Almond Bars

Ingredients for No Bake Coconut Granola Bars

Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need for this healthy, no-cook recipe. Find exact measurements in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

• Whole almonds: You can use roasted or raw, salted or unsalted. You could even swap these out for cashews, peanuts, or another nut if you would like.
• Shredded coconut: Use unsweetened if you’re paleo. If you’re not, feel free to use sweetened coconut if you prefer.
• Medjool dates: Make sure to take the pits out before using. These dates are softer and sweeter than Deglet Noor dates, so I wouldn’t recommend substituting these.
• Almond butter: I just used a regular, creamy almond butter. You could also use a flavored or crunchy variety if you prefer, though.
• Maple syrup: Honey also works great in this recipe if you prefer. I’ve not tried this with any sugar-free substitutes.
• Dark chocolate chips: You could swap these out with semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips if you prefer.

Note: You may need to add water to the almond mixture if your food processor is struggling. This will depend on the type of almond butter you’re using and the power your food processor has.

Process almond mixture

Combine the almonds, almond butter, shredded coconut, pitted dates, and maple syrup or honey in the food processor. Pulse until the ingredients become a thick, course mixture. If your almond butter is super thick or if your food processor isn’t very powerful, this may be difficult. If so, just add a tablespoon of water and pulse. You can continue adding a tablespoon at a time until the mixture comes together like in the photo above.

Substitutions for No Bake Chocolate Bars

• Nuts– I chose to use almonds, but you could also use cashews, peanuts, pistachios or walnuts. You could also use a combination of two or more nuts. You could also try gluten free oats. If you’re looking for an extra dose of fiber, throw some chia seeds in your mix!
• Dates– I LOVE dates- they are nature’s super sweetener. It’s important to choose Medjool dates specifically because that have that sweet, caramely flavor. They’re also nice and soft, perfect for blending into the bar. If you are not a fan, you could try prunes, cranberries, or raisins.
• Sweetener– if you aren’t a huge fan of either honey or maple syrup, you could make these bars a little sweeter by adding in brown sugar, vanilla extract or chocolate chips. I would recommend retaining some of the honey or maple syrup, because it does help to bind the bars together.
• Butter– I used almond butter in my recipe, but you can certainly use any kind you like. Peanut butter, sunflower butter, cashew butter… All would be great in this recipe.
• Toppings– If you aren’t interested in adding more coconut on top of your bars, get creative! Sea salt, sliced almonds or nut of your choice, raisins, cranberries, sunflower seeds or even banana chips would be a tasty addition to this recipe. You could even spread a thin layer of raspberry jam over the top of the dough before the first chilling step for a fruity twist!