Recipe: Healthy Candy Bars

Photo by Asia Bradlee

Turned off by all the processed sugar in regular candy bars? You can indulge your sweet tooth with this healthy candy bar recipe, which contains only natural sugars. Even better, the dark chocolate base is made from coconut oil and raw cacao powder, providing healthy fats and antioxidants, while the “caramel” is made from dates.

If you do want the chocolate to be sweeter, a tablespoon or two of maple syrup will do the trick.

Ingredients

1 cup coconut oil, divided in half
1 cup raw cacao powder, divided in half
1 cup dates
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup coconut

Directions

Soak the dates in a cup of warm water. Meanwhile, melt half the coconut oil in a pot on the stove. As soon as it’s melted, turn off the stove and stir in half of the cacao powder. Once the two are mixed, pour the chocolate into an eight-by-four-inch baking pan (or any pan close to that size) lined with parchment paper. Set the pan in the freezer and let the chocolate chill for about 30 minutes, or until solid.

While the chocolate is freezing, drain the dates and put them in a food processor. Blend until the dates form a sticky paste, similar to caramel consistency. If needed, add a tablespoon of water while blending to help break the dates apart.

Take the chocolate out of the freezer and spread the date “caramel” over it. Sprinkle the chopped almonds and coconut on top of the caramel. Repeat the chocolate making process, melting the other half of the coconut oil and mixing it with the remaining cacao powder. Pour this layer over the caramel, almonds, and coconut and stick the candies back in the freezer to harden.

Once frozen, cut the chocolate into bite-sized squares. Keep the chocolate in the freezer or fridge to prevent it from melting.