These Homemade Almond Joy Bars use no dairy, gluten or refined sugars and are much healthier than the original. Easy to make and scrumptious! This recipe is Vegan, Paleo, refined sugar-free and soy-free.
Here is my version of an Almond Joy Candy Bar. This recipe uses no dairy, gluten or refined sugars and are much healthier then the original. They taste much more delightful then the store-bought version in my husbands opinion, who was begging me to eat them before I was even able to photograph it.
The coconut center is made with unsweetened shredded coconut, a little coconut oil and coconut butter to bind it together. With two raw, sprouted almonds on top and a thick chocolate coating, the candy bar is complete. I double dipped each candy bar in a rich and smooth chocolate made with cacao butter.
I have been asked many times before what exactly coconut butter is and there seems to be a lot of confusion between coconut butter, coconut cream, coconut oil, etc.
Coconut butter is simply unsweetened dried shredded coconut processed in a high speed blender or food processor until the oils are released and it turns into a smooth creamy paste, like peanut butter.
Sometimes coconut butter is also referred as coconut cream. Coconut cream can also mean the cream that forms on top of a can of coconut milk when left in the fridge for over 12 hours.
Below are two brands of coconut butter, but if you have dried shredded coconut and a high speed blender or food processor you can make your own for much cheaper.
Artisane Organic Coconut Butter
Recipe
Homemade Almond Joy Candy Bar
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- 5 tablespoons coconut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons raw honey, or maple syrup
- pinch fine himalayan salt
- raw almonds
Chocolate Shell:
- ½ cup cacao butter
- ½ cup semisweet mini chocolate chips,
Instructions
- Mix the shredded coconut, coconut oil, coconut butter, vanilla extract, honey and salt.
- Line an 8½” x 4½”-inch medium loaf pan with parchment paper and press the mixture into the bottom and sides of the pan.
- Refrigerate for about 1 hour and cut into small rectangles of approximately 2-inches long by 1.5-inches wide then return to the fridge.
- Melt the cacao butter and chocolate chips in a double boiler over simmering water and let chocolate cool for 5 minutes.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, place 2 almonds on each coconut bar and dip into the melted chocolate using a fork, one at the time.
- Refrigerate until chocolate hardens.
