These delicious strawberry chocolate bars are tender, creamy and lightly sweetened. Layered with a crumbly oat-strawberry crust and topped with a spongy chocolate goodness, it makes for a great snack or dessert that's super satisfying, but still super healthy. Completely vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar free.
I'm more of a savory treat kind of girl, but oh boy, these bars are something else.
You can imagine that when I work on a recipe for the blog, well, we end up eating that recipe almost daily until it is just right, usually in a short period of time. I try to wait until we finish eating a batch before the next testing. So, to speed up the process, I served these bars to my kids for breakfast, lunch, snack, dessert, special-movie-night-treat, etc.
So when I do this, have my family eat the same food over and over again until I get a recipe right, and no one is complaining or noticeably getting tired of it (including my husband), well, this is good sign. And these vegan chocolate bars are a good example of that. I mean, our 4 y/o Zach is still asking for "the special chocolate bars" for breakfast.
Not that they are meant to enjoy at breakfast, trust me, they are decadent enough to feel like a nice sweet treat, but they are also super healthy. So, no guilt if you want to grab one to start the day.
You will need 10 simple, wholesome and plant-based ingredients to make these. The crumbly oat crust binding to the rich creamy topping is so satisfying. And I'm such a fan of the strawberry-chocolate combo. I mean, who is not anyway, right? This strawberry baked oatmeal is my go-to healthy recipe when I crave the classic combo or, I'll often generously dip fresh strawberries in a thick avocado chocolate pudding to satisfy that itch. But, these bars are really next level special and they make for such a great summer dessert.
They are more of a softer kind of bar that can be enjoyed using a fork or if you want to hold them to eat, then you can cut them in smaller squares. And smaller portions means that you get to have seconds too. Very smart.
They also make for a great meal-prep recipe. The top chocolate portion will need some fridge time to set anyway, so add these bars into your Sunday batch cooking to-try list, transfer to the fridge overnight and you will have delicious treats during the week.
How to make strawberry chocolate bars
The recipe itself is quite simple and quick, but you need to plan ahead as it needs a few hours to cool down in the fridge. This will allow the chocolate topping to set and firm up.
Make the crust
- Combine the rolled oats, almond flour, shredded coconut, maple syrup and coconut oil together. I like to press on the mixture with a spoon to crush the coconut oil to help incorporate it with the rest of the ingredients. Keep going until it creates a uniform crumbly texture.
- Transfer to a 8 x 8 baking dish, press tight using your hands and cook in the oven for 12 minutes. Don't forget to first cover the dish with parchment paper so the bars are easy to remove after done.
Make the chocolate filling
- While the crust is cooking, blend together the silken tofu, cacao powder, maple syrup, corn starch and vanilla extract. Blend for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is very well combined and feels like it's almost whipped. Make sure you drain the tofu first.
Build the bars
Transfer the chocolate mixture over the cooked crust. Spread evenly using a spatula and bake again. Once baked, then let it cool down slightly at room temperature, then transfer to the fridge for at least 2-3 hours. Then, you can take the whole dish out by pulling on the parchment paper and cut it into bars.
Watch how to make it
What kind of tofu to use
You will need the soft or silken kind of tofu (the one you use to make pudding). This tofu has a higher content of water as it was not compacted and drained like the firm regular tofu. Thus, it is much softer and crumbles/breaks easily. Do not mistaken with the regular-soft tofu, which is simply a softer version of the firm tofu, but still looks like a sturdy cut-able block.
Also, silken tofu can vary in between different brands. A few kinds of silken tofu were tried for this recipe and even though the result was sometimes slightly different, it was always delicious. Here in USA, I used the silken tofu from Nasoya, and my sister in Canada had better result with the silken tofu from Sunrise (she had to use 1 ½ packages, as it comes in 300g., well drained).
In any cases, try to drain the tofu as much as you can (you can pat dry with paper towel).
Cooking tips for these vegan bars
- Resist the temptation to cut and eat before cooling down completely! And I mean, a real chill, all the way to the fridge until nice and firm.
- Make sure to work the crust really well before transferring to the baking dish. The room temperature coconut oil is firm and you will have to break the lumps as much as you can while combining with the other ingredients. Use a spoon to press on it or your hands, and do not melt the oil first.
- I do not recommend using frozen strawberry as they usually release more water while cooking and this could create a super soft and soggy crust.
Serving suggestion for these strawberry chocolate bars
They make for a great afternoon snack to be enjoyed with a cup of warm tea.
For serving, since the bars are not overly sweet, I like to melt a few chocolate chips, then drizzle over the bars. Add more strawberries around for a fresh addition. Would pair well with coconut whipped cream or ice cream too.
Storage
Once chilled, you can cut the entire dish in bars or squares and store in a air-tight container for 2-3 days. I noticed that more the bars were resting, more the crust was getting soft. It was still really good, but definitively had to be eaten with a fork opposed as to hold it after a few days.
Other healthy bar recipes you might like
Other strawberry recipes you might like
- Vegan strawberry mini trifles
- Vegan strawberry muffins
- Strawberry overnight oats
- Strawberry almond milk
- Barley breakfast bowl with strawberry-rhubarb compote
- Strawberry baked oatmeal with chocolate
*THANKS TO MY SISTER SONIA WHO HELPED DEVELOP AND TEST THIS RECIPE*
I hope you enjoy these strawberry chocolate bars recipe as much as we do! If you try them, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!
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Strawberry Chocolate Bars with Coconut
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 cup almond flour
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup shredded coconut - unsweetened
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp coconut oil - room temperature
- 1 cup fresh strawberries - finely diced
For the creamy chocolate filling
- 454 g silken tofu - drained
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup raw cacao powder
- 3 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For serving (optional)
- drizzle of melted chocolate chips, fresh strawberries, shredded coconut, whipped cream, ice cream, etc
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 375°. Cover a 8 x 8 baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make the crust
- In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, raw oats, shredded coconut, maple syrup and coconut oil. Stir until there are no clumps of coconut oil anymore. Press with a spoon to break the chunks of oil or even use your hands. This might take a minute or two until you reach a uniform texture. Tiny lumps are fine.
- Then, add the diced strawberries and stir to combine.
- Transfer to the prepared baking dish and even the mixture by pressing tight on it with your hands. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes.
Make the creamy chocolate filling
- In a blender, combine all the chocolate filling ingredients and blend until very smooth. Scrape the walls of the blender to be sure that everything is incorporated. Keep blending for 1-2 minute or until the texture looks almost whipped.
Build the bars
- Once the crust is out of the oven, transfer the chocolate topping over the crust and evenly distribute using a spatula. Bake in the oven for another 20 minutes.
- When done cooking, let cool slightly at room temperature and then transfer in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours. This is important as the bars will keep setting as they cool down. Once cooled down completely, cut in bars and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Resist the temptation to cut and eat before cooling down completely! And I mean, a real chill, all the way to the fridge until nice and firm.
- Make sure to work the crust really well before transferring to the baking dish. The room temperature coconut oil is firm and you will have to break the lumps as much as you can while combining with the other ingredients. Use a spoon to press on it or your hands, and do not melt the oil first.
- I do not recommend using frozen strawberry as they usually release more water while cooking and this could create a super soft and soggy crust.
- Make sure you choose silken/soft tofu (the kind to make pudding), and not regular firm tofu. Also, remove as much water as you can by draining it and you can use paper towel to pat dry the extra water. I used the silken tofu from Nasoya.
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This recipe looks awesome !
Thank you !
I made these bars this am and they are a big hit. Just the right amount of sweetness and they seem very decadent!
Thanks for your comment! I'm happy they were a hit! 🙂