ve been doing it wrong. LOL