The holidays are over, back to healthy treats! I like to come up with my own healthier version of existing cereal, ice cream- and candy bars. Today I am bringing you my homemade healthy Bounty bar (or Mounds bar or Almond Joy, whatever a chocolate coconut candy bar is called where you grew up). My raw version has only 8 ingredients, no refined sugar and is both gluten free and vegan.
These homemade chocolate coconut bars are made with triple coconut; unsweetened shredded coconut, coconut oil and coconut milk. And a bit of maple syrup and a pinch of salt for the filling. The chocolate coating consists of coconut oil, cacao powder and maple syrup.
They need some time in the freezer, but only take a few minutes of your time to put together. What do you think? Let’s make some healthy Bounty bars!?
How I make homemade bounty bars:
The coconut filling:
I start by whisking together the coconut oil and -milk. I whisk until it is fully incorporated. Once it is one homogenous mass, I mix in the sweetener, salt and vanilla. I whisk some more and finally add the shredded coconut.
Form bars from the filling
I form bars out of small amounts of filling with my hands. I place them on a baking tray and slide it in the freezer for 20-25 minutes so they firm up.
The chocolate coating:
In the meantime prepare the chocolate. You can go 2 ways here:
- Melt chocolate of choice au bain marie (in a double broiler). You can add some coconut oil to make it runnier (optional)
- Or combine coconut oil, cacao powder and maple syrup by whisking it all together.
Cover the coconut bars with chocolate
I take the coconut bars out of the freezer. They should be hard enough to pick up without falling apart. I dip a bar in chocolate by placing it on a fork and submerge it in chocolate. I let the chocolate dipped bar drip out a bit before placing it back on the baking tray. The chocolate will harden straight away, because the filling is frozen. But to be sure, let them sit for 10 minutes before serving. Where I live it is always hot, so I actually place them back in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Double chocolate coating
For an extra crunch and thick layer of chocolate on these healthy Bounty bars, I dip them in chocolate a second time. After having covered them in chocolate the first time, I place them in the freezer for another 10 minutes. Now I dip them in chocolate again. Or instead, I drizzle with chocolate for a fancy swirl effect.
I usually make a whole stack and store them (in the freezer) so I always have them on hand. Tip: great snack while binge-watching your favorite Netflix series!
I make these healthy Bounties as bars, mini bites (my kids’ favorite!) and deconstructed (what!? yes, chocolate bark with shredded coconut and chopped almonds!). We are all addicted to them in our family. I am so sure you will love them as well. They are
the perfect combination of chocolate and coconut – naturally sweetened – so easy to make – adjustable – and addictively delicious
If you like these healthy chocolate treats you will definitely like my homemade cocoa puffs and my healthy almond and oat chocolate chip cookies as well. Or what about my take on a Magnum/Dove ice cream bar?
Healthy homemade Bounty bars
Ingredients
Coconut filling
- ¼ cup coconut oil (melt first if not liquid yet)
- ¾ cup coconut milk
- 4 tbsp maple syrup (or sub agave syrup)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 3 cups shredded coconut (unsweetened)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Chocolate coating (method 1)
- ½ cup coconut oil
- ½ cup cacao powder (unsweetened)
- ¼ cup maple syrup (or use agave syrup)(to taste, I use just a bit less than ¼ cup)
Chocolate coating (method 2)
- 3 oz. chocolate chips (use vegan chocolate chips to keep it plant based)(= approx. ⅓ cup)
- 1 tsp coconut oil (optional)
Instructions
Coconut filling:
- Whisk together the coconut oil and coconut milk, until it is fully incorporated. Once it is one homogenous mass, mix in the sweetener, salt and vanilla. Whisk some more and finally add the shredded coconut.
- Form bars out of small amounts of filling with your hands. Place them on a baking tray and slide it in the freezer for 20-25 minutes so they firm up.
Chocolate coating:
- In the meantime prepare the chocolate. You can go 2 ways:1. Melt chocolate of choice au bain marie (in a double broiler). You can add some coconut oil to make it runnier (optional)2. Or combine coconut oil, cacao powder and maple syrup by whisking it all together.
- Take the coconut bars out of the freezer. They should be hard enough to pick up without falling apart. Now dip them in chocolate; place one bar on a fork and submerge it in the chocolate. Let it drip out a bit before placing the bar back on the baking tray. The chocolate will harden straight away, because the filling is frozen. But to be sure, let them sit for 10 minutes before serving. If you live in a hot climate, place them back in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Double coating of chocolate (optional):
- For an extra crunch and thick layer of chocolate, you can dip them in chocolate a second time. After you have covered them in chocolate the first time, place them in the freezer for another 10 minutes. And dip them in chocolate again. Or instead, drizzle with chocolate for a fancy swirl effect.
Notes
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
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Hi there,
I’m dying to make these. I have a question, when you say coconut milk, do you mean the canned version or the refrigerated version? The consistency can be so different, so I just want to make sure I use the right kind of coconut milk. Thank you so much in advance. So excited to try them!
Hi! I always use canned coconut milk. Coconut milk from a carton is too watery. The creamy consistency of the canned coconut milk works best for these bounty bars. Let me know how they turn out!